Dear Friends and Fellow Travellers,

Part of our wonderful responsibilities here at Askari Travel is to explore and vet regions of the world on behalf of our guests. We do this so we know where to send you, what you should do whilst there, and what to avoid - very important!

We stay at the hotels, we sample the food, we do the excursions, we drive in the vehicles (and measure the time, distance and road conditions). We come away with a bucket full of information that we decipher and use to plan great trips for you based on your preferences.

There is nothing like firsthand boots-on-the-ground knowledge.

First Stop Buenos Aires

We started in Buenos Aires, where we stayed in our two favourite neighbourhoods, one Boho and the other more chic and upscale. We enjoyed wonderful food from famous Argentine steaks to one of the best meals I have ever enjoyed – enjoyed as in never wanted to leave until they gave me a souvenir glass and ushered us out as they were closing!

Street side empanadas (the best!), dulce de leche filled confections and local wines were all delicious (and affordable). We visited the Recoleta Cemetery, the Eva Peron Museum, the MALBA Museum, the markets and the endless parks in the north end of the city. It is an incredibly walkable city, and the weather in April was perfect - sunny and about 20c/70°F with lovely cool evenings. The San Telmo Market and Sunday Antique Market were packed with locals enjoying the sunshine and street food.

Patagonia & The Glaciers around El Calafate

Make it stand out

Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

Argentina and Chile are big countries, and in particular, they are “long” north to south. A two-hour flight south from Buenos Aires gets you to El Calafate, Argentina – gateway to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, El Chalten, and Mount Fitz Roy all located in what is the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. Do not imagine though that you need crampons to get around - April is a beautiful time to visit this area. The famous Patagonian summer winds have died, and the trees and vegetation are showing fall colours. The daytime temperatures of 15-20 °C are perfect for activity, and the evenings bring roaring fires and cozy dining.

Days can be spent horseback riding, hiking in any direction, and of course, visiting the glaciers. The Perito Moreno glacier is breathtaking, and its accessibility enabled us to enjoy the view from multiple “catwalks” which criss-cross in front of the glacier face. We also got out on a small boat, which navigated close to the 60-foot ice face. There are frequent “calvings” when chunks of ice plummet into the water, causing rippling waves, sometimes quite large. It is a beautiful experience.

Argentina into Chile and the Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine National Park lies just across the border in Chile. The drive is 5 hours across the Andean Plateau on a good road in the company of a few thousand guanacos, and the occasional fox and condor. Torres del Paine is a vast and beautiful National Park - mountains, lakes, rivers and forests heralded by hikers and wilderness enthusiasts.

People come to Patagonia to admire nature at its absolute finest. Boat trips across crystal lakes to glaciers, puma tracking on high ridges, bird watching, clouds, stars, just the vastness of it all is humbling. You can hike on multiple marked and maintained trails through mossy forests past waterfalls and glacial rivers and of course horse back ride.

There are lodges and hotels scattered on the periphery of the Park and within the Park Boundary itself. From 252,000-acre private estancias to design-forward properties whose architecture makes them disappear into the mountainsides. Days are outdoors and active, so it was wonderful to have long, lovely dinners with fireplaces blazing. Almost all the lodges in the area include guides and transport (and meals) in your stay. So you have expert outdoor enthusiasts to share it all with you.

As a stay of 3 nights is a must, and if you have 4, even better. You can tackle some of the world-renowned trophy hikes, such as The French Valley or to the “Base of the Towers” – 7 hours and very difficult (I did not do it, but did several 3-4 hour hikes).

The end of the world, Puerto Natales

South of Torres del Paine on the “Channel of No Hope”, Puerto Natales lies on the shores of Tierra Del Fuego. Once a booming wool and sheep export hub, it now relies mostly on tourism with navigation through the channels and fjords, fly fishing and puffin colonies. It is also the closest airport to Torres del Paine and provides access to the world with direct flights to Santiago and beyond.

Puerto Natales

North to The Atacama Desert

If you want to go somewhere that is the living opposite of Patagonia, the Atacama Desert is the place. Both are in Chile and they are vastly different.

The Atacama is a 2-hour flight from Santiago to the mining town of Calama (Chile has the biggest copper reserves in the world). From here it is a straight arrow road which diverts to the Bolivian, Argentine and Peruvian borders. This corner of Chile is culturally akin to Bolivia, northern Argentina and Peru – countries bisected by the Andes and their people. Scientifically, this is the driest place on earth and also the best star gazing …. given the altitude and lack of light pollution.

Excursions are to valleys of towering red rock, mountains literally made of salt, salt flats shimmering with flamingos, petroglyphs dating back 5,000 years, mountain biking through riverbeds and canyons, sunsets on impossibly high viewpoints.

More images on Instagram

Hotels and places to stay

Hotels in Patagonia are a mix of beautiful Relais & Chateaux hideaways, lakeside eco domes, remote estancias or friendly guesthouses in town. All with one common objective - to get you outside into the vast and wonderful wilderness of lakes, glaciers, rivers and wildlife. There is something for everyone and an abundance of activities.

In th Atacama hotels and lodges are scattered in and around San Pedro de Atacama, an adobe-built UNESCO world heritage site. Views are to a string of volcanoes and the high snowcapped Andes.

Top row, left to right: Explora, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile; Palacio Duhau, Buenos Aires; Eolo, Patagonia, Argentina - IG post; Middle row, left to right: Pristine Camp, Argentina - IG Post; Tierra, Patagonia, Chile - IG Post; Estancia Cerro Guido, Torres del Paine - IG Post; Bottom row, left to right: Explora, Torres del Paine, Patagonia - IG Post; Tierra Atacama, Chile - IG Post; The Singular, Patagonia, Chile

Culinary confessions, no weight loss here!

You would think that with all this wild and wilderness activity, we would return svelte, but the food was incredible throughout, so we are happy we maintained departure weight!

When to book?

Lodges are small, prices are seasonal and many lodges close completely mid May to October in Patagonia.
For best pricing, and cooler less windy conditions, consider going in “shoulder seasons” – October and late March/April.
The “season” is November to late April and the December holidays are considered peak so you need to book early.
We suggest booking 8-12 months prior to travel – so now is ideal for the coming 2025/2026 season.

Enquire Now

Where to next?

Muriel is just back from St. Barth’s (more intel in the next newsletter on the Caribbean!). Madelyn is just back from a Latin America trade show in Guatemala and then popped over to Belize for a few days. Meanwhile, Belinda is in London at an African Trade expose and then going to Sardinia and Croatia in the Fall. Faye is in Switzerland on vacation!

Testimonials

I couldn't resist emailing to let you know how wonderful everything has been so far. Truly very special places, service and our guides were amazing. Perito Merino glacier day tour was awesome! In Patagonia, we hiked in far off remote places and never saw another soul. We are indeed very happy travellers! Thank you so much. ---S.T & S.C – Argentina & Chile

We absolutely loved our trip and are so grateful for all your help. Each place was absolutely amazing and we would highly recommend the entire itinerary and all places to anyone. I think everyone loved Tawa Refugio the most, very special. The guides there were extraordinary. Sebastien, in the Atacama in particular. Cerro Guido was lovely. We were so delighted to experience the vastness of Chile's diverse geography, and the people, places and food were all incredible. --- J.W. – Chile

Madelyn, just a quick note to tell you how much we are LOVING our trip! Desertica is a treasure, our guide was simply amazing and every day has been epic. We are so grateful!! We are sad to leave Atacama but excited for our next adventure. Thanks again for your amazing planning and support. ---W. & Family, Toronto – Chile & Atacama Desert

Thanks for all your help - it was an awesome trip. Antarctica was 100x better than I thought it would be. Pristine Camp was an inspired choice by you guys. Beautiful spot, great staff and the food was amazing. All the tours were excellent. Highly recommended. Thanks again for your help. On to Machu Picchu, India and Morocco. ---M. C. – Toronto - Antarctica & Patagonia

Wishing everyone an amazing summer - and thank you for your support!

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From all of us at Askari Travel…

Muriel
Founder and Principal
Askari Travel, Toronto
www.askaritravel.com
muriel@askaritravel.com
w: (416) 366-1900
c: (416) 528-7915

From Patagonian Glaciers to Atacama Stars: Our South American Journey