Patagonia Backpacking & Service for Adults
« Back to SearchBackpack in the “Land of Fire and Ice” and immerse yourself in local culture at the edge of the world.
This unique expedition combines the adventure of backpacking in the Andes and the cross-cultural experience of working alongside indigenous populations to complete service projects. You and your crew will learn how to travel in the varied terrain of the oldest national park in Argentina, Nahuel Huapi, where you’ll hike past volcanic rocks, clear lakes, snow fields and the flora and fauna of a temperate forest. While exploring this one-of-a-kind environment, the crew will practice outdoor travel skills including backcountry cooking and safety techniques, camp craft, Leave No Trace principles and orienteering. Apart from days spent on the trail, you will be able to learn more about this amazing location and its people by completing a series of service projects along the way. There is much to learn from the local populations' strong cultural traditions of a simple lifestyle, emphasis on family, close ties to the earth and the satisfaction of working with your hands. After long, and sometimes challenging days, you are rewarded with feelings of accomplishment and lifelong memories.
NOTE: Outward Bound strongly recommends that all students be vaccinated against COVID-19 and up to date as defined by the CDC prior to arriving to their course start. For all open enrollment courses beginning on or after April 15, 2023, Outward Bound will no longer require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.
UPCOMING COURSES
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Course # NPA6-332
Age 18 and up
Days 12
Cost $3,945
Dates 12.28.23 - 1.8.24
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
As I sit under a clear, brilliantly starry sky on the final night of my course here in Patagonia, I am thankful that I was able to be a part of the greater Outward Bound tradition. In my two weeks of service and backpacking on the Patagonia steppes, I have learned many valuable lessons. I’ve learn how to work a camp stove, compress the gear in my pack and to help my crew navigate our way safely up numerous summits. More important, however, are the other life skills I have gained on this journey. I have learned to create an environment full of teamwork, mutual respect and trust.
Students travel the trails through the Nahuel Huapi National Park and can expect to complete an alpine expedition with elevation shifts between 2,500 feet and 8,000 feet. Instructors teach participants about map and compass navigation, expedition planning, first aid, emergency procedures, weather forecasting and how to minimize the impact on the land by using Leave No Trace techniques. After practicing these skills, the Instructors step back and let the crew work together to collectively navigate through the wilderness.
Service to others and the environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as service to the environment and engage in acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. As they see the impact of their actions firsthand, students develop a value of service, and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home. Service projects for this course change to meet the needs of local community partners and may include such activities as building fences, painting homes, harvesting fruit and building structures with local farmers. Participants can receive service learning hours for participating if they simply alert their Instructors prior to the beginning of the course.
Patagonia, South America
In Southern South America lies a land untouched, growing wild and rugged. As one of the least populated regions in the world, Patagonia is a semi-arid plateau that covers over 250,000 square miles in South America located mainly in Argentina. This remote wilderness boasts dramatic landscapes and is famed by its adventures and adventurers. From its isolated mountain valleys and snow-clad volcanic peaks, to its glaciers and waterfalls, Patagonia has few equals in lands of exploration. This course travels through San Carlos de Bariloche, known as Bariloche. The city of Barioche (population 108,205) is situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake and is surrounded by the Nahuel Huapi National Park. The park was established in 1934 to preserve local flora and fauna, and is the oldest national park in Argentina, and the largest in the region with an area of nearly 2 million acres. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Mapuche and Tehuelche nations.
Course Stories
As I sit under a clear, brilliantly starry sky on the final night of my course here in Patagonia, I am thankful that I was able to be a part of the greater Outward Bound tradition. In my two weeks of service and backpacking on the Patagonia steppes, I have learned many valuable lessons. I’ve learn how to work a camp stove, compress the gear in my pack and to help my crew navigate our way safely up numerous summits. More important, however, are the other life skills I have gained on this journey. I have learned to create an environment full of teamwork, mutual respect and trust.
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Getting Started
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To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.