Advice about Patagonia trip

I wish I could be more help, since I am going the same time.

My early research is that for Torres del Paine you need to book the Refugios with meals (extra) 12 months in advance. So you can pick your hiking itinerary then book the lodging that supports it. You won’t have to drag your belongings down the trail like primitive backpacking. Apparently tour services help with transport. That’s all I know, would go to trip advisor for questions.

Thanks Toby. I'm also seeing that a trip to Patagonia requires a lot of advance planning, probably the most difficult trip I've planned.

Hi there,

This one has a lot of hiking and I would not say it is luxury. It’s just Patagonia is a very expensive destination.

https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ca/argentina/classic-hikes-patagonia-160212

We did this one in Patagonia; I'd recommend it. No frills, but decent. Lots of hiking!
https://www.gadventures.com/trips/torres-del-paine-w-trek/SCWT/
We visited Los Glacieres, but only did a few short walks; I'm sure G Adventures has something there if you check their website. Absolutely stunning hiking - well, the whole country is beautiful.

Dan,

we went to Patagonia a few years and planned our entire trip. We did not do the full W or O hikes but hiked in Torres del Paine on several days using a hotel just outside of the park as our home base. The hotel was very nice but pricey and required long drives into the park to get to the trailheads. The hiking is spectacular. Plan on going to see the penguins at Magdalena y Marta island if you are Chile in January. They are probably on the island in December and into February but you would want to check that out.

This might not be an exact match to what you're looking for, but I'm also planning a Patagonia trip and the website "Worldly Adventurer" has been super helpful. She's an avid hiker who lived in Chile when she wrote the Moon guidebooks, so it's way more detailed than most travel blogs. She also offers a travel planning service.

We used a tour company based in Buenos Aires call Say Hueque for my extended family of 9. We did not want the preplanned tour so we told them what we wanted. They planned accordingly. We felt they listened well, however they have their opinions which actually were good ones. I would give them a try and tell them exactly what you want them to do. We spent 3 weeks in SA. We started in Buenos Aires, then to Iguazu Falls, then to El Chalten, Perito Moreno, Ushuaia, Australis cruise through the Beagle channel for three nights and then Torres del Paine. We did not have any logistical problems.

They were great for our group.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Dan,
We took an Australis cruise out of Punta Arenas and were really happy with it. It was 4 days and was a wonderful experience, science-oriented and with good food, comfortable cabins and very knowledgeable staff and crew. I highly recommend their cruises.