House Sitting Argentina: Traveling Patagonia on a Budget
Introduction
Right now I am spending a season living in western Argentina. I knew that while here, I would at some point visit the famed hiking mecca: Patagonia. A quick Google search to plan an itinerary left me with a shock at the projected costs. I could potentially afford a week exploring the region very modestly. I decided to get creative and figure out if I could travel Patagonia on a budget and for longer. The answer was securing a house sitting gig at the southern tip of Argentina, giving me two weeks of free accommodation!
Martillo Island, Ushuaia
Estancia Bonanza
Laguna Torre, el Chaltén
Glaciar Vinciguerra, Ushuaia
Fitz Roy trail, el Chaltén
Laguna Esmeralda, Ushuaia
So, what are some ways to lower your Patagonia travel costs? There are multiple ‘hacks‘ if you are prepared to get creative. My favourite is house sitting. In this post I will share my experience house sitting in Argentina to save money and how you can do the same.
Why has the Patagonia travel costs increased so much?
Patagonia travel costs have increased drastically in the past few years and even more in recent months. It is well known that Argentina in particular has suffered massively in recent years from inflation driving up the costs of food, accommodation, and, well, everything else for locals and tourists alike.
Just a few months ago, on November 4th, 2024, new national park fees were announced by the Argentine government and were put into effect. Previously free trails now cost 45,000 AR pesos for a single-day entry. Los Glaciares (Perito Moreno glacier and most El Chaltén trails), Tierra del Fuego National Park in Ushuaia, and Iguazu Falls are among the parks affected. See the rest of the affected trails here on the official Argentinian government website to help evaluate your new Patagonia travel costs.
Chilean park fees are still inexpensive, as is the accommodation. Otherwise, the prices in both countries are comparable and almost equally expensive. According to Quasar Expeditions, the average Patagonia trip cost is estimated at 150 USD per day (2,100 USD per day). And that’s for budget travellers and backpackers – not including flights.
Ways to Travel Patagonia on a Budget
1. Travel in the shoulder season
The peak season for visiting Patagonia is during austral summer, which is from November until March. The ‘shoulder’ months are then October and April, which see both fewer tourists and lower prices for accommodation, food and travel costs. Two equally compelling reasons to plan your visit around that time in my books.
I recommend planning your trip in April for better hiking weather and to catch the incredible colour changes into autumn. In October and even November, it is possible some of the trails will be closed due to snowfall.
2. Camping in national parks
If you can consider camping within one of the national parks, you only have to pay entry on day 1, which is a great way to save on costs! This means that budget backpacking South America is totally possible. Consider the 3-day Huemul Circuit in Argentina, the O-trek (8 days) or W-trek (4 days) in Chile, or camping in Tierra del Fuego or Los Glaciares national parks to save huge amounts on both ticket and accommodation prices.
It would be remiss not to add that if you simply arrive before 7:30am or after 5:30pm, you can avoid paying the entry fee at all. It was recommended to me again and again by locals as I travelled through. I am of the opinion that you should pay what you can afford. So paying one day and skipping the next is something I would consider.
3. Multiday passes for national parks
If you are not camping, there are multi-day, annual and flexi passes available in Argentina for entry to the national parks that can help make your trip cheaper. There are 3-day, 7-day and even annual passes available from the official Argentine government website.
Tip: There are multiple ranger huts along park entrances where entrance tickets can be bought or checked, such as Los Glaciares National Park in El Chaltén and Tierra del Fuego National Park in Ushuaia. It is well known that these are manned from 7am until 5pm, so if you arrive 30 minutes before or after this time, you will likely not have to pay the park entrance fees.
4. Bring cash with you
The fees for withdrawing cash from ATMs in Patagonia are absolutely shocking. In Argentina, we are talking about being able to withdraw a maximum of 60,000 ARS (about 56 USD) per transaction and being charged a 10 USD fee. Save a tonne by bringing your local currency with you and exchanging it at a Western Union in Chile or Argentina. Notes that are marked or torn will be exchanged for less.
If you do need to make a withdrawal, use the ATM Fee Saver app to find the ATMs with the lowest fees on your travels.
5. Public transport and hitchhiking
Long-haul buses getting between cities in Patagonia are super expensive. For example, the cheapest bus I could find from El Chaltén to Bariloche is around 180 USD.
I travelled Patagonia as a solo female and often hitchhiked to get around. I got to and from my hikes this way and felt safe. Of course, always be safe and use common sense. Hitch Wiki is my go-to guide on hitchhiking best practices in case it’s new to you.
I will always advocate getting a local bus pass if you are travelling for multiple weeks in one country. In Argentina, you buy bus passes from any small shop or kiosk that has a ‘SUBE’ sign. Here you can purchase and top up your SUBE card. A bus ride is 800 pesos (less than 1 dollar) to get around in Ushuaia. I use the Moovit app to plan my journeys.
5. House sitting
The huge hack that made all the difference on my recent Patagonia trip!
Now I will focus this post on how to make a huge cost savings with your accommodation as you travel Patagonia on a budget and significantly decrease your Patagonia travel cost. Here is how I used housesitting to extend my 2025 Patagonia trip to three weeks long.
What is house sitting?
House sitting is taking care of someone’s home while they leave on a trip. It is an exchange of free house care for homeowners and free accommodation for house sitters – a win win.
Pet sitting involves the added responsibility of taking care of someone’s pet in their home so they do not have to place their pet in a kennel or cause a disruption to their lives. House sits can involve pets, but there are also house sits available that do not involve any animal care.
What are the typical responsibilities of a house sitter?
This varies from house sit to house sit and depends on the country as well. Some house sits are low in responsibility; for example, a house with an outdoor cat who is fed twice per day is a low level of work compared to a home with four indoor dogs who may need medication with their food.
Typically, a house sit involves watering plants, keeping the home clean, and taking care of any maintenance issues that may come up. If it is also a pet sit, you are responsible for feeding, walking, washing and the general well-being of the animals in your care. In this case of wanting to travel, I would advise prioritising a house sit with no animals involved.
Who is house sitting suited for, and who is not?
House sitting is probably not for you if you want to spend a night away from the house sit. Instead, book overnight trips before or after your sit. If you want to party and make a tonne of new friends, then house sitting is likely not the move for you either.
On the contrary, it is very well suited to folks who plan on working online during their travels. It is also great for couples and small families to have their own private space with all the home comforts to base themselves from.
My experience house sitting in Argentina
I scored an incredible house sitting gig in Argentina for a family who own a guesthouse in Ushuaia, a small city at the southernmost tip of Argentina. There were no pets involved and no guests. I had the entire bed and breakfast all to myself for two weeks!
For me, wanting to travel and hike and see the city and go on day-long tours, it was a perfect it. In exchange, I watered the indoor and outdoor plants, checked all the guest rooms every few days, flushed the toilets and ran the taps so the pipes would not freeze, and took care of any maintenance tasks that came up. I spent about 1 hour every other day.
In exchange, I got to explore Ushuaia well and slowly. Hiking Glaciar Martial, Glaciar Vinciguerra, and Laguna Esmeralda. Walking with penguins on Martillo Island and exploring Tierra del Fuego National Park. I also got to know the city, went on long cycles with a bike I was allowed to borrow from the family, and dipped in the ice-cold sea. I got to relax in a gorgeous bed and breakfast, practising yoga and reading books.
How to get started with house sitting
The best app by far for house sitting in Argentina, or anywhere, is Trusted House Sitters. If you are interested in the breakdown between different platforms, I have covered it all in my free house sitting guide – sign up here to get it right to your inbox and decide for yourself.
The cost of the basic annual Trusted House Sitters membership is 129 USD, basically the same as one to two or three nights of accommodation in Patagonia. If you’d like 25% (32 USD) off, you can use this link, which in turn gives me two months of free membership!
Cost savings
I saved 1,652 USD house sitting in Argentina if I had otherwise stayed at the bed and breakfast I house sat. Realistically, without the house sit, I would not have been staying there in the first place. Comparably, hostels in Ushuaia cost an average of 30 USD per night, which would have been 420 USD for two weeks.
Since I was there alone, they were kind enough to give me the very nicest room, which would have been way outside my budget.
Useful links
- Trusted House Sitters app
- Coupon link for 25% off Trusted House Sitter membership
- Argentina’s new national park fees guide
- My house-sitting guide
Check out my other blogs by topic: the House Sitting Diaries or the Travel Diaries!
