How to Elope in Patagonia
Where is Patagonia?
Patagonia is the region of South America that spans Chile and Argentina throughout the southern parts of the Andes mountain range. It is known for world-class climbing, hiking, and views of mountains so beautiful you can hardly believe it is real! The blue alpine lakes, unique animals, and endless adventure opportunities make this one of the most epic places in the world to elope. Whether you use Patagonia as your starting point to access Antarctica (talk about an epic honeymoon?!), or you simply want to see what all the hype is about, I can’t recommend Patagonia enough! I fell madly in love with this region when I visited, and I cherish every opportunity I have to come back with in-love couples.
Why You Should Get Married in Patagonia
You should elope in Patagonia if you love tall mountains, clear blue alpine lakes, incredible food, kind people, and an untamed wilderness. It’s a place worth visiting, and if you choose it as your elopement destination you are guaranteed to witness something truly special.
Steps to Plan a Wedding in Patagonia
1) Create a list of your priorities
The first thing you need to do is set your list of priorities. What is most important to you? Is it the venue, photographer, date, another vendor, or something else? Whatever is your first priority, make it happen! If that first priority to make this event perfect is a vendor—reach out to them asap!
2) Choose a date
Book that top priority—venue, vendor, or other scheduling consideration. Choose a date and get it set! Once you’ve booking your top priority for a date, it’s time to start planning. You’ll be able to reach out to other vendors to check their availability, begin sending out save-the-date’s to any guests, and finalize so many other choices. It’s at this stage that you begin to find plans falling into place.
3) Choose a ceremony location
This decision can be made anywhere in the planning stage. If you’re bringing guests, you’ll need to know your ceremony location earlier. If you’re eloping just the two of you, you can decide on this up until the days before! Of course, you’ll need to know a general location. But, for example, if you’re eloping on a hiking trail and want to choose the best spot based on what feels right in the moment, I am happy to be flexible.
4) Reserve any bookings or reservations
Depending on where you’re getting married—a rental, public lands, a venue, etc.—there may be extra steps to take to reserve your space or get permission to host an event. Permits and reservations aren’t always necessary, but this is your reminder to check up on permits!
5) Have your dream wedding!
You’ve done the leg work, properly prepared, settled all the details, and now all that’s left to do is get hitched! Your wedding is going to be gorgeous in such a beautiful place—I can’t wait to celebrate with you!
How to Get to Patagonia
Flying into Patagonia you have quite a few options. I recommend flying into El Calafate if you’re staying in Argentina, and Puerto Natales if you are staying in Chile. Punta Arenas is consistently the cheapest place to fly into, but I honestly don’t think that’s the route I would take the next time I go back. Unless you wanted to go farther south from Punta Arenas (Tierra del Fuego, or Antarctica), it’s a long drive to make it up to the mountainous parts of Patagonia that I think you’re really going to want to see.
How to Get Around Patagonia
Rental Cars
Renting a car will give you the most freedom when it comes to travel within Patagonia. If you plan on visiting multiple cities, I recommend renting a car. If you plan on traveling in Chile, I recommend renting a car. If you’re going to be exclusively in one town (Example: El Chalten), then you can get away with utilizing the well-organized bus schedule.
Most airports have rental car options right there, and most towns have rental car availability in the downtown area. Ubers, taxis, and shuttles are available to get you from the airport to downtown, and sometimes that can save you some money in the long run. Booking.com is my favorite location for finding car rentals, and it was how we got a 2-week rental car in Punta Arenas, Chile that took us to Argentina and back. Booking through a verified site will often offer you protections and insurances that are worth-while.
I always recommend booking rental cars (and all travel expenses) with a credit card. In most cases, companies require a credit card, but just in case they don’t you should consider these reasons: Many travel-friendly cards have built-in insurance and protections, but they’re also incredibly useful in the worst-case scenario of fraud or theft. Credit card companies are incentivized to help you if your credit (their money) is stolen, whereas if you’re using a debit card (your money), then it can be harder to get that back if there is a problematic charge.
If you rent a car and plan on traveling across any boarders, make sure you let your rental company know ahead of time. The place I rented my car through appreciated the heads up, but said all the paperwork could be done day-of at pickup. Other places online said they needed weeks of advance notice to get the paperwork in order. You’ll need to let them know which date exactly you plan to cross into another country, and which day you’ll be back.
Public Transportation
If you want to use public transportation exclusively for your trip to Patagonia, it is definitely possible. The bus schedules are frequent, though the ticket prices can get expensive, and there are plenty of organized tours utilizing buses that can take all the stress of planning off your shoulders. Depending on what activities you want to do, where you want to go, and how much gear you have with you, I’d be happy to offer more insight into whether buses or a rental car should be your choice.
Bus-Sur is the biggest and most common bus company throughout Patagonia. They offer one-way and round-trip tickets to most of the big spots, travel across country borders, and operate at a frequent and reliable schedule.
Things to do in Patagonia
Patagonia is the land of adventure! The things to do are truly endless, and if you’re traveling here for an elopement I would encourage you to stay as long as you have the time and take the adventure as far as you can go. Decide early on what you want your elopement day to look like, and enjoy activities outside that scope on days you’re not thinking about
Hiking in Patagonia
From short hikes to full-day hikes to multi-day backpacking trips, Patagonia offers trekking for people of all abilities and interest levels.
Biking in Patagonia
When I was in Patagonia I witnessed quite a few bikepackers enjoying the expansive views, but not enjoying the vicious headwinds. It’s not a place for road biking if you want an easy time, but there are places where mountain biking is abundant and a bike for getting around town is a great idea.
White Water Rafting in Patagonia
There are multiple locations of truly epic white water rafting throughout Patagonia, especially in El Chalten, and it can be a beautiful way to spend a day or part of a day to see this corner of the world from a new perspective.
Official Tours in Patagonia
Whatever you dream of doing, there are official tours throughout Patagonia. These tours can be single-adventure things you book along the way, or they can be multi-day planned trips that fit your entire itinerary. You can even take tours to do the hardest hikes, which is something I thought was really unique to witness. To see folks doing 20-kilometer hikes led by locals who could share the story of the region was beautiful.
A Few Spanish Words You Should Know
“Mirador” means viewpoint.*
“Torres” means towers.**
“Cerro” means mountain.
“Sendero” means path or trail.
“Valle” means valley.
"Rio” means river.
*When you’re looking up trails and locations, hikes with the word “mirador” in them usually have an epic view of a specific mountain/valley/range/etc.
** In both Torres Del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks, there are many hikes and viewpoints of the “torres,” which means you’ll see Torre d'Agostini, Torre Central and Torre Monzino (Chile side) but also Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre (Argentina side).
Best Time to Visit Patagonia
I highly recommend visiting Patagonia during their summer months (our winter months, here in the US). It’s hard to say when exactly will be the best time, but based on my experience I would say that mid-December to mid-January is going to be lush, warm, and beautiful. Mid-January to mid-February is going to be the most reliably warm and dry, but possibly more windy. If I had to choose a Best Date, it would have to be the last week of January. The busy days of holiday tourists are gone, the trails are little quieter, and the weather is just absolutely the best it can be. Whenever you go, choose a range of dates to give yourself the chance to work around the weather. It’s still a wild place, and even the most likely dates for good weather will risk the chance of rain and wind.
Summer in Patagonia
Patagonia’s summer months are October-April and warmer temperatures (averaging 44-59° F) and 1+ inches of rain/month. For context, that’s not exactly a dry season—you can expect a little rain at least some point during the trip if you’re in the Patagonia region for more than a few days. The last time I was there we got incredibly lucky and only saw rain during the night a few days of a two-week trip. We also didn’t get too many high winds (only a handful of days with gusts strong enough to knock us off our feet), but it’s wise to expect high winds in the summer.
Winter in Patagonia
Winter in Patagonia is May-September, which means colder temperatures (averaging 32-42° F) and a bit more average rainfall 3+ inches/month. In reality, those lower temperatures create a significantly different environment in the mountains. It is still possible to enjoy some lower-elevation adventure, and if you enjoy winter sports it may be perfect timing for you. But you should also take into consideration that in the more tourism-focused towns (Puerto Natalaes & El Chalten especially), seasonal workers are only there October-April. A lot of what is available in the summer is not available during Patagonia’s winter season.
The Chilean Side of Patagonia
Chile will always and forever have a special place in my heart! The first time I visited Patagonia I flew in to Punta Arenas and spent a couple days at The End of the World. I visited penguins on Tierra del Fuego, took a ferry across the Straight of Magellan, and pulled the car off to the side of the road with delight every time I saw a guanaco. I then went up to Puerto Natales, where I went backpacking and explored the national park. Chilean people were incredibly kind, friendly, and informative. I loved every moment I was able to spend here, and I’d go back a 1000x if I could! For a lot of reasons, I wouldn’t recommend Chile to every couple wanting to elope in Patagonia. It’s a little harder to get around (more driving) than Argentina, the hikes are steeper, and the exposure means the wind gets truly wild! But, for the truly adventurous at heart, it is perfect.
Torres Del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine is the most famous region within Patagonia, for good reason! It’s a stunningly wild national park with a range of drive-up view points, day hikes, backpacking routes, and adventures for everyone. When I was in the park, I hiked the W Trek with a friend, and we spent five days exploring the wild landscape and camping in places that felt more like rustic hotels than actual campgrounds. I mean, I was fully prepared after hiking the JMT to have to filter water, sleep on the ground, and eat backpacker meals. No, the W Trek (and parts of the O Circuit, if you want to go farther) offer hot showers, hot meals, cabins, rental sleeping bags, and potable water. I mean you literally could hike these whole routes with simple necessities if you wanted to keep the packs ultralight!
Puerto Natales, Chile
Puerto Natales is my favorite town in Chile. It’s right along the water, with stunning views, and a beautiful drive into Torres del Paine National Park. It’s very much the gateway to your Torres del Paine adventure, and it’s even possible to avoid renting a car because there are regular buses going into the park each day. The drive into the park does take about two hours, so plan accordingly if you’re going to home base here.
Wedding Venues in Chilean Patagonia
I always recommend couples with guests look into an established wedding venue. Some places you can stay have space for a ceremony on the grounds, like Eco Camp Patagonia, and I’d be happy to connect you with a venue that will fit your needs. For elopements just the two of you, there are plenty of stunning viewpoints accessible via hikes that I’d be happy to show you!
Places to Stay in Chilean Patagonia
Chilean Patagonia was truly beautiful in a way that is hard to describe. It was a bit more wide open than Argentina, which felt closer to the mountains and less exposed, and I loved both places immensely. I was able to stay in some beautiful venues, and also take note of incredible places with stunning views right out the front door.
Puerto Natales
Natales is the gateway to Torres Del Paine National Park. Unless you wanted to stay within the park itself, this is the town to look at. There are also a few great solitary places in between the park and town, but take note that those spaces have fewer amenities outside the hotel. I loved the vibes in Natales and thought it was a wonderful community that I wished I had even more time to enjoy.
The Argentinian Side of Patagonia
Patagonia spans two countries, and while each of these spaces have a lot of unique features, they also share quite a few that make it hard to choose which place you’ll prefer for your destination wedding experience. In the simplest way possible, I like to break down the differences by landscape. Argentina is a bit less steep when it comes to the hikes, less exposed, there are more trees, and it’s generally a greener place than the dusty trails of Chile. Both places have National Parks, with their own rules and protections, and both countries are treasure troves for folks who love the outdoors. If you can, I’d recommend visiting both places. And if that doesn’t help you choose, I’m so sorry!
Los Glaciares National Park
I always use the example of Glacier National Park in the US and Banff in Canada. The parks share a border, but different names in different countries. The same is true for Torres del Paine in Chile and Los Glaciares in Argentina. Whereas Torres Del Paine has a lot of wildlife, blue alpine lakes, wide vistas, and established campgrounds; Los Glaciares has more trees, more remote tent camping, and a very different view of some of the same peaks. I don’t have a preference for one over the other, but I will say that Los Glaciares felt a bit easier to traverse, and a little less busy.
El Chalten, Argentina
If I had to choose only one town to visit in all of Patagonia, it would be El Chalten. Yes, that’s high praise! Of course, it doesn’t have everything. The remote nature of this town means the internet is awful, there aren’t any fuel stations, and you might not be able to find something if you didn’t pack it within you. Once you’re in El Chalten though, you don’t need a car to get around. Amazing restaurants, lodging, and world-class hiking trails are all within a 30-minute walk. Most folks in town get around on foot, or by bicycle, and the streets are always busy with people enjoying their time outside.
Wedding Venues in Argentinian Patagonia
While there are some lovely established outdoor venues in Patagonia, which I would highly recommend for any weddings with guests, my favorite places for two-person elopements are hiking destinations! There are hikes from El Chalten with stunning mountain views ranging from 4-18 miles round-trip. There are even in-town views of the mountains that require only a short walk, which would make for a perfect place to elope!
Places to Stay in Argentinian Patagonia
My favorite site for booking international travel is Booking.com. Everything from lodging to rental cars is available and guaranteed, which gives me a lot of peace of mind that my bookings are verified and legitimate.
El Chalten
In El Chalten, there are lot of hostels, boutique hotels, and apartments you can stay in. My personal favorite was the Pudu Lodge, because it is literal steps away from the main trailhead: Sendero al Fitz Roy, and a short drive or walk from my other favorite trails. The thing about El Chalten is that everything is within a 30 minute walk within town. I can confidently say you could spend your entire time in Patagonia in El Chalten and have an amazing time!
El Calafate
I did not spend much time in El Calafate, but it is a beautiful town with amazing food and incredible access to some of the most beautiful parts of Argentinian Patagonia. It is much more established than El Chalten, which had a very mountain-town vibe, and can offer you a bit more of a luxury stay and access to amenities. El Calafate is also a great place to stay if you want to go for a day excursion at the Perito Moreno Glacier.
Patagonia Photography Packages
I do not charge travel fees for my photography packages. This is because I exclusively book in places I am already planning to travel to! The standard photography packages listed on my pricing page are all available for Patagonia from December-February each year.
Patagonia Elopement Photographer
Choose a Patagonia elopement photographer with experience, a style you enjoy, and the local know-how to steer you in the right direction. I have spent weeks traversing the Patagonia region and can speak to the beauty of Argentina, the wilds of Chile, the remoteness of Tierra del Fuego, and the steps you should take to prepare for it all. As far as international travel goes, Patagonia is truly unique, and I would be honored to document this moment in your adventure together a couple. If you’re ready to inquire, here is a link to my contact form. You don’t have to have it all figured out to get the ball rolling, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. I’m here to help—let’s get the conversations started!
