Planning Your Time

Patagonia’s highlights could consume a lifetime, so even repeat visitors usually have to make decisions on what to see and do. Because distances are so great, it’s often necessary to fly, especially if visiting widely separated areas like the northerly lakes of Neuquén and Río Negro, and southern Patagonia’s coastal wildlife areas and massive Andean glaciers.

Unlike the coast, where sights and settlements are often far apart, the Andean lake district of Neuquén, Río Negro, and northwestern Chubut is a more compact area with dense infrastructure and easy accessibility. A week here can be rewarding for special-interest visitors like fly-fishing aficionados, but general-interest travelers would easily enjoy two weeks or more, and dedicated sports-oriented travelers like climbers could spend a month or an entire summer.

San Carlos de Bariloche [1] makes an ideal hub for excursions in and around the lakes, but towns like San Martín de los Andes [2], Villa la Angostura [3], El Bolsón [4], and Esquel [5] are also good choices—not to mention rural lodges and estancias.

In Patagonia’s southerly latitudes, January and February are the main vacation months, but they are also the most expensive. The shoulder months of November–December and March–April have less crowding, lower prices, and almost equally good (sometimes better) weather. By April, days are getting shorter, but the region becomes a winter destination thanks to skiing in Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, and a few less developed areas.

Note that throughout Patagonia, overland transportation schedules change from season to season and year to year, and may be disrupted by weather.