Anyone got any personal anecdotes or experience with hiking destinations in southern Chile (lake district or Patagonia)? Planning to be there in April for a few weeks, so I’ll miss the penguins. But the weather should be decent in the mountains. Thinking Torres del Paine due to being outside of peak season, but open to suggestions and anecdotes :)
Definitely check out Cochamó Valley in the Lake District! It’s like Chile’s version of Yosemite with amazing granite walls and old-growth forests. Less crowded than Torres but still incredble views. Don’t forget to bring a good power bank since charging options are limited - I’ve found some great ones on gearscouts.com that compare the best value power stations for backpacking.
Torres del Paine is a great hike. Hard but very rewarding. I think W and O Trail are going to be closed but if they are still open in April you can have a look. They are multi day trips and there are different packages from bringing everything yourself to renting finished tents. It’s quite pricey however.
If going to Argentina is an option, El Chaltén Is a trekking Mekka that is well worth the visit. Bring USD or at least cash if going to El Chaltén, there is no ATM. It’s also relatively expensive for Argentina.
El Chaltén
Not on this trip. Only about 5 days in the Chilean south, so we’ll stay on that side of the border. But it looks great and is probably worth a second trip in the future :D
