PATAGONIA

Patagonia is an extreme and untamed land, one of the wildest and most fascinating corners of the planet. Cycling through it, means immersing yourself in boundless nature, where silence is broken only by wind and the meeting of infinite horizons.

The best time to bike in Patagonia is the austral summer, from December to March. The days are longer, the temperatures milder, and many roads are easier to navigate. Winds remain constant, especially from the west, but the weather is generally more stable during these months than the rest of the year. Spring and early autumn can offer fewer crowds, but also more unpredictable and cold weather, especially at night.

To cycle this route, it’s essential to bring a tent and cooking equipment. In fact, on some stages, you’ll find yourself in the middle of nowhere with no chance of finding lodging, a restaurant, or a store to buy food. We kept camping to a minimum, but having a tent saved us in some cases. Bring four-season clothing: we found very hot days where we got sunburnt, rain, strong winds, and even snow just before reaching Ushuaia. The temperature drops significantly, especially at night.

How do you find a bike box once you arrive in Ushuaia? Ushuaia Extremo shop offers a somewhat expensive but very convenient service: for $40, they’ll wash, disassemble, and pack your bike in a box. For $60, they’ll also pick you up at your hotel and take you to the airport.

We also recommend downloading two essential apps for this and, in general, for all bike trips: IOverlander—a community-based app for finding points of interest such as wild camping spots, campsites, rest areas, water sources, etc.—and Windy, a weather app famous for its interactive wind maps.

After a day of acclimatization, where we reassembled our bikes and visited Perito Moreno (about 60 km from El Calafate and can be reached with an organized tour, bus, or taxi), we set off priding along Lago Argentino, soon joining the famous Route 40, Argentina’s longest and most spectacular road. You cycle in the middle of nowhere, among golden pampas, and once we join Route 7, the road turns into gravel, with headwinds.

In El Calafate, we stayed at the convenient and centrally located Hotel Del Glaciar, (they were very kind and willing to let us store our bikes in the hotel). Along Route 7, we pitched our tent among the ruins of an old police station, near the Rio Pelque. Alternatively, if you have more days available and want to shorten the stages, we recommend stopping at the gas station located at the intersection of Routes 40 and 7. It’s not a very nice place, but you can camp and fill up on water. There’s no way to buy food until you reach Cerro Castillo, Chile, so be prepared!

Another 45 km of gravel—often in terrible conditions—brings us to Tapi Aike Station, where you can spend the night at the bus stop or camp behind the police station (but there’s no food!). Since we didn’t have many days to spare, we continued hitchhiking because the strong headwinds made cycling impossible. Once we reached the Argentine border, we had to ride another 9 km to the Chilean border and the town of Cerro Castillo, where there are several places to stay overnight . The road is dirt on the Argentine side and paved as soon as you enter Chile. We spent the night and had dinner at the welcoming Riverline Lodge.

This stage takes us to the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, and is one of the most beautiful of the trip. We cycled on asphalt to the park entrance, and once inside—you have to pay an entrance fee—a spectacular gravel trail begins, running between turquoise lakes and snow-capped mountains. We dined and stayed overnight at the fantastic (and expensive) Hosteria Pehoe, located on a small island in the middle of the lake, connected to the mainland by a pedestrian-only wooden bridge. There are several other accommodation options, including refuges and campsites (one is right on Lake Pehoe, just ahead of where we stopped).

This stage flew by, as we rode with a tailwind. We started on a dirt road and then rode on asphalt, on a road that, as of this writing, is still under construction. After 40km, there’s another Refuge in good condition, suitable for a night sheltered from the wind. We reached the border with Argentina, where we had dinner and spent the night at Hosteria La Frontera (very nice and the food is good, though not exactly cheap). If you prefer, you can continue another 20km to San Sebastian, where there is Hostería ACA, which we found fully booked.

After border control and San Sebastian, the road turns and the wind is now mostly lateral. You cycle on endless straights with some beautiful views of the sea along Route 3, all the way to Rio Grande. Entering the city, it’s impossible to miss the enormous Monument to the Heroes of the Falklands, located on the coast. We stayed at the Grand Hotel la Serre. There are many options for dinner, but we incredibly found a vegan burger (not memorable) at Tante Sara Cafè e Restò.

Another windy day with endless straight roads. Approaching Tolhuin, however, a region of woods and mountains begins. Once in town, a must-stop is Panaderia La Unión, famous among cyclists for its delicious products but also for offering free accommodation at the Casa del Ciclista, a basic establishment but an excellent option if you don’t want to pitch a tent or look for something else. We preferred to continue on to Hosteria Kaiken, which offers a beautiful view of Lake Fagnano and excellent cuisine.

Final spectacular leg of the journey, still along the RN3. First, we climb to the Garibaldi Pass, a gentle climb offering breathtaking views of Lakes Fagnano and Escondido, then we ride among the snow-capped peaks of the Cerro Castor ski area. Entering Ushuaia was a bit of a shock for us because we’d forgotten about the traffic, but we were so excited that we quickly forgot about everything else. A photo at the Fin del Mundo sign near the marina is a must.

There are endless hotel and restaurant options, and we had a great time here: staying at Hotel Austral, lunch at El Viejo Marino, and gelato at Freddo (the gelato shop is my cousin’s, but it’s truly worth it with its unique flavors). If you’re looking for a more upscale restaurant to indulge in at the end of the trip, we recommend the tasting menu at Kalma (pescetarian and vegetarian options).