Patagonia: Journey to the End of the World — Self-Launched
13 days · Patagonia (Chile & Argentina)
Globus charges £6,130
No-markup version: ~£1,290 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 13-day version of Globus's Santiago-to-Buenos-Aires Patagonia coach tour, rebuilt for independent travellers using hostels, guesthouses and budget hotels, local buses and domestic flights instead of a private coach, and self-bookable day tours via GetYourGuide/Klook or direct with local operators. You cover Santiago's markets and hills, fly south to Puerto Natales for four days among the granite towers of Torres del Paine, cross into Argentina for Perito Moreno Glacier and an estancia barbecue, then fly to Ushuaia for the Beagle Channel penguins and Tierra del Fuego before finishing with steak and tango in Buenos Aires. Costs are rough backpacker/mid-budget estimates in GBP — Patagonia is expensive by Latin American standards, especially in Ushuaia and El Calafate in high season.
Day-by-day
Arrive Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Land at Santiago (SCL) and take the Turbus/Centropuerto airport bus (~£3) or shared transfer to a hostel in Bellavista or Lastarria. Settle in, pick up a Bip! transport card, and wander the Lastarria barrio for dinner. Sort your onward flight south — booking Santiago–Puerto Natales (via Punta Arenas, Sky or LATAM) a few weeks ahead keeps fares manageable.
🚌Airport bus ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm in Bellavista/Lastarria (~£14)
- →Airport bus to city centre
- →Evening walk in Bellavista/Lastarria
Santiago city day
Santiago, Chile
Do it yourself: free walking tour (tip ~£8) covering Plaza de Armas, the Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda (Government Palace) and Santa Lucía Hill. Lunch at La Vega Central market (~£6 for a set menu). In the afternoon ride the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal (~£4 return) for city views, then a Terremoto cocktail in a local pub in the evening (~£5). The summit cable car is an optional extra.
🚌Metro/bus day ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm (~£14)
- →Free walking tour (tip-based)
- →La Moneda & Plaza de Armas
- →La Vega Central market lunch
- →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular
Fly south to Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales, Chile
Fly Santiago to Punta Arenas (Sky/LATAM, book early — expect £90–150 one way with a bag), then take the Bus Sur or Buses Fernández coach up to Puerto Natales (~4 hours, ~£10). The drive across the Patagonian steppe with glimpses of the Strait of Magellan is the scenery the tour bus pays for. Arrive, check into a guesthouse, and visit the Erratic Rock briefing (free, 3pm) which is gold for planning Torres del Paine hikes. Stock up on supplies.
🚌Flight ~£120 + bus ~£10
🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£16)
- →Domestic flight to Punta Arenas
- →Coach across the steppe to Puerto Natales
- →Erratic Rock trip briefing
Torres del Paine — day tour
Torres del Paine National Park
Join a small-group full-day tour to Torres del Paine (book direct with a local operator in town or via GetYourGuide, ~£45–55 including park entry). Stops typically include the Milodón Cave, the Los Cuernos viewpoint, Lago Pehoé, Salto Grande waterfall and Lago Grey for views of Grey Glacier. Bring layers — Patagonian wind is relentless. Return to Puerto Natales for dinner.
🚌Included in day tour
🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm (~£16)
- →Milodón Cave
- →Los Cuernos viewpoint
- →Lago Pehoé & Salto Grande
- →Lago Grey & Grey Glacier viewpoint
Trekking in the park (overnight option)
Torres del Paine / Puerto Natales
Choose your own adventure: either a second guided day trip focused on Laguna Azul and wildlife spotting (~£50), or — for the hikers — take a bus to the park and do the classic Base of the Towers day hike (19km, tough but doable in a long day) with a refugio night if you want to split it (~£35–50 for a dorm bed at Refugio Chileno or El Chileno). Book refugios via Vertice Patagonia or Fantástico Sur well ahead. Alternatively stay based in Puerto Natales and rest.
🚌Park bus ~£10
🛏Hostel in Puerto Natales (~£16) or refugio dorm (~£45)
- →Laguna Azul wildlife spotting OR
- →Base of the Towers hike
- →Optional refugio night in the park
Cross into Argentina to El Calafate
El Calafate, Argentina
Take a morning bus Puerto Natales–El Calafate with Bus Sur or Cootra (~5–6 hours including border formalities, ~£30–40). The route skirts the edge of Los Glaciares National Park and Lake Argentino. Afternoon free to walk the lakeshore and browse the town. Book your Perito Moreno trip for the next day and your Glaciarium/estancia options for the day after. Note: Argentina uses a different currency system — bring cash and check the current exchange situation on arrival.
🚌Bus ~£35
🛏Hostel dorm in El Calafate (~£18)
- →International bus across the border
- →Lakeside walk on Lake Argentino
Perito Moreno Glacier
El Calafate, Argentina
Take a shared shuttle or public bus to the Perito Moreno catwalks (~£12–18 return plus park entry ~£30 for foreigners), or book a guided minibus tour with the optional boat safari via GetYourGuide (~£55–70 all-in). Spend as long as you like on the boardwalks listening to the ice crack — the glacier is genuinely one of the world's great sights. Return to El Calafate for a parrilla dinner (~£12).
🚌Shuttle ~£15
🛏Hostel dorm (~£18)
- →Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks
- →Optional boat safari
- →Parrilla dinner
Glaciarium & gaucho estancia evening
El Calafate, Argentina
Morning at the Glaciarium ice museum and its GlacioBar ice bar (~£15 combined; the ice bar drink is a fun gimmick). Afternoon: book a direct half-day/evening excursion to Estancia Nibepo Aike, a working historic ranch on Lake Argentino, with sheep-shearing and gaucho demonstrations and a traditional asado dinner (~£75–90 booked direct or via GetYourGuide). Independent alternative: a cheaper evening asado at a local parrilla (~£15).
🚌Estancia transfer included in excursion
🛏Hostel dorm (~£18)
- →Glaciarium & GlacioBar
- →Estancia Nibepo Aike gaucho demo
- →Traditional asado dinner
Fly to Ushuaia & Beagle Channel penguins
Ushuaia, Argentina
Morning flight El Calafate–Ushuaia with Aerolíneas Argentinas or LADE (~£110–160; baggage limits are strict — 15kg checked is common, pay extra if needed). Drop bags at your hostel and take an afternoon Beagle Channel catamaran cruise to Isla Martillo to see the Magellanic penguin colony (~£60 direct with a local operator; book at the pier in low season or ahead in Jan–Feb). Evening: warming seafood stew (centolla is the local speciality) and early night.
🚌Flight ~£135
🛏Hostel dorm in Ushuaia (~£22)
- →Flight to Ushuaia
- →Beagle Channel catamaran cruise
- →Martillo Island penguin colony
Tierra del Fuego National Park
Ushuaia, Argentina
Take the local bus or a shared taxi to the park entrance (~£8 plus ~£15 park entry), then hike the coastal path from Ensenada Bay to Lapataia Bay via Lago Roca — the 'end of the world' trail — at your own pace with a downloaded map or a GetYourGuide guided hike (~£35). Afterwards, ride the End of the World train if you like (~£25, bookable at the station) or grab a 'Fin del Mundo' passport stamp at Lapataia. Dinner back in town.
🚌Local bus ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm (~£22)
- →Tierra del Fuego National Park hike
- →Bahía Lapataia & Lago Roca
- →Bahía Ensenada
- →Optional End of the World train
Fly to Buenos Aires & empanada evening
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fly Ushuaia–Buenos Aires (AEP or EZE) with Aerolíneas Argentinas (~£110–150 booked ahead). Check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo. Evening: book an empanada-making class with a five-course steak and Malbec dinner through GetYourGuide or AirBnB Experiences (~£55–70) — the budget alternative is a good bodegón steak dinner with wine for ~£15.
🚌Flight ~£130 + airport bus ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo/Palermo (~£18)
- →Flight to Buenos Aires
- →Empanada-making class
- →Five-course Argentine steak dinner with regional wines
Buenos Aires sights & tango
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Free walking tour of the centre (tip ~£8): Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the Metropolitan Cathedral and San Martín's mausoleum, Teatro Colón exterior, then south through San Telmo (Sunday antique market if your day falls right) to colourful La Boca. Afternoon: group tango lesson at a local milonga (~£10–15) or a proper class (~£12). Evening: a budget tango show at a neighbourhood milonga with dinner (~£30–45) — or splurge on a GetYourGuide tanguería dinner show (~£70). Recoleta Cemetery is free and worth an hour.
🚌Subte/bus day ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm (~£18)
- →Free walking tour of central BA
- →La Boca & San Telmo
- →Recoleta Cemetery
- →Tango lesson
- →Tango show & farewell dinner
Depart Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Breakfast, last wander around San Telmo or Palermo's parks, then the airport bus (~£3) or a shared transfer for your onward flight. If you have time, the MALBA art museum or a final coffee and medialunas is a fine way to end the trip.
🚌Airport bus ~£3
🛏—
- →Airport transfer
- →Optional MALBA museum
Self-launched vs. Globus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Globus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,290 | £6,130 |
| Duration | 13 days | 13 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £4,840 per person (79%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Globus-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,290
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Patagonia: Journey to the End of the World — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,290 per person for 13 days in Patagonia (Chile & Argentina). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Globus?+
Yes — Globus charges around £6,130 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,290 — a saving of roughly £4,840 (79%) per person.
How long is the Patagonia (Chile & Argentina) trip?+
This itinerary runs 13 days, covering 13 day-by-day stops through Patagonia (Chile & Argentina).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, hiking, culture trip through Patagonia (Chile & Argentina), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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