Luxury travel Patagonia: for the modern explorer
Famed for being one of Earth’s last wildernesses, Patagonia has provided the breathtaking backdrop to many an adventure series. A colossal expanse in southern South America, Patagonia stretches from Pacific Ocean to Atlantic coast, its boundaries seeping into both Chile and Argentina. With its magnitude comes lakes of piercing blue, soaring glaciers, and vast grasslands as raw and rugged as they are sublime and beautiful.
What is luxury travel to Patagonia?
Travel to Patagonia has only been possible in the last two decades, and luxury travel to Patagonia is even more recent. Yet the definition of luxury here bends to fit the immenseness of the setting. It isn’t always convenient. It isn’t long hours of poolside dwelling or days spent in slippers.
Luxury travel to Patagonia is found in the places that unapologetically celebrate the magnificence of their setting. Hotels and lodgings that take a room with a view to a whole new meaning, one beyond your wildest imagination. Longtime partners of Aracari Travel who employ real working gauchos and wildlife researchers to lead guests through the most untouched parts of Patagonia – where few footsteps have trodden.
That’s not to say a stay here is without comfort. There are celestial spas, fine dining, and incredibly high-end suites. But the luxuriousness is in the experience. To go somewhere as far away from modern civilization as it looks.
Our experience with luxury travel to Patagonia
Ever keen to experience a trip for ourselves before recommending it to our clients, Aracari Travel founder headed for her own luxury travel to Patagonia in April 2024. Marisol’s route would zigzag through national parks for two weeks, crossing into the region in both Chile and Argentina. It’s an adventure that left a lasting impression.
“The beauty of this place cannot possibly be exaggerated,” Marisol wrote of one particular moment during her exploration. “When we approached this hotel and los Cuernos del Paine came into view – I quite literally lost my breath. It’s one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen.”
It’s reflections like that that sparked this story on luxury travel to Patagonia. To share our insider intel on how to curate the perfect Patagonian odyssey into a few short weeks, without compromising on experience. Soaking up the real, raw remoteness as a modern explorer who often isn’t afforded the luxury of having several weeks off-grid. To combine the magnitude of place with a sense of luxury in a way that never dilutes or detracts from exactly where you are.
Within our guide to luxury travel Patagonia, we’ll showcase four spots enjoyed by Marisol. Detailing not only their outstanding setting but the intricate nuances that set these places apart for astute, modern-day adventurers looking to distill the grandeur of Patagonia into a luxury South America vacation with Aracari.
Luxury travel to Patagonia: our top picks for the modern explorer
It’s worth noting that Aracari Travel recommends visiting the below properties as part of a tailor made Patagonian adventure designed by our experts, since each of the areas listed are many, many miles apart. Without our guidance, travel between the lodges can be arduous leaving you with limited time to explore. Choosing to experience Patagonia with us allows you to unlock the treasures of unimaginable beauty as part of a luxury South America vacation.
1. Explora El Chaltén, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
El Chaltén is an area within Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. On a private natural reserve, on the north bank of the Eléctrico River and surrounded by dense forests of lenga and ñirre trees, sits Explora El Chaltén. A strategic position perfect for exploring the peaks of Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy to the northwest, along with the breathtaking Southern Patagonia Ice Field, the world’s third-largest freshwater reserve.
Advantageously built in the Los Huemules Conservation Reserve, Explora El Chaltén seamlessly blends luxurious accommodations with its rugged natural surroundings. For Marisol, the lodge became a cozy home base for several unforgettable explorations. Led by passionate local guides, she ventured into the mountains, valleys, glaciers, and lagoons of the Argentinian Patagonia.
One particularly unmissable experience whilst here though is the Laguna de Los Tres trail and its uninterrupted views of the jagged peaks of Mount Fitz Roy. This hike begins on one of the trails of the Los Glaciares National Park, climbing through forests and valleys up to the Los Tres Lagoon, crossing rivers and lagoons to admire the magnificence of Mount Fitz Roy to its fullest.
Like many of the lodges offered as part of luxury travel to Patagonia with Aracari, what Explora El Chaltén does so brilliantly is allow travelers to become entirely immersed in the wilderness. Providing our clients with an in-depth experience of this austral territory to bring them closer to the unique characteristics of its many different facets. Before each evening, guiding them back to the quiet luxury of the lodge for hearty Argentine dining and a spa beneath the stars.
2. EOLO, El Calafate, Argentina
EOLO stands only a few miles away from the Andes Mountain range and 45 minutes outside Los Glaciares National Park. It’s found on a 10,000-acre estancia, close to some of the most iconic highlights in southern Patagonia – the Andes Mountains, lakes, and glaciers – with a unique vantage point on a wide-open steppe enveloped by a windy silence.
EOLO’s position permits exceptional horse-riding tours. Saddling a criollo horse traditionally bred by Patagonian gauchos – you’ll be able to gallop through the steppe at pace. An experience that delivers a sense of freedom difficult to describe.
Perito Moreno Glacier is also just a 50-minute ride from the hotel. Once inside Los Glaciares National Park, there are several options to reach the incredible viewpoints of the glacier which is settled on the lake itself. You can follow the accessible walkways to the front of the glacier, take a short boat cruise along its front wall, or trek or walk on the ice using crampons.
However you chose to spend your days in El Calafate, reaching EOLO after an adventurous day distills the essence of luxury travel Patagonia. Conceived as a place of quiet charm; no excesses, no stridencies, EOLO is total understated elegance. Inspired by the historic estancias of the area, the entire hotel – from its furniture to its dishware – combines the simple structure of the Creole houses with hints of the area’s original people. All of its spaces have outside views and the structure’s dynamics center on a vital element: the central garden. Which provides enjoyment of the outside as well as sheltering protection from the Patagonian winds.
3. Explora Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine, Chile
As the only luxury hotel located in the heart of the Torres del Paine National Park, Explora sits on the shores of the turquoise Lake Pehoé, alongside its own waterfall, Salto Chico – with dramatic views of the Torres del Paine Massif. The rooms here are designed to take full advantage of the silence, privacy, and spaciousness of the surrounding landscape – while a spa complete with open-air Jacuzzis offers views of the Paine River.
But it’s the daytime exploration that makes Explora Torres del Paine such an exciting place to stay during luxury travel to Patagonia. The extraordinary team here has mapped this austral territory into different exploration zones, each with its own set of unique geographic, cultural, and biosphere characteristics. The idea is to begin exploring the Convergence zone– where the lodge is located– continuing with explorations in the Forest, Steppe, Estancia, Glacier, and, finally, the Mountain zones. Much of this forms what’s known as the W circuit – an iconic route that takes five days to if you were to complete all the trails around the Paine Massif, including explorations of the Base of the Towers, Grey Glacier, and French Valley.
What Explora Torres del Paine does so brilliantly is curate the W route into full-day hikes and exceptional horseback rides designed to truly immerse yourself in the territory around you, before returning you to your remote lodgings each evening.
The epitome of luxury travel Patagonia, clients like Marisol who visited in April are afforded the incredible luxury of having the vast wilderness on their doorstep while staying in a room with a view like no other. “When we approached this hotel and los Cuernos del Paine came into view – I quite literally lost my breath,” wrote our founder, Marisol. “It’s one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen, and to be able to view it from every corner of this special property was truly special.”
4. Estancia Cristina, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
There is only one way to reach the remote lodgings of Estancia Cristina. To get here you must sail across the north side of Lago Argentino – found within the bounds of the national park established to protect the Campo de Hielo Patagonico Sur. It is a majestic valley surrounded by natural wonders and steeped in the history of explorers who have come before.
Estancia Cristina is the only lodging found on Lago Argentino’s shoreline. Tucked away amongst celestial lakes, snow-capped peaks, and the second-largest glacier in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, the natural beauty here is astounding.
But what sets Estancia Cristina apart even further is the story. Originally worked as a ranch for sheep wool production by the Masters family from 1900 – the place passed through the generations until Janet Masters, wife of one of the sons – decided to adapt the Estancia for tourism. Today Estancia Cristina is a haven amongst the wild bucolic land, welcoming visitors from all over the world to, as they put it, stay where the wild souls stay.
During her exploratory stay, Marisol embarked on several adventures into this ancient territory. There’s the option to hike through the silence, contemplating the remains of the ages, and discovering the tracks and traces left behind by the prehistoric glaciers. Gallop freely on horseback through wide open country, trotting through the pristine and expansive glacial landscape of Rio Caterina. But perhaps the most memorable for Marisol was her visit to the Upsala Glacier.
Taking the crown as the largest glacier in the whole of the South American continent, it is 336-sq.miles (870km²) in area, 37 miles (60km) long, and 230 ft. (70m) high – making it far larger than its more famous cousin, Perito Moreno. The team at Estancia Cristina will take you on a journey along the changing terrain of glacial erosion, combining untamed landscapes with the heritage of the local pioneers. Beginning with a boat ride across Lago Argentino passing giant iceberg clusters, you’ll then ride in a 4×4 vehicle to the Glaciar Upsala unique lookout from land before beginning a hike to get a closer view.
After each day’s adventure though, you’ll return to the serenity of the estancia. There are just 20 rooms, distributed across five Casas, each one with the same design and elegant comfort, and all of them surrounding the main lodge. Our recommendation is three nights here, permitting you enough time to soak up the majestic beauty of the place, whilst also leaving vacation days to see more of this enormous landscape.
Speak to us today about luxury travel to Patagonia.
Our experts can curate the perfect Patagonian experience for you, be it a family vacation, a honeymoon, or a trip with friends, as well as shorter or longer vacations, or combining many other destinations across South America.