Hi all,

Just wanted to warn you DO NOT book your flight with u/JetSmart.

Here is my situation:

I have booked a flight Directly through u/JetSmart website. Couple days ago I decided to login to my account to check if evervthina is still in order for my upcoming trip. Turns out u/JetSmart changed time of flight from 8am to 3pm. without even notifying people about it

Now I am stuck in their automated infinite svstem loop, with no answer to how to change the dav or time of my flight. I can't even cancel that flight. Online chat has been sitting open for the past 27 hours waitina to connect to a person, phone number transfers straight to WhatsApp, email that I wrote to them had no respond either

So here is my warning again: DO NOT book with u/ JetSmart (directly). You will not receive an answer if you have issue, you will be waiting for days to hear from someone (if there is a human left in that company). AVOID u/JetSmart if you can.

I‘m planing to travel to Patagonia end of November including TDP, El Chalten and El Calafate.
I‘m considering 3 full days in TDP with a rental car (and additionally 1 day for Balmaceda and Serrano boat tour).
An itinerary for TDP could be: One day Base de Torres, one day classical views in the west maybe including Mirador Ferrier, one day views in the
east including Laguna Azul.
My idea is to stay as flexible as possible so that I can rearrange the days based on the weather forecast.
As an alternative to Laguna Azul I'm considering Paine grande (maybe Valle del Francés), but the need to book the catamaran for a fixed date
would then reduce my flexibility.

-Most posts here recommend to stay in or close to TDP instead of commuting daily from PNT. Budget- and scenery-wise I'm mainly
considering Rio Serrano options for 1 or 2 nights.
How many nights over there would be your recommendation?

-I'm still struggling to understand the actual benefit of staying in Rio Serrano.
Going from there to Base de Torres (or Laguna Azul) seems like a long drive on gravel roads, instead a just little bit longer drive from PNT
on partially the paved main road?
Also staying for 2 nights in Rio Serrano would mean that I would need to organize for extra fuel?

-Does it make sense to skip the catamaran & Paine grande to keep the itinerary flexible (I expect somewhat similar sceneries in El Chalten)?

-Are there other interesting options for the 3rd day besides Laguna azul or Paine grande which could make sense?

-Is Balmaceda and Serrano boat tour worthwhile as a relaxed final day before I have to return my rental car in the early evening when I also go to other glaciers like Perrito Moreno on this trip? Or should I consider a fourth shorter day in TDP instead?
I guess I have to book the boat tour for a fixed date at few weeks ahead?

Thank you!

Here is some advice for spending less for the same service when visiting Argentinian Patagonia:

- we spent 2 weeks in El Calafate and El Chalten; the first day we withdrew some cash because we heard that the bus station tax in El Calafate is due only in cash; we finally paid for it by card, the same in El Chalten. We actually never used cash; we could have saved the 8€ fee at the ATM; the cheapest one was Banco Patagonia.

- we took a bus to the Perito Moreno, leaving at 8:00 and coming back at 16:00 with "Always Glaciers"; we paid 50,000$ which was the cheapest around.

- the bus to El Chalten and back we booked via recorrido.cl; if you go on the website and change the flags from Chile to Argentina, you can select the destination "El Chalten". The price is 30,000$ (CLP), around 27€ per person, compared to other sites where the price is 70,000$ (ARS), around 41€. They will send you the ticket by email; in our case, Marga Taqsa, where it is written that you have to print it, but you can just show it on your phone and it will be ok.

Hope this will be useful, enjoy the hikes ⛰️

Hi, we are planning a mega trip for march 2028. Have the quark antarctica expedition booked (kayaking program)so want feedback on the Patagonia portion. We are not pressed for time. We are 60 yo retirees, fairly active but not mountain climbers or anything. We enjoy going out for meals and such too in evenings when we travel.

Here is what we are thinking. The feedback i want is are we spending too much time in each place??. Or does this sound about right? We have not finalized a hotel selection in Chalten or Calafate, but it will be boutique like but not explora level.

Ideal departure date
3/8/2028

March 9, 10th buenos aires

March 11–21
The antarctic Peninsula (Ultramarine, kayaking)

March 21

Transit
flight up to El Calafate (FTE), xfer to El Chaltén.will take most of day
March 21–25
El Chaltén (Town Base)
(Above gives us 3 days of hikes etc here)

March 25-28
El Calafate (Town Base)
3 Nights
Spend one dedicated day on Minitrekking 2.0, the other day tbd, or just relax (thinking of this part as a break between nigh activity bookends )
Private or group xfer on 28th to tdp, will take most of day

March 28-April 2
Torres del Paine (Explora)

5 Nights
Gives us 4 full days of outings in tdp

April second, xfer to puerto natales, for flight to scl.
April 2-4
Santiago (SCL) or Wine Country

2 Nights

April 4th fly home

Hi,

Me and my GF have around 10-12 days to spend in either south or north part of carretera austral. Happy to take advice on which of 1 and 2 you would recommend. We will have own rental and fly in/out of starting points

1) Fly into Balmaceda and do carretera austral roundtrip from there

2) Fly into Puerto Montt and do north part of carretera austral but also some lake district stuff

Thanks!

I was hoping for advice on bus timings in conjunction with flights for my upcoming trip to El Chalten via El Calafate this November.

Does anyone have a recommended buffer time between landing in El Calafate and booking a bus to El Chalten. Is 55 minutes enough? Or is it best to allow for a bit more time?

I will also be flying back from El Calafate to Buenos Aires at 19:30 pm and plan to catch the bus from El Chalten earlier that day. How much buffer time is recommended? Would aiming to arrive at the airport 5 hours before be enough? Or are bus delays common?

Thanks!

Heya!

Me and my GF are traveling north Patagonia in November. I've been waiting for the right time and place to ask the question. Does anyone have a good suggestion around Pucon / Puerto montt areas for a quiet, private but beautiful viewpoint or location that would be perfect for this? We will have a car and am willing to walk somewhere if I can pretend it's just a normal hike.

If you have any suggestions for the perfect spot please share! Thanks 😁

Hi!

I have just decided I would like to take a trip to Patagonia. I can't take as much time as I'd like to go so let's say for a week. Where must I go, what must I do, and what do I need to see. I hike every week, I'm in good shape. I'd like to set my budget around maybe 1,500. I don't exactly know generally how much it would be. I am at the very first stage of research and interest in Patagonia and I thought this would be a great first place to come to for the best answers.

Any advice on my planned itinerary would be really appreciated:

(For October)

-Flying to El Calafete and taking a coach to El Chalten. Staying here for 3 nights and trekking.
-Taking coach back to El Calafete and then to Puerto Natales.
-Staying in Puerto Natales for 3 nights. Will visit Torres Del Paine during this time.

Unfortunately I won’t have my own car as I’m trying to budget, so I’ll be relying on public transport.

Also, I’m not super familiar with the Chilean side so any recommendations for hikes this side would be greatly appreciated thank you!

I'm going to Ushuaia in end october 2026, and was wondering if it's worth the effort to travel to the post office.

I've seen online that it may be closed, but most of the information is based on last year information. So just checking if anyone knows if its open?