Overnight LATAM 533 in lie-flat business. Layover in EZE (Buenos Aires) — long enough to leave the airport for steak at Don Julio if you can clear customs and get back in 4 hours. Onward to PUQ Chile, arriving early evening. Transfer to Hotel Costa Australis on the Strait of Magellan. Light dinner, sleep.
Morning at Magellanic Penguin Reserve on Isla Magdalena (boat from Punta Arenas, 4 hrs round trip — only operates Dec-Mar). Afternoon drive 3 hrs north to Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine. Pre-trek gear check at Erratic Rock — they rent everything you need if you didn't pack a sleeping bag.
Booked: Penguin Reserve guided boat tour ($95/person, includes naturalist guide).
Early bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine NP. Catamaran across Lago Pehoé to Refugio Paine Grande. Afternoon hike to Mirador Grey for the glacier panorama (3 hrs round trip). Night at Paine Grande — proper bunks, hot food, hot shower.
The hardest day on paper, the most beautiful in execution. 6-7 hrs to the Italian Camp viewpoint and back. Granite walls on three sides, hanging glaciers calving into the valley. Lunch from a packed sandwich, water from the streams (it's drinkable, the rangers will tell you). Sleep at Refugio Cuernos.
The signature day. Hike Cuernos → Refugio Chileno (3 hrs), drop the pack, push to the Torres Base lookout (2 hrs steep, last 45 min is moraine scramble). The three granite towers above a glacial lake. Photos that look fake. Back down to Chileno for the night.
Booked through Vertice Patagonia: 3-night package across Refugio Paine Grande, Cuernos, Chileno (~$640/person, includes meals).
Last hike back to the trailhead, lunch in Puerto Natales (Afrigonia for South African+Patagonian fusion — yes, in Patagonia, yes it's good). Border crossing into Argentina ~3 hrs to El Calafate. Check in to Tierra Patagonia or Eolo if budget permits — these are the destination luxury lodges of Patagonia.
The only major glacier on Earth still advancing. 80m ice wall, calving constantly. Hike the catwalks for the panorama (free with park entry), then optional Big Ice trek across the glacier itself if you booked ahead. Late lunch at the park restaurant overlooking the glacier face — surprisingly good asado.
Booked: Big Ice trek with Hielo y Aventura ($210/person, 5 hrs on the ice, includes crampons + guide).
Drive 3 hrs north to El Chaltén, the trekking capital of Argentina. Half-day hike to Laguna Capri (3 hrs) for the classic Fitz Roy view. Late lunch in town at La Vinería. Sundown drive a bit further to Mirador de los Cóndores — exactly what it sounds like.
Sunrise photo session at Fitz Roy if the weather cooperates (it usually doesn't — Patagonia weather is its own thing). Back south to El Calafate via Tres Lagos. Afternoon at Glaciarium museum (better than it sounds) and a long Malbec-fueled steakhouse dinner at La Tablita.
Morning flight from El Calafate (FTE) to Buenos Aires (EZE), 6-hour layover (enough for a steak run in Puerto Madero). Overnight LATAM 532 EZE → JFK in lie-flat. Arrive home morning Feb 18.
Patagonia in February is peak season. Refugios book 3-6 months ahead.