Hello, I'm looking for advice on an itinerary for Patagonia. I'm still trying to decide whether to fly from the UK to Santiago in Chile or BA Argentina. I have 7 weeks in total, it's my first time on South America, the most important thing for me is that I get to see as much of Patagonia as possible. Any advice would be gratefully received. I just want to be sure I can cross the borders quite easily if I zig-zag around the region. Thank you!
1
trent84
My advice, fly to BA and then fly down to Ushuaia. From there you can zig zag up through patagonia.
2
openmind69
Thank you. Do you think there would be any advantage from flying home from Santiago, Chile or would a return from BA work just as well?
3
nancypa
I am also planning a trip to Patagonia after going to Antarctica. Does anybody know if there is a way that we can get from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas or Puerto Norelas?
4
mirkob
Hello nancypa,
there should be a bus from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas
http://www.bussur.com/opensite/index.php?page=international-frequency
Hope this helps
5
trent84
There are daily buses to Punta Arenas to Ushuaia books out pretty quickly but.
As for flying home via SCL or EZE....doesn't matter. It'll be cheaper a return instead of an open jaw return.
6
focus417
I had the same dilemma when I went in December. We ended up flying into Santiago (it was cheaper). From there, we flew to Punta Arenas (with a stop over in Puerto Montt). Sky airlines is a good budget airline for this.
One thing - border crossings are possible by bus, but to fly between Chile and Argentina you need to go back up to Santiago/Buenos Aires before heading down again (as it's an international flight).
Also, if you want to rent a car, it takes up to a week to get permission papers to take the car across the border.
We had a lot of trouble deciphering bus schedules online - and even when we were at the bus stations, we found that there are very few printed schedules around.
7
trent84
I'm unsure of your nationality, but if you need to pay the reciprocity fee in Chile, it may be more worthwhile to go to Argentina (and you'll probably have to pay there - but you will have to pay it anyway to enter the country). If your going as far south as you can, Ushuaia is probably the easiest place to get to from BA. Punta Arenas is the other for Chile (though Puerto Williams has one - flights can be exxy).
8
Thorn Tree
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