6 Tips for a Family Vacation in Patagonia, Argentina With Kids

Patagonia is a top travel destination for family who wants natural beauty, rugged and diverse landscapes, and adventure. Patagonia is located in the southern part of South America, and it covers Chile and Argentina. A ton of information about how to plan the perfect family vacation in Patagonia with kids. In this article, you will find info about visiting Argentina.

Trips to Patagonia allow travelers the opportunity to experience the Andes, grasslands, lakes, and deserts.

While Patagonia is often known as a place for people who love adventure and quite literally living on the edge, what if you want to travel there with kids?

There are places within this large region that work well for family travel, and the following are things to know and tips to plan a trip with your kids to Patagonia.

Family Vacation in Patagonia With Kids

The Best Parts for Kids

There are certain parts of Patagonia that are better for kids than others. First, you may want to fly to Buenos Aires, which is Argentina’s capital. There are a lot of modern conveniences, museums, and shopping that are good if you’re traveling with kids.

Four oceans border Patagonia, and the Atlantic Coast side is good for kids. There are beaches and wildlife on this side. For waterfalls and more wildlife, there’s Iguazu.

Penguins, elephant seals, and whales all call Peninsula Valdes home. Mendoza is a part of Patagonia known for skiing and rafting too.

Argentina is a kid-friendly place to travel in general, and there are welcoming attitudes as far as bringing your kids everywhere you go.

Base Your Trip on Your Kids’ Ages

Where you go and what you do during a Patagonia trip is going to vary, depending on the ages of your children. If you want to be more adventurous while you’re there, your kids should probably be older.

For younger kids, what a lot of parents will do is recent a ranch or home and then go on day trips from there. You may end up hiring a nanny to watch the kids if they can’t go on your adventures with you during the day.

If your kids are young, the Lake District might be the best area to stay. The further south you get, the more remote it is and the more rugged the terrain. It’s also just tougher to even reach the places further south in Patagonia.

Work with a Tour Company

A good way to make sure you choose activities that are age-appropriate while maximizing the time you have in Patagonia is to go with a tour operator.

Tour guides understand transportation logistics and can help you plan a trip that’s going to be great for everyone in your family. A tour company will also have access to local resources, along with helping you on things like itineraries and accommodations.

Medicine

What some people say is a benefit of traveling to Patagonia as opposed to places like the Amazon is that there aren’t diseases spread by mosquitos or a lot of dangerous things that can bite kids.

However, there is a high likelihood you’ll be spending time in remote areas, and you should take a medical kit.

A lot of parents will bring antibiotics from home just in cases. There is some medical care, and there are small clinics, but it’s usually best, especially with kids, to be prepared.

Accommodations

If you have young kids, aside from the option of renting a ranch, something else you can do is stay at a high-end hotel.

It will be more expensive, but many will have people who work at the hotel who can help you decide what’s best for your kids. They may be able to organize certain activities or babysitters, and they might have children’s amenities onsite as well.

Some hotels will have communal places geared toward kids, and that can go a long way to keep your kids happy when they’re traveling.

Activities

Along with the areas of Patagonia named above that work well if you have kids, some activities are kid-friendly and should be considered.

One is visiting the Cave of the Milodon, and another is taking a bike tour in PuertoNatales. You can also go to the Bonanza Equestrian Fields, which is the start of the Franciscans Route. Puentas Arenas is a place where you can take boat tours and see the penguins, and there’s a boat trip from Balmaceda and the Serrano glaciers.

Boat trips are good because they let you see a lot, but your kids won’t have to put in a lot of physical effort. You can take a boat trip to Gray Glacier too, which is one of the most awe-inspiring places in Patagonia.

Do you have any other recommendations for planning a family vacation in Patagonia?