Lake District

From the snow covered mountains in the south to the lakes in the north, Argentina is a gift of a country that keeps on giving. 

Bariloche (or San Carlos de Bariloche to give it its full name) is actually the largest ski centre in South America but in summer many Argentinians come to enjoy summer by the lakes. It is a city with German and Swiss history, first founded by Germans in 1902 when they could see opportunities to export timber from the swathes of forest that surround this region. The architecture of the town reminds me of Bavaria in southern Germany and on the main street every second shop is selling chocolate or pastries, first brought over by the Swiss. 

As well as hiking in the area on some of the popular trails including up to Refugio Frey and Refugio Berghof, I braved the Argentinian roads and hired a bike for a day to ride the ‘Circuito Chico,’ a 23 mile route that is never flat - only up or down! It took me to ‘Colonia Suiza,’ a cultural heritage site celebrating the first Swiss settlers, past the exclusive Llao Llao hotel, to some great lakeside beaches, and viewpoints to take in beautiful Lake Nuhuel Huapi. 

On my final evening I joined a walking tour to learn more about the German history of the city, which was so worthwhile. Never has an hour and a half gone so quickly and left me with such a long reading and movie list to learn more! 

So after a sunny and busy few days, but always with time for books and coffee, I am now back at the airport awaiting my next flight to the country’s capital. Next post from Buenos Aires!

Patagonia - Argentinian side

El Chalten is considered the hiking capital of Argentina and having spent the last five days here, I can see why. It is my idea of a dream destination. There are so many trails that start from the town which is surrounded by mountain peaks. All were visible on the days I spent here against amazingly, blue skies. One day was completely cloudless and the scenery simply looked like a painting. So lucky to have such perfect hiking conditions! I hiked the main trails in the National Park; Laguna de los Tres, Laguna Torre and Loma del Pliegue Tumbado. The elevation on these trails was at times a challenge, but the views were worth it on all the trails. I had the pleasure of hiking with the loveliest Canadian couple, which made the trails go by quickly with great conversation. 

My final day in El Chalten was spent on the shorter trail to Chorillo dal Salto and enjoying something other than pasta cooked in my hostel! 

Before El Chalten I had a couple of days in El Calafate to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. There are different trails to follow, all on walkways and you constantly hear the glacier carving. I saw a couple of huge carvings whilst I was there and the noise and sheer scale of them is incredible to witness. 

What an idyllic week! Mountains, hiking, sunshine! I leave feeling incredibly blessed to have had the chance to be surrounded by snow-covered peaks on beautiful day hikes, meeting great people to share trail stories with and end each day with cakes and cookies that more than replenished the calories burnt.