Patagonia for Seniors: Our Expert Guide for Older Travellers
Yes, Patagonia is a wonderful destination for older travellers. Most of it sits close to sea level, so altitude isn’t a worry, and there are plenty of ways to see Torres del Paine, the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Fitz Roy range. Explore by boat, from viewpoints a short walk away or on full-day hikes, with a private guide setting the pace. The secret is choosing the right style of trip and the right places to stay, and leaving time to rest between the big days. Our tailor-made Patagonia holidays start from £4,185 per person.
Written by Scarlett, Travel Differently’s Patagonia specialist
Updated 19th October 2026
More and more of the guests we plan Patagonia for are in their fifties, sixties and seventies, and before they book, most of them ask us the same three questions. Am I fit enough? Is it too remote? And will I miss out if I don’t do the big hikes?
The honest answers are probably, less than you’d think, and no. Patagonia’s landscapes can be seen at very different levels of effort, so your trip is shaped around you rather than the other way round. Base yourself at a lodge for a few nights and decide how much the following day asks of you. I’ve been to Patagonia a number of times, and I’ve never tired of it! The main considerations to factor in are the distances to get to certain places and the weather at the time.
About Scarlett
Patagonia Specialist
Scarlett Bell is our Latin America sales and product expert, and the person our guests speak to when they’re dreaming of Patagonia. She lives and breathes Patagonia! She has explored both the Chilean and Argentine sides, from the trails beneath Fitz Roy in El Chaltén to the lakes and lodges of Torres del Paine, so she knows which walks, boat trips and places to stay suit every pace. Her favourite Patagonia moment? Enjoying a wine at Laguna Capri as the sun sets on Fitz Roy. More about Scarlett.
Is Patagonia suitable for seniors?
Patagonia has a reputation as a destination for hardcore hikers, and the famous multi-day treks certainly attract them. But the region is just as rewarding at a gentler pace. The scenery is so vast that some of the best views are from the road, the lodge terrace or the deck of a boat. In fact, the vast majority of our Travel Differently Patagonia guests are retirees.
What matters far more than age is how you travel. On a tailor-made holiday with us you’ll have your own guide and driver, so there are no group schedules to keep up with. If you wake up feeling tired, you can swap a long walk for a boat trip or a slow morning by the fire. We plan fewer hotel changes, with at least three nights in most places, so you’re not packing and unpacking every day.
How fit do you need to be?
| Level | What it means | Examples |
| Easy | Short walks on good paths, under two hours | The Perito Moreno Glacier walkways; the Salto Grande waterfall in Torres del Paine; penguin colonies near Punta Arenas |
| Moderate | Half-day walks with some climbs | Mirador de los Cóndores above El Chaltén; the walk to Laguna Capri for views of Fitz Roy |
| Challenging | Long, steep, full-day hikes | The Base of the Towers in Torres del Paine (around 20 km return); Laguna de los Tres beneath Fitz Roy |
No matter your age, walking poles make a real difference on Patagonia’s gravel paths, especially going downhill. We’d always suggest bringing a pair.
Scarlett’s tip: My favourite walk in El Chaltén is to Laguna Capri. It follows the start of the Laguna de los Tres trail, climbing steadily through lenga forest for about two hours, and when the cloud clears Fitz Roy stands right behind the water. You get the view the long hikes are famous for, and you’re back in the village in time for lunch. Take it at your own pace, in your own time and enjoy the views along the way.
Seeing the highlights without the big hikes
Torres del Paine
Much of the park’s best scenery can be seen from the road and from short paths. A good guide knows exactly where to stop for the views over the Cuernos and Lake Pehoe, and the short walk to the Salto Grande waterfall is easy and spectacular. A boat across Lago Grey takes you right up to the face of Grey Glacier. Ask Scarlett to check the boat runs the time of year you are visiting.
The Perito Moreno Glacier
This is one of the most accessible glaciers in the world. A network of walkways opposite the glacier front puts you almost level with the ice, with no climbing needed. Watching great slabs of ice crash into Lago Argentino is one of those moments our guests talk about for years. For an even closer look, add a boat trip along the glacier face.
A remote estancia by boat
Some of Patagonia’s most remote corners can be reached without any hiking at all. Estancia Cristina, for example, is reached by boat across Lago Argentino, and a 4×4 trip takes you up to a viewpoint over the Upsala Glacier. It’s a lovely way to feel the wilderness without the effort.
Pumas and penguins
Some of my all time travel highlights involve wildlife in Patagonia! Puma tracking in Torres del Paine combines time in the vehicle with short walks alongside expert trackers, so it suits most fitness levels. Further south, boat trips from Punta Arenas visit colonies of Magellanic penguins between October and March. Our Patagonia wilderness and wildlife holiday includes both.
A fjord cruise
If you’d love to see Patagonia’s glaciers and fjords in real comfort, a four-night expedition cruise between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia is hard to beat. You unpack once, eat well, and step ashore by small boat with the crew on hand to help.
Where to stay
After a windy day in the park, where you stay matters. We favour lodges and estancias where you can walk straight out of the door into the scenery, with good food, a warm fire and staff who know the area. In Torres del Paine, some lodges include guided excursions every day, with a choice of gentler and harder outings, so you can decide each morning how you feel. Tierra Patagonia is beautiful for those with higher budgets. Cerro Guido Estancia is our Travel Differently go-to choice and never disappoints, and Las Torres fits perfectly with most budgets.
Estancias, Patagonia’s traditional sheep farms, are a favourite with many of our guests. They’re comfortable rather than grand, and staying on a working farm, with sheepdog demonstrations and a traditional lamb asado, gives you a real feel for Patagonian life.
Guided, self-drive or cruise?
With a private guide. This is what we recommend for most older travellers. Your guide and driver handle everything, adapt each day to the weather and how you’re feeling, and know the best viewpoints and quietest paths.
Self-drive. Plenty of our guests in their sixties and seventies love a road trip. Patagonia’s roads are quiet and the scenery is extraordinary. We plan shorter driving days of three to four hours, with every night pre-booked and full route notes. Our Patagonia self-drive holiday is designed to be taken slowly.
A cruise. Best for those who want the scenery with the least effort, or as a relaxing end to a land-based trip.
When is the best time to go?
For older travellers, we usually suggest November or March. You’ll have long days and mild weather, with fewer people than in the peak months of December to February. March and April bring golden autumn colours, which many of our team think is Patagonia at its most beautiful. Read more in our blog: Can you visit Patagonia in the autumn?
Whenever you go, expect wind and changeable weather within the hour. Patagonia’s wind is famous, and it can be strong enough to make walking hard work on exposed paths especially from November to January. Your guide will plan around it but pack layers, a windproof jacket and a hat that ties on.
Practical tips for older travellers
- Break up the journey. There are no direct flights from the UK to Patagonia. You’ll fly to Santiago or Buenos Aires around 14 hours and then on to Patagonia. We often suggest a night or two in Santiago or Buenos Aires on the way, to rest before heading south.
- Don’t rush it. Patagonia is huge, and even after more than a decade of selling it, we are still getting under its skin. Give yourself more time than you think you need, so the long transfers between regions don’t eat into your days and you have room to wait out the weather.
- Pack layers. The weather can change several times in an hour let alone a day. Thermal base layers, a fleece, and a waterproof and windproof jacket will cover most situations.
- Declare any medical conditions. Some lodges are a long drive from the nearest hospital, so bring enough of any regular medication, plus copies of your prescriptions. Let us know anything you need to make you feel more comfortable whilst you are away.
- Allow rest days. Build in a day with nothing planned every few days. A slow morning at a beautiful lodge is part of the holiday, not time wasted.
Our favourite Patagonia holidays for older travellers
Patagonia Highlights Holiday, 16 days from £4,185 pp. The classic route through Torres del Paine and Argentina’s glaciers, at a comfortable pace.
Luxury Patagonia holiday, 15 days from £10,930 pp. Fewer hotel changes, exceptional lodges and expert guiding throughout.
Patagonia wilderness and wildlife Holiday, 18 days from £7,616 pp. For wildlife lovers, with puma tracking and remote landscapes.
Patagonia self-drive holiday, 24 days from £5,589 pp. For confident drivers who like to set their own pace, with short driving days and plenty of time in each place.
Patagonia for seniors: frequently asked questions
No. Unlike the Andes further north, most of Patagonia is close to sea level. El Calafate and Puerto Natales are both low-lying towns, and the main viewpoints in Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares are well below the heights where altitude becomes a concern.
Yes. You can see Torres del Paine from its roads and short paths, stand opposite the Perito Moreno Glacier on its walkways, take boats to glaciers and certain estancias, and cruise the fjords. A private guide will plan each day around what you’d enjoy.
We’d suggest at least 14 to 16 days, so you can stay three nights or more in each place and enjoy a rest day or two. Patagonia rewards slow travel: in true Travel Differently style, travel for longer, travel slower.
Summer days are usually mild, but the wind can make it feel cooler, especially on exposed paths. With the right layers and a guide who plans around the weather, it’s rarely a problem.
Summary
Patagonia isn’t only for long-distance hikers. With a private or shared guide, comfortable lodges and a sensible pace, it’s one of the most rewarding places you can visit, at any age. For me, Patagonia is one of the few places that still feels truly remote, and it’s on the short list of places I’d go back to in a heartbeat. The regret I hear most from guests isn’t that they went, it’s that they didn’t stay longer.
Speak to Scarlett and our Patagonia experts about a tailor-made Patagonia holiday at your own pace.
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