(all-new updated guide for 2024)

There are various elopement locations to choose from for your special celebration, but a destination that is absolutely filled with wonder, adventure, and magic is Patagonia. Patagonia is off the tip of Southern America and is split between Argentina and Chile. Some well known lands are the Andes Mountains and Fitz Roy Mountain. Filled with scenery that looks like they came right out of fairy tales. Landscapes that range from the greenest fields, the bluest lakes, snow capped mountains, glaciers, grand mountain tops, dry deserts, and more. Not to mention the natural wildlife in the area. A plethora of the cutest llamas! Here’s your epic guide of how to elope in Patagonia…

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How to Get to Patagonia

Patagonia is split between Argentina and Chile, so you can choose between arriving at the Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina or the Punta Arenas Airport in Chile. A rental car would be needed to travel across the great lands of Patagonia. The drive would be 3-5 hours, which is really dependent on where your destination is within Patagonia. Wherever you drive to know that you’ll see incredible sights along the way. 

Marriage Licenses

It’s recommended that you get your legal marriage licenses in your home country and do a symbolic ceremony in Patagonia to make the process more simple, however it is possible to get your marriage license in Chile or Argentina. Just know that you should arrive beforehand to complete the marriage license process and it can get complicated if you do not have all the necessary paperwork and requirements. You can check out how to get a marriage license in Chile here and a marriage license in Argentina here. In the end, remember that your elopement should be a special experience to celebrate the love and union of your marriage, not all the stress of the legalities. 

Weather in Patagonia

The weather is extremely unpredictable and windy in all of Patagonia, which can make for a fruitful adventure for people that love the unexpected. While the summers in Patagonia are from December to March, the weather can still be pretty chilly and incredibly windy. You want to make sure that you are packing versatile clothing to adapt to the agile weather. The best times to have an elopement is from March to May to beat the crowds. If the weather really concerns you, then the best times to elope according to the weather is from November to March, but it’s definitely more crowded and more expensive. 

Where to Elope in Patagonia

Parque Patagonia

Parque Patagonia is a private nature reserve operated as a public-access park that spans across both Chile and Argentina. The heart of the park is Chacabuco Valley, an east-west valley that forms a pass over the Andes Mountains. An adventure at Parque Patagonia seems surreal and straight out of a movie. There are options to go through trails of forest and alpine lakes on the Chile side and multi-day hikes to explore the Argentina side. You can stay in places like Refugios, which are essentially free shelters! Parque Patagonia is so vast and not as popular, so you have the ability to have your own private adventure free of crowds. 

El Chaltén

El Chaltén is a small village in Argentina that is fully surrounded by the most majestic mountains like Cerro Torre and the Fitz Roy. This is a great little village to stay at a local AirBnB while having access to several hikes and mountain landscapes for your elopement photos. The perfect little village for the most adventurous couple, especially for avid mountain climbers. 

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine is Chile’s most famous national park and for a good reason! This national park feels like you are being transported into a whole new world. Your breath will be taken away with the most glorious mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers. Words can not describe how absolute stunning and beautiful this national park is. There are so many adventurous hikes, like the W-Trek and O-Trek hikes. A couple will get the most unique and memorable experience here, but also an adventure of a lifetime. 

At this national park, you can go to Condor Lookout. It’s a viewpoint located close to Pehoe Lake in front of the Pehoe Camping.  This is a steep 1.4 miles roundtrip hike where you can take in the incredible view of the Paine Massif and Pehoe lake. You can also view the majestic Andean condor. It’s a landscape of turquoise lakes and jagged mountain tops. 

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

In the Santa Cruz providence of Argentina, the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares features wondrous glaciers. You can see Perito Moreno here, which is a 240 ft tall glacier. If mountain top views isn’t the elopement adventure you want, then Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is a great destination to be. There are many glaciers that are accessible and not crowded, so you can get the intimate elopement experience. 

Queulat Glacier

If you’re an avid hiker and really want to challenge yourself to a hiking adventure, then Queulat Glacier is the place for you. The Queulat Glacier is in Chile at the Queulat National Park. The hike is a 2.5 hours hike through the dense forest navigating through several rivers to get to the most grand glacier and waterfall view. You’re most likely to have a private elopement experience and an adventure to remember forever. 

Puyuhuapi’s Bay

Puyuhuapi’s Bay is located in a small village in the southern part of Chile and it is reminiscent of a place like Alaska! Here you’ll find thick and dense green forest with the clearest grand lakes. It’s the perfect destination to stay in a bed and breakfast and wake up to the mystical fog of the small village. If you want a more relaxing and low-key elopement experience, then Puyuhuapi’s Bay offers the most gorgeous views for your elopement while offering relaxing experiences, like hot springs in the village. 

Puerto Rio Tranquilo

Puerto Río Tranquilo is a perfect destination if you want to visit both Argentina and Chile during your adventure in Patagonia! It’s a little village in Chile that is right by Argentina as well. This is where you’ll get the view of the most ginormous and bluest lake with the mountain landscape in the background. You’ll be able to go on several boat tours and cave explorations. It’s an elopement destination if being near water is your calling in nature. 

Where to Stay

There are several types of accommodations in Patagonia depending on where you want to explore. Anywhere from luxury hotels, bed and breakfasts, camping, or refugios. Refugios are essentially free shelters that you can book for your adventure throughout Patagonia. Note that they don’t offer too much more than shelter and maybe some food, but these are places where you are able to rest and continue on throughout your hike. 

Activities

Patagonia is full of adventure at every corner and it’s up to you on which activities you want to partake in at this destination. If you can imagine it, then you can probably do it in Patagonia. You can literally plan weeks of adventure with hiking, multi-days treks, camping, fishing, mountain climbing, boating, cave exploration, biking, touring, observing wildlife, hot springs, stargazing, and so much more. 

Patagonia has a variety of destinations that offers the adventurous couple an elopement of their dreams. An elopement is a special celebration that explores the union and love of a couple, but having an elopement in Patagonia makes it even more unique, wild, and memorable. It becomes an experience that bonds the couple even more and there is no way to celebrate love than to celebrate it through the wonders of the beautiful landscapes of Patagonia. 

For all-encompassing international elopement packages, click HERE