10 of the best outdoor activities in Patagonia

26.06.2024 - 17:41 / lonelyplanet.com / El Chalten

Jun 26, 2024 • 10 min read

It's hard to think of another place on the planet that offers as much scope for varied outdoor adventure as Patagonia – a vast, sparsely populated slice of southern Chile and Argentina bristling with the Andes mountain range and crisscrossed with sinuous ribbons of glacial rivers.

Maybe you want to experience world-class white water rafting, kayak past bobbing icebergs or paddle through fjords. You might be looking to climb sheer granite or walls of ice, or to hike across glaciers, mountains and boundless steppe on foot. Whatever outdoor activity you're looking for, Patagonia has it. Here are the region's very best. 

There are some superb kayaking destinations in Patagonia, particularly in the Chilean half, with its multitude of fjords, pristine rivers, and glacial lakes. Besides international operators such as Swoop Patagonia arranging multiday kayaking adventures on Chile's Río Baker, in Parque Nacional Pumalín and Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, there are local operators who offer day trips in popular locales.

In Puerto Río Tranquilo, you can kayak to the Capilla de Mármol; in Puerto Bertrand, Baker Patagonia runs white water kayak trips on Río Baker; Kayak en Patagonia takes you paddling among the house-sized icebergs on Lago Grey in Torres del Paine; and Kayak Santa Cruz runs guided kayaking trips past Glaciar Perito Moreno. If you're looking for multiday sea kayaking trips, Alsur Expediciones and Ko Kayak can help you explore the fjords of Parque Nacional Pumalín. Various operators in Esquel, Argentina, run gentler day outings on Lago Verde and other lakes in the Futaleufú valley.

Patagonia's multitude of national parks provide unparalleled adventure for those coming to explore pristine wilderness on foot, whether you're looking for grueling multiday treks past glacial lakes and across mountain passes, or you prefer gentle day hikes beneath the shade of Chile's and Argentina's towering alerce trees or through southern beech forest. Perhaps you'll choose to do scenic day hikes from El Chaltén, in Parque Nacional Pumalín Douglas Tompkins, or in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego while based in Ushuaia; multiday hut-to-hut (or campsite-to-campsite) treks in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine; or camping wild and wayfaring across Isla Navarino or the Áviles river valley in Parque Nacional Patagonia.

Planning tips: Accommodations in popular national parks must be booked many weeks or even months in advance for the December to February high season; Torres del Paine National Park in particular only allows hikers with a pre-booked itinerary and accommodation.

If trekking off the beaten track, make sure someone knows your proposed route, be prepared for four seasons in one day, even at