Affordable Travel Tips for Visiting Patagonia in Argentina on a Budget

Three months ago, if someone told me that Patagonia was a must-visit, I would have scoffed. Now: I strongly recommend everyone to come! And at the same time, thank all the friends who shared their travel tips.
Mini trekking – in reality, it’s quite basic, with shoes fitted with crampons, similar to crushing ice, just stomp down hard.

But overall, going up and down the mountain, getting close to the glacier and drinking whisky (a must for successful people?), this money really can’t buy even one piece of Patagonia clothing.
As it is a glacier formed at low altitude inland, the wind from the interior brings a lot of dust, so many places look gray.

And as a continuously growing glacier, you may also encounter ice collapses, which sound like thunder when they happen.
How to get there? 🚗
Fly directly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, which is the base camp. After getting off the plane, find the Ves bus before collecting your luggage, 8k ARS one way.

Buying round trip saves 1k. If the timing doesn’t match, you can take a taxi, about 28k one way. When flying from Buenos Aires, sitting on the right side allows you to see the mountains (see my previous posts 🥹)
Where to stay? 🏠
Anywhere in El Calafate city! You can see snow-capped mountains from anywhere, breathtakingly beautiful.

The hostel I stayed at had great facilities, fast internet, clean, and very warm (compared to similar conditions in China…), suitable for all budgets.
What to do? 🎯
During the low season (July-September), there’s no need to book in advance, all hotels and homestays can help with bookings, or you can book glacier-related activities through Hielo y Aventura (the only licensed agency), payment by Visa on the official website might fail, try another card, includes pick-up and drop-off.

Mini Trekking – around 250k ARS, includes a 2-hour guided tour of the glacier park, 2 hours of glacier hiking (with crampons), and a glass of whisky and chocolate at the end, quite cost-effective. This money still can’t buy one piece of Patagonia!!!
Big Ice – only available during the high season, for me, it should be fine (after all, I can hike 12km round trip), other friends please act according to your ability.

There are also less strenuous boat tours, etc., seek additional information.
How many days to reserve?
– Generally 2-4 days, if you’re very unlucky and the weather is bad, you may need to stay a few more days.
What to eat?
You can try any place rated 4.3 on Google Maps, the cafe next to the gas station, Calafate Coffee Roasters, is good.

If you cook yourself, La Anonima is cheaper.
Besides, what else can you do? See the next post.