Hiking In Patagonia with Monte

27/05/2025

Patagonia in autumn. It’s a bucket list experience for many, and a place I was lucky enough to visit earlier this year while backpacking. It spans over a million square kilometres of land, encompassing the southern most parts of both Chile and Argentina. There are countless hiking trails to choose from. We however, opted for the most popular areas - Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, and El Chalten and surrounds in Argentina.

Torres Del Paine (TDP) is widely considered the crown jewel of the Chilean Patagonia, and one you’ve likely seen on a screensaver background or Instagram reel. Home to a number of incredibly scenic hiking trails and easily accessible via public transport, there are options for every trekker: carry your own gear, rent a campsite with pre-pitched tent or stay in one of the fancy (albeit fairly pricey) lodges scattered across the park.

There are typically two routes that hikers choose when visiting TDP - the W hike and the O circuit. The W is the shorter 4 day version, while the O includes the W, plus 3-4 additional days of backcountry Patagonia hiking. We opted for an even shorter route known as the C. Paine Grande would be our base while doing day trips out and back to Grey Glacier, Franz Joseph and Mirador Britanico.

After arriving in Puerto Natales, we caught a bus and then a short ferry into the heart of TDP National Park. We set up our tent in Paine Grande and awoke the following day to tackle the Franz Joseph Glacier and Mirador Britanico.

It was an early April morning when we set off for Franz Joseph, and the scenery hiking up became increasingly more spectacular with every step. It was quite literally the most beautiful valley I’d ever stepped foot into, with a fresh dusting of snow covering the vibrant autumn foliage, the blue skies contrasting heavily against the glacial covered mountains. In that moment I felt like I was in a dream, it was hard to believe that the world could be this picturesque.

The following day hiking to Grey Glacier was equally as breathtaking. The hike began slowly, up and over a gradual pass, before the trail opened up onto a panoramic view of Lago Grey, with Grey Glacier sitting in the distance. The weather was perfectly clear, blue skies and a sunny, which for the time of year is definitely not a given.

Patagonia is infamous for being one of the windiest destinations on the planet, so we were grateful for the pleasant conditions. We stopped multiple times for tea breaks, chocolate and just to take in the views. We arrived at Grey Glacier around 1pm, climbing the short peak overlooking the immense chunk of ice and watching as pieces broke off into the water below.

We hiked back to camp and caught the ferry back to the where the bus picked us up. The transport was easy, relatively affordable and arrived and departed on time (an unlikely occurrence in South America). We arrived back in Puerto Natales, where we were greeted by a heavy snowfall, checked into our accommodation, scoffed down some hot food and called it a day.

After a few days of rest, we embarked for our second destination - El Chalten. We caught a 6 hour bus ride from Puerto Natales, crossing the border into Argentina and arriving in the small town of El Chalten. We found some accommodation in town and settled in before assessing weather and making a plan for the following two weeks of hiking in the area.

The weather forecast was looking calm for the next few days, so we made the decision to set off on our next challenge - The Huemel Circuit. Known as one of Patagonia’s toughest treks, the 65km circuit would take us over a series of intimidating river crossings, across a gigantic glacier and up and over multiple high passes, and would take us 4 days to complete. We needed considerable planning before beginning the circuit, as the river crossings required us to rent a harness and use a zip line.

After some thorough research, a few tough conversations with the locals with my limited Spanish, everything was set and we were to leave in the morning. We’d be attempting the circuit with two other keen hikers who’d we met at our hostel, a friendly Dutchman named Daan, and an enthusiastic Belgian named Jonas.

The trail began a few short kilometres outside of town, where we hiked up and over rolling hills, passing through fields of grazing cows scattered in between the autumn foliage. We set up camp behind a protected rock wall previously built and had some (very overpriced) dehydrated food.

We set our alarms for 6am and got some sleep. The next morning we awoke to find ourselves on what looked like another planet. Steep rocky cliffs rose up around us as we marched into a strong head wind and freezing rain. We continued up the wide glacial ravine, at some parts having to climb up the walls to avoid getting wet. After a few hours we arrived at our first challenge - a river crossing.

But this was no ordinary river crossing. Two ancient steel cables, one with a pulley device, spanned the gap between us and the other side of the river. The river was roaring through the now narrow ravine below, before sharply dropping into a waterfall. The reality of what we were about to attempt set in. We played rock paper scissors to see who would go first, and began the crossing.

First, clipping our bags on the pulley, and then taking turns with the one harness we’d brought. After reaching the other side, the harness would be hauled back and the next person would go. Finally, after what felt like forever, we’d all successfully made it across. We looked down at the thundering glacial river below, glad that it was now behind us.

A short time later we encountered our next challenge: an enormous glacier, sprawling as far as we could see. Having travelled extensively in the Himalayas, I was no stranger to glaciers, but even then I had to do a double take at the sheer size of the thing. After realizing the marked trail on the map was inaccessible due to the glacier shifting, we decided to continue the descent onto the ice and cross the glacier by foot. Without crampons, this was no easy task.

We had to stay extremely focused to avoid falling, walking up the scree to rest and assess our next move. While stressful, it was also a very cool experience getting to hike on a shifting glacier. After roughly two hours, we made it to the other side, immediately beginning the 700m climb up and over the first pass.

At the top of the pass we were met with an unbelievable panoramic view: The Southern Patagonian ice fields. Seemingly never ending stretched out beneath us. It was impossible to conceive the distance and scale of what we were seeing, like looking out at the ocean from the top of a mountain peak, and safe to say a highlight of visiting the Patagonia region for all of us.

The following section of the trail was relatively calm, coming down off the pass and following the valley the receding glacier had once occupied. We set up camp, had a quick dip in the lake, and lay on the grass star gazing.

The next day was long and tough, beginning with a slow descent down the valley, before the trail began a sharp zig zag up and over the saddle. At the top of the pass we were greeted by several giant condors, considered sacred in the native culture. After a quick lunch stop we began our last big challenge - the descent.

It was easily the steepest climb I’ve ever attempted, made a little easier by the long lengths of rope that we found connecting the more vertical sections. I got a little too confident coming down, slipping and wedging my hiking pole and bending it a full 90 degrees. We eventually made it to our final campsite, situated by a rocky beach next to a giant lake.

The next morning we set off early, excited by the promise of alpaca burgers and craft beer waiting for us back in El Chalten. The trail followed the edge of the lake before winding up into unoccupied farmland and continued on undulating grassy terrain. We encountered another river crossing, this one much more tame than the last.

After many hours of hiking through farmland we eventually made our way out onto the road, very quickly finding ourselves back in civilization. It’s always a little shocking coming back to society after many days in the wilderness, and while this one was relatively short, the remoteness of the Patagonian wilderness made for a relief upon landing back in the village. We hit the local pub to celebrate before collapsing in our respective dorms.

My experiences hiking in the Patagonia region were easily some of the highlights from the entire South American trip, and one I highly recommend for anyone considering it. Here at Bogong Equipment, we stock all the necessary equipment you’ll need for a visit to this region. Myself and our other experienced staff members are always happy to assist with advice or recommendations.