Fly & Ride The Patagonia Experience

Thirteen nights from Osorno or Pucon to Torres del Paine, ridden self-guided, which is the condensed version of the operator’s Patagonian route and stops short of Ushuaia. It can be ridden in either direction. The hire is included, with a long upgrade list.

Bariloche comes first, reached either through Puyehue and Nahuel Huapi or on the Seven Lakes Route, then Trevelin and Los Alerces National Park with its ancient fitzroya stands.

Puyuhuapi follows at the start of the Carretera Austral, with Corcovado National Park, then Coihaique through the Queulat rainforest and Puerto Tranquilo on Lago General Carrera, with a rest day and the Marble Caves reached by boat.

Los Antiguos and Gobernador Gregores come next on Ruta 40, then El Calafate with Fitz Roy on the skyline and a rest day for the Perito Moreno glacier, and Torres del Paine closes the route, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1978 with the granite towers and the Cuernos standing over the plain, finishing at Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas. Prices are quoted in US dollars. Leaving out Tierra del Fuego removes four nights, two ferry crossings and a long exposed run south, and what remains is arguably the better riding: the Carretera Austral, the Ruta 40 pampas and the two national parks that most people come to Patagonia for in the first place. Being rideable in either direction also helps with flights, since Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt are served from Santiago at different times and prices, and a rider can start at whichever end the schedule favours.