Is it possible to visit Patagonia without breaking the bank? In a place full of both luxury hotels and plenty of camping spots, opportunities to hitchhike or take expensive scenic flights, and with paid tours or do-it-yourself options for the adventurous, it’s possible to do Patagonia on all kinds of budgets.
I was more on the affordable but comfortable side of travel budgets in Patagonia, and spent a total of $3332 on approx. 60 days, coming out to ≈ $55.53 per day.
Here’s how I did it and how you can do the same or even cheaper when traveling in Patagonia:
Argentina vs. Chile
Patagonia is split between Argentina and Chile, and neither country is particularly cheap.
Chile has the best economy in South America. It’s stable, easy to travel through with pretty decent infrastructure, and as a result, nowhere near as cheap as the countries to the North of it in South America, like Bolivia and Peru.
Argentina used to be a place where the black market meant tourists could get a lot more bang for their buck, but unfortunately due to recent changes, you’re not rich anymore in Argentina. I found it to be a pretty expensive country as far as food and accommodation, and especially gear.
Neither country is a super budget destination (but neither is uber expensive, either), and the more remote places get, the more expensive they also tend to be. Keep this in mind when planning out your Patagonia budget.
Accommodation in Patagonia
This is where you can really save or splurge in Patagonia, because some places, like Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, have super luxury hotel options as well as camping options. Here’s the usual cost:
- Camping: Just about everywhere you go, camping will be available. Chances are good that you’re in Patagonia because you plan on doing some hiking and trekking, so if you have a tent along with you, you’re looking at accommodation options with a kitchen and showers for $5-$20 per night
- Private rooms in Guest Houses: If you elect not to camp, private rooms run from $20-$60 on the low end, and upwards of $500 per night on the high end. In most of the smaller towns, cheap private rooms will be the only type of available accommodation other than camping
- Dorms: In the more popular areas of Patagonia like Bariloche and El Chaltén, you can also find dorms, which will run closer to $15 per night on average.
Transportation in Patagonia
This is another area where you can really spend a lot or save considerably when traveling in Patagonia. There are three options for getting around and all have their perks:
- Hitchhiking: This is a pretty common way to get around in Patagonia and is actually a common rite of passage for young Chileans along the more remote Carretera Austral in Chile. It’s free, but it also requires standing for hours with a thumb up and sometimes having no luck all day, plus it’s never without its risks. That said, this is the method I chose and I had some incredible experiences as a result.
- Car rental: For those on a tight schedule, it sometimes makes sense to rent a car, especially if traveling along the Carretera Austral where busses are infrequent and hitchhiking takes a lot of time. Prepare to pay up if you plan on returning it at the end of the road instead of where you started the trip.
- Buses: Most of the long-distance buses in South America have reclining seats and are nice and roomy. They are available in semi-cama (partially reclining) and full-cama (fully reclining) and can take you a full 30+ hours on some routes. They can run anywhere from $20 and up for longer distances and can be booked at your hostel, online (depending on the company) or directly at the bus station. On the Carretera Austral, they only go on certain days of the week.
- Fly: Intra-country flights in Chile and Argentina can be pretty cheap, but as soon as you cross a border, they jump in price.
- Hike: Most of the time it’s about getting to a destination and using it as a base for hikes, but sometimes, it’s a great way to get from point A to point B like at the end of the Carretera Austral as one enters Argentina.
Food Costs
The food in most of Patagonia can get expensive in restaurants. Patagonia is also home to some of the best lamb and steak you can find worldwide, so it’s definitely worth splurging now and then on a meal out.
The best way to combat restaurant prices is to buy your own food at the local grocery stores and cook it yourself in the hostel or campground’s kitchen. This is common practice in South America and most hostels have kitchens and cooking utensils available for guest use.
When on the move, empanadas are a delicious and cheap way to fill your belly, as well as the menu del dia (menu of the day), which includes a starter, main, and dessert and are usually available around lunchtime.
Gear
Gear can get expensive if you wait to buy it in Chile or Argentina. I balked at the prices of backpacks and sleeping bags when in Argentina, finding that some things were exponentially more expensive than they would be back in the States or in Europe. If possible, bring as much as you can from home. Here’s a packing list for clothing and a guide for camping and trekking to help you out.
In a pinch, head to the Zona Franca (duty free) shopping mall in Punta Arenas at the south of Chile if you’re traveling from South to North. Otherwise, prepare to pay similar or higher prices than you would at home.
What I did
My Patagonia budget is based on a few flights, a lot of hitchhiking, a lot of private rooms, and a fair amount of camping when I was trekking, which was often. I also ate out regularly rather than cooking for myself, and rarely camped when in a town. I could have saved a lot more money by camping and cooking my own food, but decided to opt for more comforts instead.
Traveling in Patagonia doesn’t have to be expensive. Regardless of your budget and comfort requirements, by sleeping in a tent and participating in free activities like enjoying nature, it doesn’t have to set you back too much money.
Regardless of how you approach it, the best part of all is that the wine is delicious and cheap. Happy travels in one of the most beautiful parts of the world!
Olya says
Very interesting post! So much useful information! Patagonia is a fabulous country to visit!
Hugo says
Just to be precise, Patagonia is not a country. It is a wide geographic zone covering the southest area of South América.
The largest surface (West of the Andes) belonging to Argentina, and including the Perito Moreno glacier, while the eastern, narrowest área belongs to Chile.
eddy de wilde says
Hugo you need to check your compass Argentina is east of Chile.
Brianna says
If you ate all that chocolate in one week, you may be my new hero…
Kristin says
8 days. Hell yes I did.
Ijana says
Yes thank you so much for this post! I was wondering if I would ever manage squeezing a month-or-two-long Patagonia trip into my budget and was worried it might be super expensive, but it seems there are many ways to make it less than super expensive. Now I’m seriously considering when a Patagonia hiking trip is going to happen.
Kristin says
If you’re willing to sleep in a tent then it can be pretty cheap 🙂
Travel4lifeblog says
Thanks Kristin for a great article! You made us think about bringing camping gear as well ❤️ Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! We found your article really useuful as we are taking a year from January 2017 and plan to spend at least 6months in South America ❤️
Keep up the great work!
Patrick and Cécile from http://www.travel4lifeblog.com
Anne says
Thanks for a great post! I was hoping South America would be cheaper, but sound like Argentina and Chile aren’t. Then again, we’re going to Alaska this summer, and accommodation is definitely going to be expensive there.
We’ll be traveling to Patagonia with two kids, so not sure about backpacking. Sounds like for four people, a rental car might actually make sense. I wonder about an RV as an option. Any idea about that?
Kristin says
I didn’t see many RVs but you can definitely find camper vans. I rented on with Wicked in the San Pedro de Atacama desert. It also depends on where you want to go. The Carretera Austral is mostly gravel so just be careful.
Edgardo Wente says
My suggestion: Rent a small SUV ($100,00? a day). It could even be your home and you can store as much food as you need for the entire journey. Find a partner/s, split the bill. Being at the weathers mercy in Patagonia could be no fun even in summer. Distances are huge and you can always crash in your vehicle. You can stop and camp almost anywhere. Follow the camping rules of no trace and please be very careful with open fires. Way too many forests went up in smoke in the past few years.
In Bariloche,: go for Benroth Chocolates up the hill on Calle Beschted . Worth the walk!
Kristin says
Or hitchhike! 🙂
Chloe says
Hi! I loved the article, i’m planning on doing a trip in a couple years. I noticed that soon you will be travelling to Uganda! I just returned after spending three months there! Within the city of Kampala is a place called Sanyu babies home where they take in babies left on the streets or in dire conditions and i think you’d love it! The home supports about 40 babies and anyone can go and volunteer their time here. You can show up and just sit and play with the babies, feed them, all sorts. If you talk with the ladies who run the home you can learn about some of the kids stories! It’s a wonderful place to visit if you get the chance, everyone is very welcoming and its a very positive environment
Kristin says
Thanks Chloe, I’m never quite sure what to think about short-term volunteering with kids, but I’m glad you made me aware of it and that programs that care for orphans are in place!
Campbell says
HI Kristin, I agree Patagonia is a great area for budget travel! We spent two months in Patagonia and spent less than $15 per day each. We did all the big hikes (and some small ones). Our secrets were camping, hitchhiking and cooking ourselves. I see you are currently in Tanzania, enjoy it is a great country! We are busy driving through Namibia. Safe Travels
Kristin says
Definitely could have saved by cooking my own food and camping!
Steph says
Hi Kristin, Im thinking about going to patagonia next week. do you think it’ll be worth going and risking thing not being open due to winter? did you hear any info on this when you were there? Thanks, Steph
Kristin says
Well it’ll be ‘open’ but a lot of the trails will be impassable or super dangerous. still beautiful!
Hyatt Lam says
Kristin you are incredible! My boyfriend and I are reading your posts whenever we have time now, so much information to digest! So helpful!
I went to Antarctica myself before without knowing a thing about Patagonia, only visited the national park in Ushuaia day before getting onto my cruise, felt like I missed out a lot. Now I plan to go back to South America again to check it out! Thanks so much for making this blog!
Kristin says
Thanks for the kind words! Have a blast! Patagonia is so amazing.
Curt says
Awesome post! I spent two months in Patagonia this year. We found hitchhiking to be difficult when we were off of the main highway. Not only were there few cars, there were always about 10 backpackers on the side of the road waiting for rides. This was during March, so it was in the shoulder season. But, with the price of bus tickets in Argentina, it’s worth waiting for a while!
Kristin says
I found the exact same to be true. I’d never had competition before when hitchhiking!
Maia says
Thank you for all the great info. I will be traveling this Novembe, solo, for about three weeks. Noticed many did this for at least two months, is three weeks enough in your opinion?
Kristin says
Sure I have itinerary suggestions here: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-itinerary/
Pauline says
Hi Kristin, great information!
I am thinking of taking my partner for his 50th next year, possibly 3 weeks, what month in your opinion is best?
Thanks
Pauline
Kristin says
February, March, early April 🙂
Erika Toni says
Great article Kristin. It is true that neither of Argentina or Chile is cheap!
BG says
“Argentina used to be a place where the black market meant tourists could get a lot more bang for their buck, but unfortunately due to recent changes, you’re not rich anymore in Argentina.”
Sorry Argentina’s improving economy is such an inconvenience for you. I would like to think that if you are visiting a foreign country you would want its own citizen’s to be able to enjoy it as well.
Kristin says
My local friends were complaining that the rising prices were really hard for them, so I’m not sure it’s an all-around good thing.
It’s not an inconvenience by the way, I’m just stating facts. No need to project your feelings onto my words 🙂
Julianne says
Great review thanks Kristin. We’ll be in the El Chalten area in January and Torres del Paine in February next year. Can you please give us some idea about food costs so we can work out our budget. For example, how much is a beer, a steak meal and a meal of empanadas in each of those areas?
Kristin says
Hi Julianne, a beer was around $3 for a Patagonia beer or a comparably nice one, wine was similar, empanadas are cheap too at $1.50 each or so. Steak and meat dishes can range anywhere from $15 to $50 depending on how nice the restaurant is. Hope that helps!
Adam says
Thank you, a very helpful and inspiring post!
Rita says
Hi Kristin!
Your blog is awesome! I’m travelling to Patagonia next month and your tips, packing list and itineraries have been a huge help!
One thing I’d like to ask your opinion on please –
I’ve been emailing a couple of tour companies to arrange a 5 – 10 day trek through Torres del Paine. Based on your experience, would you recommend waiting until I arrive in Puerto Natales (or Punta Arenas) to book a guided trek? Or are the prices the same as booking online beforehand?
As a guide, I’m currently looking at $1600 USD for a 5 day W trek, which seems really expensive!
Appreciate your feedback!
Rita
Kristin says
I don’t feel a guide is needed at all. Is there a reason why you want one?
Rita says
I’m travelling solo so I figured I’m better off with a group rather than trekking through Torres del Paine on my own. Do you think a guided trek is unnecessary?
Kristin says
There are plenty of other people around but if you feel more comfortable with a guide then go with a group!
kat says
Kristin,
We are arriving in Patagonia mid-May. We plan to take a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten for a day trip as there doesn’t seem to be any hotels open in El Chalten in May. Do you think a car rental is best? We received pricing for tours and transportion – they do not seem like low season prices.
What do you think?
Kristin says
I personally took a bus. The main things to do in El Chalten are reachable by foot.
Carolyn says
Hi Kristen, when trekking the O circuit, can I ask roughly how much your pack weighed at the start?
Kristin says
Probably around 40 pounds