May 01, 2026

A Trip to the End of the World: A 12-Day Adventure Through Argentina and Chile

South America had been calling my name for years and this past November, I finally answered. Twelve days with my husband trekking from Buenos Aires to the southern tip of Patagonia to Santiago. And honestly? It surpassed everything I’d imagined.

Our adventure started in Buenos Aires which gave off Paris and New York vibes as we meandered through the city, but with a Latin American heart entirely its own and each neighborhood with its own story to tell. We based ourselves in Palermo, a neighborhood of tree-lined streets, deliciously rich coffee, restaurants and bars that don’t come alive until late. We learned quickly that Argentinians typically don’t have dinner until after 8pm so we adjusted our eating schedules accordingly.

We began exploring at the Plaza de Mayo, where European-style architecture shows itself at every turn — the ornate Teatro Colón Opera House, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the iconic Casa Rosada, with the balcony that inspired the scene in Evita when she sings "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and has witnessed more than its share of Argentina's turbulent political history. From there, we made our way over to La Recoleta Cemetery, a labyrinth of elaborate mausoleums so ornate it feels less like a burial ground and more like a city within the city.

Buenos Aires rewards wandering, so we wandered on to La Boca with its cobblestone streets and buildings painted in the brightest palette of reds, yellows, and blues. Then it was on to San Telmo’s sprawling market, where we stumbled upon what might have been the single greatest food discovery of the entire trip - El Gauchito serving crispy, golden empanadas stuffed with a recipe the owner told us his family had passed down for generations, originally packed daily for miners heading underground. My mouth is watering just thinking about them now.

What struck me most as we walked around the city was the street art — the city itself is a canvas with murals exploding across building facades, doorways, and storefronts.

From Buenos Aires, we flew south to Ushuaia — the self-proclaimed southernmost city on Earth and a launching pad for Antarctic expeditions. We took a boat out to Isla Martillo to see the Magellanic penguins, and on the next day we hiked through Tierra del Fuego National Park, where our guide shared the fascinating and tragic history of the Selk’nam indigenous people who once called this remote land home.

Next stop: El Calafate, and the Perito Moreno Glacier. Nothing prepares you for it. The walls of ice rise 150-200 feet out of the water, and every few minutes a massive chunk breaks free and crashes into the lake below. We took the Hielo & Aventura trekking tour on the glacier, crunching across crystal-blue ice, peering into crevasses that seemed to go down forever. And celebrated at the end of our journey with a whiskey toast poured over a piece of glacier ice.

A five-hour drive across the barren Patagonian steppe brought us to Chile and one of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet: Torres del Paine (pronounced Pie-neh) National Park. The name means “Towers of Blue”, and the moment those granite spires come into view, you understand why. We splurged and stayed at the unbelievable Las Torres Resort in the park. On Thanksgiving Day, we laced up

our boots and tackled the 12-mile hike to the Base of the Towers — a beautiful climb that rewards you with a view of these three colossal peaks carved by millions of years of geological force and Patagonian wind. I have never been more grateful.

We also visited the Grey Glacier and kayaked past icebergs on the aptly named Grey Lake and spent our last day riding horses through a valley with mountain vistas framed by turquoise water. Each evening, we enjoyed our Pisco Sour cocktail hour and deliciously prepared dinners with local ingredients - my favorites being the fresh hake and lamb.

One thing to know: Torres del Paine has the world’s highest concentration of pumas. Sightings were a daily occurrence, and to my husband’s chagrin, I am thankful we did not encounter one. The animal I was seeking out on this trip was the King Penguin, the second-largest penguin species, with a colony on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego. From our charming bed and breakfast in Punta Arenas that gave us hand-knit slippers (Loved them so much we had to bring them home!), we set out on a private tour with Cristobal, a university student who previously worked at the reserve, and our driver Claudio. The drive is long with more Guanacos (a llama-like wild animal) than cars on the road, but Cristobal more than made up for the miles with stories about penguin biology, Chilean history, and Patagonian life. Once we arrived at the reserve, I was in heaven to see them waddling and chattering with each other up close (from about 20 meters/60 feet away). On the way back, Claudio made an unplanned stop at a working sheep ranch — a fitting bookend to everything we'd been discussing. It was shearing season and watching the ranch hands flip a full-grown sheep and strip its fleece in under two minutes was a revealing window into the real life of Patagonians.

We closed out our trip with two days in Santiago. Chile’s capital is a modern city cradled in a valley between the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Range. Our visit landed us there on a Sunday and Monday, which meant museums were closed, but we made the most of our time by visiting and shopping at the Plaza de Armas and Barrio Italia, and walking up to the summit of Cerro San Cristóbal for panoramic views of the city and then taking the funicular back down to really take in our surroundings. Before leaving, there was one essential must-do: the Completo. The Chilean hot dog is so beloved it has its own national day. It is topped with mashed avocado, diced tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, onions, and an unapologetic plop of mayonnaise -- it was a lot, but I regret nothing.

This trip had everything: history, culture, wildlife, amazing food, and incredible scenery around every corner. Argentinians and Chileans each insist, with considerable passion, that their side of Patagonia is the better one. Having now seen both, my honest answer is: yes. They’re both right.

-Kate J.