Patagonia - Tips and Hints
We took this trip in February 2016. Here's some things we learned:
Hotels - All were great - easily up to Tauck standards. The Singular Patagonia is unique and memorable.
Pace - Long days on this trip. Early morning departures and late dinners (finish 10-11pm) on many days. Be sure to pack before dinner on the nights before travel days.
Travel time - Lots of time spent getting places on this trip. Days 2, 6 and 9 are basically travel days with just a little sightseeing. Quite a bit of time will be spent getting to and from the parks, as well.
Weather and clothing - Buenos Aires and Santiago are warm with noticable humidity. Patagonia, on the other hand, is very changable and can be quite cold even in summer. They say that Patagonia has four seasons - all in one day! It's really true. High winds are common. A bus (not Tauck's) blew over in Torres del Paines park the day we were there. We had to cut our hike short for fear of being blown over (really!). We saw some warm days, some rain and people on the Condor walk got snowed on a little. For clothing I recommend a warm jacket (down or fleece would be good) and a waterproof shell you can wear over it (or alone as a wind breaker). Rain pants. Gloves and a knit hat. Waterproof shoes (we wore hiking boots, but any waterproof walking shoe woul be good). You will regret it if you wear sneakers that are not waterproof. Long underwear is probably not needed, but take it if you like.
Food - Some of the food is outstanding, some not so much. They tend to cook meat until it is dried out there, so ask for it "very juicy." You tour director will be able to tell you the Spanish for this.
Buenos Aires - Flights to the US from Buenos Aires leave in the late evening, so you will have the final day to sightsee on your own. Consider booking a tour on Viator or through the concierge.
I hope you find this helpful. Happy travels!
