How to Get Around Patagonia

Distances are the defining practical fact. El Calafate to Bariloche is about 1,500 kilometres; Buenos Aires to Ushuaia is over 3,000.

Flying is how most people cover the region: Aerolineas Argentinas and others connect Buenos Aires with Bariloche, Trelew, El Calafate, Ushuaia and Rio Gallegos. Internal flights are expensive and book out in summer.

Long-distance buses are excellent — reclining cama seats, meals, overnight services — and are much cheaper. A twenty-hour bus is normal and more comfortable than it sounds.

Route 40 is the classic drive, now largely paved though with long gravel sections. Fuel stations can be two hundred kilometres apart and occasionally dry; carry a jerrycan on the remote stretches, and note that the wind makes high-sided vehicles hard work.

Crossing to Chile is common for Torres del Paine; expect strict agricultural checks and do not carry fresh food across.