{"id":202416,"date":"2024-12-02T10:24:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T10:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/?p=202416"},"modified":"2024-12-02T10:32:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T10:32:55","slug":"a-solo-female-travellers-guide-to-patagonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/a-solo-female-travellers-guide-to-patagonia\/","title":{"rendered":"A solo female traveller\u2019s guide to Patagonia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Patagonia is somewhere that\u2019s synonymous with adventure. It\u2019s about rugged landscapes, snowy mountains, and a great untamed wilderness. It\u2019s why we love it. But one question we often get asked at Swoop is how safe is Patagonia for a solo female traveller? Well, as just that \u2013 a solo female who has spent over 18 months exploring both Chile and Argentina \u2013 I wanted to answer that question for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Female and solo in Patagonia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I first travelled to South America back in 2015 when I was in my early twenties and spent six months living in Chile as part of my university course. Of course, I would notice a few small annoyances that you find the world over \u2013 things like the occasional crude comment that\u2019s somehow meant to be flirtatious (in Spanish, these are known as piropos<\/em>), or just being looked at a bit for slightly too long. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCarys in Torres del Paine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
But that was almost a decade ago now, and I\u2019ve found that in that time the culture seems to have shifted. Argentina still carries some of that \u2018machismo\u2019 vibe, perhaps because the cowboy culture of the gaucho still represents part of the national psyche, but it\u2019s something that I experience less and less. Chatting with female Swoop colleagues who grew up or live in Patagonia today, there\u2019s a definite sense that things have improved for solo women travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve travelled somewhere like Central America, it\u2019s quite a contrast, where comments from \u2018admiring\u2019 men happen a lot more frequently. For a time I wondered if it was to do with the weather: Patagonia tends to be more of a place where you dress in hiking boots, a fleece and a coat \u2013 less flattering look perhaps than when you\u2019re on a tropical beach. But the rule even seems to hold in somewhere hot like Buenos Aires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course there are still moments where people might ask about your relationship status (often when you\u2019re with a guide), but honestly, it tends to be more out of curiosity than anything else. For the most part, whether I\u2019m male or female doesn\u2019t seem to matter when I\u2019m travelling here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHiking in Chile’s Atacama Desert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Patagonia in particular, is a place where travellers as a whole can feel incredibly safe. I\u2019m on my second stint spending six months here working for Swoop as a digital nomad. Recently I\u2019ve been based in Puerto Natales, the gateway town for Torres del Paine. It\u2019s a traveller\u2019s hub but the locals here are friendly and laid-back, and crime just isn\u2019t a big concern. In fact, it\u2019s the kind of place where people often leave their doors unlocked at night, where you can place your phone on a table in a cafe and not worry about it being grabbed. It\u2019s such a contrast to bigger cities like Santiago or Buenos Aires, where you\u2019re more conscious of your belongings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big cities and public transport<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of the capital cities, I definitely noticed the difference between these urban centres and the more tranquil atmosphere of Patagonia. Of course, in larger cities, you have to be more vigilant, just as you would be if you were in New York, London or Bangkok. But again, this doesn\u2019t feel particularly gender-specific. As a solo traveller, you\u2019re advised to be aware of your surroundings no matter your gender, and not be flashing your phone or other valuables when you\u2019re out on the street. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPicking up ice at Laguna Torre near El Chalt\u00e9n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Travelling around, ride-hailing apps like Uber are fully established in Chile and Argentina, which tends to add an extra layer of security since the taxi is tracked and you always know where you\u2019re going. I tend to recommend this over hailing a taxi in the street where possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For longer distance travelling, one of the things I absolutely love about Patagonia in general is that it\u2019s really easy and hassle-free to get around. The long-distance buses are really comfortable, clean and well-organised, and can often be booked online. Whether you’re travelling solo or with others, the experience is pretty smooth. I\u2019ve done both sleeper and non-sleeper buses here, and I\u2019ve never felt unsafe. Theft or harassment has never been an issue for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A changing landscape for female travellers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One unexpected thing I\u2019ve noticed in Patagonia is a level of chivalry that\u2019s still alive and well. Men commonly hold doors open and give up their seats on the bus for women, and I\u2019m regularly addressed as \u2018senorita\u2019 in a polite, almost formal, way. At home in the UK it would be a genuine surprise to have someone say \u2018Good morning, miss,\u2019 but here it\u2019s a norm. I\u2019ve come to appreciate it!<\/p>\n\n\n\nViewpoint on the Loma del Pliegue hike in Los Glaciares National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The idea of being a solo female traveller can still carry some stereotypes in certain places, but Patagonia is showing that there\u2019s no reason for women to wait for a companion to explore incredible destinations. In fact, in the past few years, I\u2019ve noticed a surge of women embarking on solo adventures\u2014whether it\u2019s trekking the W Trek in Torres del Paine or taking part in an Antarctic expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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