El Chalten to Perito Moreno, Chile and Route 40

El Chaltén sits near the end of its own road, so almost every onward journey starts by going back the way you came, at least for a while. Route 41 covers 90 km between the village and Route 40 by the tourism office's count, 95 km by the national park's, and Route 40 is the main artery serving the park from either direction.^8,9,10 Where you go from that junction decides the rest of your trip. Whichever way you turn, the first hour is the same view of the steppe and Lake Viedma, a fine farewell to the mountains.

Most people head south, for the glacier, the airport or Chile. The trip from El Chalten to Perito Moreno passes El Calafate, the hub for the southern half of the park, and from there routes continue across the border to Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine.¹¹ A smaller number turn north on the same trunk road toward the lakes of central Patagonia and, much further on, Bariloche.⁶ Each direction has its own season, so the month of your trip narrows the choice before anything else does.

The third way is the most adventurous: a summer crossing on foot or by bike from Lago del Desierto into Chile, then a boat across Lake O'Higgins. Each of these routes is laid out below, with the official distances and seasons we could confirm, and the onward panel of the map shows the main points. Open it on your phone before you leave the village, while you still have a good signal. Where an official source gives no figure, we say so rather than guess.

Chile's Torres del Paine National Park lies in the Magallanes region, in the province of Última Esperanza.²³ It is a different country with its own currency, park rules and border checks, so plan this leg as carefully as a flight. The park authority, CONAF, points visitors to its own pages and to the Pases Parques ticket site as the only official sources of information.²⁴ From Puerto Natales, Route Y-290, known as the Lago Porteño road, runs 80 km into the park.¹³ Plan your park ticket and transport before you cross, since the Chilean park sets its own rules and prices.

Buses link Argentina and Chile. The national park on the Argentine side notes that both the El Calafate and El Chaltén terminals receive services from southern Chile, naming Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.³ If you need a bus from Puerto Natales to El Chalten, check at the terminal which company runs the route on your date, since services and days change with the season. One bookable coach between Puerto Natales and El Calafate is listed at 5 hours, from $64.

Once in Puerto Natales, regular buses run on into Torres del Paine. CONAF lists 4 companies leaving the town at 7:30 and 14:30, stopping at Laguna Amarga, Pudeto and the park administration.¹⁴ Anyone planning the whole trip into the Chilean park in one go should expect to change in El Calafate or Puerto Natales, and to spend a night along the way. Trying to do it all in one day leaves you arriving at the park after the buses have gone.

Route 40 is the trunk road of this part of Argentina, and Santa Cruz province holds its kilometre 0.^10,57 Heading north from El Chaltén, you return to Route 40 and pass Tres Lagos; the tourism office gives the junction as 35 km from Tres Lagos on Route 40 and then 90 km of Route 41 to the village, where the park counts 95 km.^8,9 Beyond that the road crosses some of the emptiest country in Patagonia, with long gaps between villages and fuel stops.

For long-distance travelers, the tourism office lists bus services from Bariloche to El Chaltén along Route 40, a journey of 1,392 km, with several departures a week from October to April.⁶ The same road carries traffic in the other direction, so north-bound riders should ask at the El Chaltén terminal which days the service runs during their stay. Outside those months, plan on flying north from El Calafate instead.

Travelers searching for a bus from El Chalten to El Bolson should do the same: ask the companies at the terminal whether a north-bound service stops there, and on which days. We found no official timetable to quote, so we will not invent one. Whatever the route, carry food and water on these long legs, because services along the road are spread thin. Download offline maps before you leave the village, since phone signal fades fast on the steppe.

The classic loop runs El Calafate, El Chaltén, El Calafate, Puerto Natales. Arrive by air, visit the ice, head north to hike, come back south and finish across the border at Torres del Paine. Every leg uses daily or regular buses, and the loop needs no car, though the El Chalten to Torres del Paine bus journey always involves a change.^12,3 Reserve every coach leg early once the plan is set, because summer departures can sell out. Keep the bus tickets on paper as well as on your phone for the border.

If time is short, El Calafate also sells Torres del Paine as a day trip. One listing runs 16 hours, with about 7 hours on the road out and 8 back, from $207. Another stops at Cancha Carrera, Cerro Castillo, the Grey Glacier and the park itself. They are long days, but they save a night of moving bags if Chile is a side trip rather than a destination. Bring your passport even on a day tour, because the coach crosses the border twice.

In winter, leave margins. Snowstorms can cut the roads around El Chaltén, and the tourism office advises building slack into any arrival or departure.⁵⁴ Make sure you hold a return or onward ticket before you arrive, as the tourism office also advises.⁵¹ A spare day at the end of the trip costs little and protects a flight. Use it for a lake cruise or a last walk if the road stays open.