We arrived in Salta slightly sad that we had completed our last long-distance bus journey of our trip, the 46th in fact (James loves a list). Fortunately, we’d been accosted by a herd of goats whilst we waited at the border between Chile and Argentina, so that made it a bit special. We’d decided that … Continue reading Saying adios to South America – Salta and its surroudings
Argentina
Getting stuck into the vino in Mendoza
It took us 8 hours to get from Valparaíso to Mendoza by bus and compared to some of the nightmare journeys that we have taken, this one was a breeze, particularly with the aid of our third travelling companion, Netflix. The road crosses the Andes so it does get pretty wibbly, but that is more … Continue reading Getting stuck into the vino in Mendoza
Pampa Linda and the 7 Lakes Drive
From El Bolsón we went north, back towards Bariloche and the familiar territory of Nahuel Huapi National Park. This time we had decided to explore Pampa Linda, where we planned to hike and camp in the park. We received a bit of a nasty shock when we arrived at the park and were faced with … Continue reading Pampa Linda and the 7 Lakes Drive
A bit of illicit scrambling in El Bolsón
We put the border debacle behind us, camped at a delightful campsite / vineyard just over the border and pushed on early the following morning to make the long journey to Lago Puelo and El Bolsón. The scenery was more what he had imagined of Argentina, less rugged and forbidding than Patagonia with wide open … Continue reading A bit of illicit scrambling in El Bolsón
How not to cross a border – Futaleufú, Chile to Argentina
We made absolute tits of ourselves at the border crossing from Chile to Argentina. Getting ourselves across the border was very easy; the car was another matter entirely. We had our passports, driving licences and the car ownership documentation all ready to go. We knew that we had permission to cross the border because we’d … Continue reading How not to cross a border – Futaleufú, Chile to Argentina
The hike to Refugio Frey – Bariloche
James has been silently dying to do an overnight hike and do it properly, carrying our tent and all of our gear with us. Bariloche sits in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi and this park provided the ideal opportunity to realise his dream. The day started fairly easily; with only 4 hours of hiking ahead we … Continue reading The hike to Refugio Frey – Bariloche
Touring town and cycling Circuito Chico – Bariloche
We had two options getting from El Chaltén to Bariloche: a 24-hour bus or a 3-hour bus and 2-hour flight. We aren’t that hardcore, particularly when the easy option is only slightly more expensive, we flew. We met an Irish couple in La Vineria who had opted for the bus; as it left at 9pm … Continue reading Touring town and cycling Circuito Chico – Bariloche
To climb or not to climb? Further forays from El Chaltén
After our first disastrous night in the tent we learned from our mistakes and donned absolutely every piece of clothing that we owned and slept much more comfortably for the next two nights. On our fourth morning in El Chaltén we collapsed the tent, ready to move into a hostel for the last couple of … Continue reading To climb or not to climb? Further forays from El Chaltén
Lacing up our boots again in El Chaltén
The 3-hour bus trip from El Calafate to El Chaltén is absolutely stunning with endless stretches of scrub land, lakes, mountains and the occasional animal; we saw a rhea and some llamas, there was much excited pointing at these. The final section of the journey is particularly spectacular as the road makes a beeline for … Continue reading Lacing up our boots again in El Chaltén
Catching the travel bug again in El Calafate
It took us a really, really long time to get to El Calafate. A rail replacement bus service meant that we had already been travelling for 4 hours and made 5 changes by the time we reached Gatwick airport. This was our first experience flying Norwegian, which was by far the cheapest option, and we … Continue reading Catching the travel bug again in El Calafate
The Rolling Stones 