100 Miles in 10 Days: The Perfect Hiking Trip in Patagonia

Torres Del Paine, Chile

Famed Torres Del Paine National Park is set up with refugios (aka dorms) for multi-day routes. The "O" trek circles the park in seven to 10 days, while the "W" hits the southern highlights in three to five days. We did an expanded W trek, east to west, with two nights at the beginning and the end. Total mileage over seven days: 60.

• Hotel Las Torres to Mirador base de Las Torres: Seven hours, 8.5 miles, about 3,700 feet elevation change. After five hours, you'll hit a steep boulder field before being rewarded with your first glimpse of the towers. Over the lip, there's the iconic image of the granite spires above glacial lake Torres. Then you have to go back down to Chileno for the night (two hours, 2.5 miles), unless you're doing a day hike, which makes for a challenging day.

Iconic Mirador base de Las Torres, Torres Del Paine

• Chileno to Cuernos: Six hours and 15 minutes, 8.5 miles, 1,732 feet elevation change. Relatively easy strolling by sparkling Nordenskjöld Lake and the distinctive Cuernos "horns."

Hiking the W trek, Torres Del Paine

• Cuernos to Frances Valley and Paine Grande: Nine hours, 12 miles, about 3,000 feet elevation change. The target is Mirador Frances, with its calving glacier and breathtaking scenery. Big tip here: It's another two hours (2.2 miles) to the Britanico lookout, but you can go just 15 minutes beyond Mirador Frances for some spectacular views before you have to go back down about six miles to get to Paine Grande.

French Valley Mirador Britanico, Torres Del Paine

• Paine Grande to Grey: Five hours, 7.05 miles, 1,581 feet elevation change. The easiest hiking day, mostly flat and down. Coming upon Grey Glacier was a treat! We had a fun glacier hike here, but our kayak plans were thwarted by heavy winds. Instead of hiking back to Paine Grande to depart by ferry as most people do, we took the Grey Navigation boat and got a transfer to our next stop.

Grey Glacier, Torres Del Paine

El Calafate

We had a quick overnight here—no hiking, but we took a kayak tour at Perito Moreno glacier. This easily accessible glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and one of the few glaciers that is still advancing.

Kayaking at Perito Moreno glacier, El Calafate

Glaciares National Park, Argentina

Three hours from El Calafate is El Chalten, dubbed the trekking capital of Argentina. Our total mileage over three days: 40.

• Miradores Condor y Alguila and Salto Waterfall: Five hours, 10.8 miles, 1,928 feet elevation change. On our "rest" day, we took these two short hikes. Miradores offered sparkling mountain views with Fitz Roy standing tall at 11,171 feet; the waterfall was just okay.

• Laguna de Los Tres aka Fitz Roy: 7.5 hours, 13 miles, 3,535 feet elevation change. This is arguably the best day hike in Patagonia, especially on a clear day. (Alas, it was cold and gray with occasional rain and snow when we went!) The hike is long but relatively easy until the last, nearly vertical, half mile through jumbled boulder fields. It took us three hours to summit to howling winds, views of lovely Laguna Sucia, Laguna de Los Tres, and a hint of Fitz Roy. Pace yourself: it's a long haul back to town (6.7 miles).

Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Glaciares National Park

Laguna de Los Tres aka Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Glaciares National Park

Laguna de Los Tres aka Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Glaciares National Park

• Laguna Torres: Six hours, 13.2 miles, 2,326 feet elevation change. After our previous hikes, this was a breeze. Lunching at the glacial lake was the perfect way to bid Patagonia farewell as we completed 100 miles in 10 days!

We loved our Patagonia trekking and can't wait to go back, especially to Chile's Las Torres Mirador and Argentina's Laguna de Los Tres (on a clear day!).

To do the W or O treks at Chile's Torres Del Paine requires early planning to book the "refugios" along the route. Alternatively, you can readily book campsites. Without either, you can do only day hikes, not the circuit. The closest airport is Puerto Natales, from where many buses go into the park.

The closest airport to El Chalten is El Calafate, about three hours' drive. There are cheap buses, or you can rent a car.

The tricky part to doing both is crossing the borders between Chile and Argentina. The most cost effective is to use the bus services. The most convenient is to rent a car—but you must return the car to its originating country. The ideal is to pay for private transfers.

If you plan both, start with Torres Del Paine as we did. After your refugio experience, you will be thrilled to stay at a real hotel (with your own bathroom!) and dine on fabulous meals in El Chalten.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our South America page.