Christmas & New Year in Patagonia for Families: A Luxury Holiday Guide
Marlene Azeez
Director of Travel
The best way to spend Christmas or New Year in Patagonia with children is an 8 to 10 night, lodge-based trip on one side of the border, arriving around December 20 or December 27. It is high summer: daylight runs past 10 PM, every lodge in this guide is open and every excursion is running. It is also the most sought-after fortnight of the Patagonian year, so a holiday trip is won or lost in the booking, not on the trail.
This is the holiday chapter of our Patagonia family series. For the full day-by-day trip, read Patagonia with Kids: A Luxury Family Itinerary. For how every school break compares, see Best Time to Visit Patagonia with Kids. Here we focus on what changes when your dates fall between December 20 and January 6: which week to choose, how Chile and Argentina celebrate, which lodges suit your children’s ages, and how to book before the rooms that fit a family are gone.
Over the holidays, Patagonia rewards the family that books early and does one side of the border well.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Christmas and New Year in Patagonia at a Glance
When: Christmas week (roughly December 20 to 28) or New Year week (roughly December 27 to January 5). Both fall in peak austral summer.
How long: 8 to 10 nights, including a rest night in Santiago or Buenos Aires on the way in.
Where: Chile (Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine) or Argentina (El Calafate and Los Glaciares). Choose one unless you have 12 nights or more.
Who stays where: Explora Patagonia and The Singular Patagonia for younger children, Tierra Patagonia from age 10, and Awasi Patagonia from age 14.
When to book: 8 to 12 months ahead is ideal. For this December, start now and be ready to flex on the week, the lodge or the side of the border.
TIMING
Christmas Week or New Year Week?
Most families have a two-week winter break and spend one of those weeks in Patagonia. Both weeks work well, but they feel different, and the choice shapes everything from flights to dinner plans.
Christmas Week: About December 20 to 28
Leaving around the 20th means Christmas Eve and Christmas Day happen at the lodge, and you are home in time for New Year. It suits families who want the holiday itself to be the trip, and parents who would rather swap a crowded house for a glacier view. Ask each lodge in advance what it plans for December 24 and 25. Festive dinners and programs vary by property and are set each season, so we confirm them before you commit.
New Year Week: About December 27 to January 5
Spending Christmas at home and flying south on the 26th or 27th lets you have the holiday with grandparents and then the longest days of the year in Patagonia, with New Year’s Eve at the lodge. This week sits at the very heart of the high season. Holiday minimum stays and early booking deadlines are most likely to apply here, so it is the week to plan first.
The Full Fortnight
If your break allows two full weeks, Patagonia can take both sides: one week in Chile around Torres del Paine and one in Argentina around El Calafate, with a rest night in between. This is the one holiday plan where crossing the border makes sense with younger children, because there is time to recover from the long transfer between the two regions.
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
How Chile and Argentina Celebrate the Holidays
In both countries the main celebration is on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, rather than Christmas Day. Families gather for a late dinner, often outdoors in the summer warmth, and raise a toast at midnight. Christmas Day itself is quieter. New Year’s Eve follows the same rhythm, with a late dinner, a midnight toast and fireworks in the cities. In Patagonia, lamb roasted slowly over an open fire is the dish of the region, and it often finds its way onto holiday tables.
For children, this means two things. Dinner on the 24th and the 31st will run late, so plan a quiet afternoon on both days. And a holiday at a remote lodge is about the place rather than a party: a festive dinner, a long walk in the evening light and a morning on the water. Families who want a big-city New Year can end the trip with a night in Santiago or Buenos Aires instead.
Pack light for presents, too. Regional flights and lodge transfers reward small bags, so many families give one small gift on the trip and save the rest for home.
WEATHER & DAYLIGHT
What Late December Feels Like
Late December is the start of high summer. Days typically sit between about 10°C and 20°C (50°F to 68°F), the light lasts until after 10 PM, and the wind is the constant companion. Strong gusts are possible in any month, rain and sun can arrive in the same hour, and evenings at the lodge are cool enough for a fire. Windproof shells, warm layers, hats and gloves for the children matter far more than anything formal.
The long light is the family advantage. A late-afternoon outing, after lunch and a rest at the lodge, often becomes the best part of the day for younger children, and you will rarely be racing the dark. On New Year’s Eve, the sky can still hold some light late into the evening.
BY AGE
Which Lodge Fits Your Family Over the Holidays
Over Christmas and New Year, the right lodge is decided first by your youngest child’s age and then by what can still be confirmed for your dates. The four properties we name across our Patagonia guides each publish their own policies, and we reconfirm every one directly before booking.
Under 10
On the Chilean side, Explora Patagonia and The Singular Patagonia are the options among the lodges we name. Explora offers a children’s benefit at many of its lodges; ask early whether it applies on your holiday dates, because festive weeks are where exceptions happen. On the Argentine side, we also work with a boat-access estancia on Lago Argentino that welcomes children of all ages and states that it operates through Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Riding and longer treks there carry their own age limits.
Ages 10 to 13
From 10, Tierra Patagonia becomes an option, since its published minimum age is 10. It is all-inclusive, sits beside Torres del Paine and is about an hour by transfer from Puerto Natales airport, which makes it an easy holiday base. From 12, some glacier-side lodges near El Calafate open up as well.
Teenagers, 14 and Up
From 14, Awasi Patagonia is available: 14 villas just outside Torres del Paine, each with its own private guide and 4×4, so Christmas Day can be planned around your family rather than a group schedule. For teenagers who want bigger days, it is the most flexible holiday stay in the region.
ITINERARY
A 9-Night New Year Itinerary with Kids (Chile)
An indicative shape for a family flying south on December 27. Every day is adjusted to your children’s ages, the weather and the lodge you book.
Day 1: Arrive in Santiago
Land, check in and rest. A night in the capital breaks a very long journey and resets young body clocks before the flight south.
Day 2: Fly to Puerto Natales
Fly to Puerto Natales, or to Punta Arenas followed by a drive north, and settle into The Singular Patagonia at Puerto Bories, about five minutes from town. An evening walk along the fjord is a gentle first outing.
Days 3 and 4: Puerto Natales
Save The Singular’s on-site museum, set in a former cold-storage plant, for the windiest afternoon. The Milodon Cave natural monument is a short drive away and a favorite with children. Two nights here let everyone adjust before the park.
Days 5 to 8: Inside Torres del Paine
Move into the park for four nights at Explora Patagonia on Lake Pehoé, or at Tierra Patagonia if everyone is 10 or older. The days are short guided walks, wildlife drives to look for guanacos and condors, and a boat toward the Grey Glacier when the wind allows. New Year’s Eve falls here: a late dinner, a midnight toast and one of the lightest nights of the year.
Day 9: A Slow New Year’s Day
Keep January 1 gentle. A late breakfast, a short walk and the view from the lodge are enough after a late night.
Day 10: Fly Home
Return to Santiago for the connection home, or add a night in the city if your flights call for it.
On the Argentine side, the same holiday works from El Calafate: the Perito Moreno boardwalks and a glacier boat for every age, a few nights at a boat-access estancia on Lago Argentino, then back to El Calafate for the flight home. For full Chile and Argentina versions, see our Patagonia family itinerary.
INSIDER INTELLIGENCE
How to Book a Holiday Trip That Works
Holiday Patagonia is decided by inventory, not inspiration. These lodges are small by design (Awasi Patagonia has 14 villas and Explora Patagonia has 50 rooms), and the rooms and villas that sleep a whole family are the first to go.
HAUTE INTEL — START 8 TO 12 MONTHS OUT. For Christmas or New Year, that is the window that gives you a real choice of lodge, room type and week.
HAUTE INTEL — IF IT IS ALREADY AUTUMN, CALL NOW. For this December, we check what each lodge can still offer directly and tell you honestly whether to shift the week, the lodge or the side of the border.
HAUTE INTEL — GET HOLIDAY TERMS IN WRITING. Ask about minimum stays, festive dinners, cancellation terms and child rates before you pay a deposit. Children’s benefits do not always apply over the festive period.
HAUTE INTEL — LOCK FLIGHTS THE SAME DAY. Once the lodge is confirmed, book the domestic flights to Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas or El Calafate straight away. High-season seats on those routes are limited.
HAUTE INTEL — ONE SIDE PER WEEK. In a single holiday week, choose Chile or Argentina. The transfer between Puerto Natales and El Calafate is a long day for young children.
HAUTE INTEL — PROTECT THE 24TH AND 31ST. Plan a rest afternoon on both days so the children are awake and happy for the late dinners.
HAUTE INTEL — PACK FOR WIND, NOT FOR BLACK TIE. Holiday dinners at these lodges are relaxed. Layers and windproof jackets will get far more use than anything formal.
MEMBER ACCESS
Spend the Holidays in Patagonia with Haute Black
Tell us your dates, your children’s ages and whether Christmas or New Year matters more to your family. We will match the week, the side of the border and the lodges, then confirm every detail directly with each property. Start with Plan My Journey, or tell us you are planning Patagonia and an advisor will come back with dates and a proposal.
Keep reading: Patagonia with Kids: A Luxury Family Itinerary, Best Time to Visit Patagonia with Kids, our best time to visit Patagonia guide and our 10-night Patagonia expedition. You can also explore the Patagonia destination page, the best family vacations in December, ultra-luxe family Christmas vacations, family adventure vacations for luxury travelers and our family travel hub.
Christmas & New Year in Patagonia for Families: A Luxury Holiday Guide — Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if the trip is lodge-based and paced for your youngest child. Christmas falls in Patagonia’s high summer, with long daylight, mild temperatures and every lodge and excursion running. Choose a lodge whose minimum age fits your family and book early, because the holidays are the busiest weeks of the season.
Both work. Christmas week (about December 20 to 28) puts Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the lodge. New Year week (about December 27 to January 5) lets you have Christmas at home and New Year’s Eve in Patagonia, but it sits at the peak of the season, so plan it first.
Ideally 8 to 12 months ahead. The best lodges are small and the family rooms go first. For a trip this December, contact an advisor now and be ready to flex on the week, the lodge or the side of the border. Ask for holiday terms and child rates in writing.
Yes. Late December is high season, and Tierra Patagonia and Awasi Patagonia both publish an October-to-April season. Festive dinners, minimum stays and child rates vary by lodge and are set each season, so confirm them for your exact dates before booking.
It is early summer: typically about 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F), with daylight past 10 PM and frequent strong wind. Rain and sun can come in the same hour, so pack windproof layers, hats and gloves for everyone.
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