Patagonia · Month comparison

December vs March

March ranks #1 overall vs December at #7. Autumn colors on Patagonia's lenga beech forests — the most photogenic month and increasingly the expert's choice over the summer rush.

Patagonia December — El Calafate area with glacial peaks in early summer

December

#7 of 12 months

Best match

Summer begins with 18+ hours of daylight and the W-trek booking up fast — Patagonia's season at its stride.

  • ↑18+ hours of daylight in Torres del Paine by the solstice: the extended light makes multi-day trekking logistics easier and provides early morning starts in full daylight for the best sunrise conditions at the Mirador Base Torres
  • ↑All infrastructure at full operation: Perito Moreno glacier walkways, Torres del Paine boat excursions, El Chaltén day hikes, and Ushuaia's Tierra del Fuego National Park all accessible without seasonal restriction
Patagonia March — autumn fall colors on lenga beech trees in Patagonian valley

March

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Autumn colors on Patagonia's lenga beech forests — the most photogenic month and increasingly the expert's choice over the summer rush.

  • ↑Lenga beech trees (the dominant Patagonian beech species) turn vivid red, orange, and gold from late March: the autumn color on the hillsides around Torres del Paine's Valle del Francés and on the slopes above El Chaltén is the landscape photography equivalent of New England in October
  • ↑Crowds beginning to thin from February peak: refugio availability returns without advanced booking, trail experience significantly better with 30–40% fewer hikers on the W-trek
FactorDecemberMarch
Weather score
8
7
Value score
4
5
Crowd score
4
5
Events score
7
8
Atmosphere
8
9
Avg high temp13.5°C12.5°C
Monthly rain45mm42mm
Daily sunshine13hrs9hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓W-trek refugio booking crisis in full effect: December departures require booking 6–9 months ahead through the CONAF-authorized operators; independent camping with reserved sites is the only last-minute option
  • ↓Summer wind season begins: the strongest multi-day wind events of the year typically arrive in December, making the exposed sections of the W-trek's Day 3 (Paso John Gardner) technically demanding

March trade-offs

  • ↓Daylight hours shortening rapidly (16h in early March to 13h by month-end): the long golden evening photography windows of January-February compressing
  • ↓Wind patterns becoming less predictable as autumn approaches: calm days alternate with sudden strong gusts more randomly than in the summer season
See all 12 months for Patagonia →December in detail →March in detail →
Scores compare months within Patagonia. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →