Patagonia by Bus: Wind, Glaciers, and Very Long Roads
Overland travel through southern Chile and Argentina, one uncomfortable seat at a time.
Patagonia looks close on a map and feels infinite on a bus. I crossed from Puerto Natales to El Calafate on a route that seemed designed to test optimism.
The payoff was immediate. Perito Moreno Glacier cracks and roars like a living thing. I stood on the viewing platforms for an hour, watching ice the size of apartment buildings calve into turquoise water.
Travel here is not luxurious, but it is honest. You share mate with strangers, compare layer counts like a competitive sport, and learn that wind can cancel plans faster than any airline.
If you go, pack patience the way you pack a rain jacket: assume you will need it every day.