The best ways to travel around in Patagonia

28.06.2024 - 11:01 / lonelyplanet.com / El Calafate

Jun 28, 2024 • 7 min read

In huge Patagonia, there are plenty of different transportation options.

The region’s towns are well connected by a network of buses, with frequent flights to larger towns from the capital cities of Chile and Argentina. Chile’s long coastline, meanwhile, is served by an array of watercraft. For greatest flexibility, you can choose to explore Patagonia on wheels of your own, whether two or four.

It’s crucial to remember that Patagonia is a vast, sparsely populated region of mountains, glaciers and pampas (grasslands) at the end of the world. Any trip here presents logistical challenges and requires careful planning. Since the region’s attractions are very spread out, and since where and when you go largely depends on what you want to do, here’s everything you need to know about getting around Patagonia by air, bus, boat, bicycle and car. 

Local flights can be a real time-saver when you have to cover considerable distances. Chile’s domestic routes are covered by Sky Airlines and JetSmart, with Sky Airlines offering the best one-way prices; Argentina is covered by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Andes Líneas Aéreas and LADE. LATAM operates flights in both countries.

In Chile, there are direct flights from Santiago and Puerto Montt south to Coyhaique (the largest town in Chile’s northern Patagonia), and Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales in southern Patagonia. Punta Arenas offers short hops to Porvenir (Tierra del Fuego) as well as flights to Puerto Williams, Chile’s (and the world’s) southernmost settlement. Buenos Aires in Argentina is well connected to the popular Patagonian destinations of El Calafate, Esquel and Trelew, as well as Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, among others. There are no cross-border intra-Patagonian flights. 

Along Chile’s Carretera Austral, Aerocord’s tiny, weather-dependent Cessnas and Piper Navajo planes connect Puerto Montt to Chaitén and Melinka.

Pedaling your way around Patagonia is a serious undertaking – which only seems to inspire two-wheeled warriors intent on tackling Chile’s iconic Carretera Austral or Argentina’s Ruta 40. Any cyclist will have to be prepared for challenging climatic conditions: fierce winds (particularly in southern Patagonia and in the Argentinean Pampas), and rain at any time of year (particularly in wet Aysén, in northern Chilean Patagonia). The good news is, given that Patagonia’s motor traffic is very light outside towns, you’ll often have the roads largely to yourself. If you take your bicycle on boats and ferries, you have to pay a small fee. Buses will usually stow bikes in the luggage compartment.

A touring bike with good tires and a repair kit are essential, as is a sturdy all-season tent, since distances between towns are often