San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

Country: Argentina

Town: San Carlos de Bariloche

Duration: 3 days

Accommodation: Hospedaje Penthouse 1004 Hostel (*Highly Recommend)

Bariloche is a beautiful city in the province of Rio Negro, Argentina. It is located in Nahuel Huapi National Park on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake and surrounded by the many mountains that give way to numerous winter and summertime activities like skiing, snowboarding, climbing and hiking. Bariloche is also known as the ‘American Switzerland’  and is definitely Argentina’s chocolate capital with its many chocolate shops and cafes.  

Day 1:
Our hostel was on the tenth floor of an apartment block with incredible views of the lake and mountains. The staff were lovely and organised our skiing trip for the following day.  

We only had half a day left so we travelled the 18km by bus to Cerro Campanario, one of the best lookouts in the region. 

You could trek to the summit or take the 7 minute long chairlift up. We decided to pay for the chairlift and when we got to the top, we were blown away by the impressive scenery. There were forests, lakes and mountains in all directions. It started to snow so we went into the small café for tea and some chocolate with the hope of warming up!

Day 2:

Today was the first time that Johnny and I had ever gone skiing. We rented ski clothes from a shop next door to our hostel and then caught the bus to Cerro Catedral where we rented skis, poles and boots. We booked a private lesson with Tom from Holland.

A cable car brought us to the beginner's section where we practised for a while. I was surprisingly bad (I thought my many years roller blading as a child would have stood to me!) However I quickly got the hang of it. Pity I couldn't say the same for Johnny! 

Once we got a bit better, Tom our instructor then took us to do a blue slope which was unbelievable. Johnny was being led by Tom who was skiing backwards and pulling his ski poles! I got a bit too confident and was going way too fast and lost control and ended up with my skis jammed in the bank above my head! And then with Johnny falling over himself, it was dangerous stuff! However we quickly got better at it and were having a great time.

We went to a different practice slope and had fun there for a while. Then we said goodbye to Tom and got some lunch. After lunch, we went back to the slope and somehow we had lost all skills acquired earlier. Accidently we ended up on the advanced slope and practically had to sit and crawl down to the cable car because it was so steep and dangerous! We called it a day when I fell and twisted my knee!

That night, our hostel had arranged a wine tasting party. It was a great idea and we got to meet lot of people from all over the world. Later in the night I attempted (unsuccessfully) to teach everyone The Seige of Ennis (an Irish Dance!) I went into full teacher mode and had everybody lined up and Irish music playing, but everyone just ended up hopping around doing their own take of Riverdance!

Day 3:
We spent the last morning in Bariloche exploring the town centre. We strolled past all the chocolate shops and Johnny wanted to get chocolate in the first place we saw, but I wanted to look at all the cafes and pick which one looked the nicest! Every café was different, with varying styles and layouts and interesting window displays. Mmmm and the smell!! Delicious!

After lunch it was time to go to the bus station. Next stop, Mendoza! (The wine region of Argentina.)

Puerto Madryn and the Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

Country: Argentina

Town: Puerto Madryn

Duration: 2 days

Accommodation: Hi Patagonia Hostel

Puerto Madyrn is a small town in the province of Chubut in Argentina and is famous for whale watching. At some times of the year you can see whales from the beach. The protective waters of the Nuevo Gulf make it an ideal location for mating and calving. From Peurto Madryn you can explore the nearby Peninsula Valdes where you can go on a whale watching cruise or find some elephant seals, sea lions, orcas and penguins. You can also visit Punta Tombo which is further south from Puerto Madryn where you will find a large penguin colony.

Day 1:

After another long bus journey we reached the town of Puerto Madryn. We walked along the beach and in the far distance we saw whales leaping out of the water. 

We stayed walking until we came to Ecocentro Museum which had information about the whales, sea lions and elephant seals in the area.

We cooked our first meal of our trip in the hostel that night and watched two episodes of Breaking Bad!! Essential relaxing!

Day 2:

Today we explored the Peninsula Valdes. After around 100km by bus, we reached a town on the peninsula called Puerto Piramides. We embarked on a whale watching boat and set sail into the Golfo Nuevo waters. It was freezing out on the water but not long after, we were seeing Southern Right Whales come up for air, jumping out of the water, showing their tails and swimming right under our boat! They were massive, actually bigger than our boat! Such a unique experience!





You can see from the pictures the rough patches of tissue called callosities on their enormous heads. (Their heads are up to one quarter of their total body length.) The callosities appear white but they are actually dark in colour and only appear white due to large colonies of whale lice called cyamids that live on them.

Back onto the bus and we toured around the peninsula, stopping if we saw any wild animals like the mara and the guanaco. We also saw some salt lakes and a lot of barren land. At the north side of the peninsula we saw a colony of elephant seals sleeping on the beach!  

Note: The tour was quite expensive and in hindsight, it would have been far better value to have rented a car ourselves to see the peninsula.
It is also important to check what marine mammals are in the area at the time of year that you intend to visit. If it is not the season for the animals, I wouldn't recommend a trip to Puerto Madryn as there's not much else to do.

We did not have time unfortunately to visit Punta Norte (where you can see a penguin colony) which is further south but apparently it is worth a visit.

Next Stop for us...Bariloche for some skiing!

Southern Right Whale Facts:

Length Adults: 14m to 18m; Calves: 5m to 6m at birth
Weight Adults: up to 80 tonnes; Calves: 1 to 1.5 tonnes at birth
Mating season: July to August
Calving season: June to August
Cruising speed: 3km/hr

El Calafate and Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina

Country: Argentina
Town: El Calafate
Duration: 2 days
Accommodation: America del Sur Hostel

El Calafate is a town in the region of Patagonia in the South of Argentina.  It is the gateway to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares where you can not only see but trek on glaciers! The glacier park consists of 47 glaciers and a further 200 smaller glaciers which are independent of the main ice field. 

Perito Moreno Glacier is one of Patagonia's most spectacular glaciers and is very accessible from El Calafate (78km apart).

The huge ice  formation has a surface area of 250 sq km and is 5km wide and 30km long!! The face of the glacier has ice walls of 60m in height!! 

Day 1:

We flew to El Calafate because to get there by bus from Buenos Aires it would have taken two full days! However, paying extra for the flight was definitely worth it. When we arrived at the hostel the receptionist booked us on a glacier mini trek for the following day with the company ‘Hielo Y Aventura’ (Ice Adventure). We then walked down the town and to the lake, Lago Argentino and to the nearby lagoon. It was so cold but very pretty. 

We ate in a restaurant that night called Don Pichon, which was just beside our hostel. As it was on a hill, there was a beautiful view of the town with all the twinkling lights. I had lamb (a speciality in Patagonia) which was devine! Probably the nicest meal that I had in South America! *Recommended! Johnny's steak was really good too but was nearly disappointed after tasting mine! Don't you just hate food envy!?

Day 2:
We travelled 78km to the Glacier National Park. Our destination was Glaciar Perito Moreno. From the bus we admired the green colour of the lake, the snow capped mountains and the icebergs floating in the water. The first glimpse of the glacier was breathtaking! I had never seen anything like it before. 

We had one hour to view the glacier from the various balconies. It was the best view I had even seen! We were extremely lucky to see three ruptures during that hour! This is when some ice breaks off from the glacier and collapses into the water. You could hear the sound of the ice cracking and the extremely loud crash when the enormous load hit the water. It was incredible to witness.

We then got transported to our boat which brought us across the lake to the side of the glacier. It was freezing but there was such a great view of the glacier. 

After lunch in the wooden cabin, we set off across the woods until we came to the glacier. We had crampons fastened to our shoes and before we knew it we were trekking up the glacier! We spent an hour and a half walking around on top of the glacier. There were so many shapes created by the melting of the ice and many pools with drop holes.

Before we came down from the glacier, our guide pulled out a bottle of whiskey! He broke off some ice from the glacier for us to put into our glasses!

That night our room mate from Israel who was touring South America with his orchestra, invited us to dinner (all expenses paid!) to make up for keeping us awake the previous night with his incredibly loud snoring! I had lamb again but was no comparison to Don Pichon's.  :(

Day 3:
When we woke up it was snowing in El Calafate!! We had a great view from the breakfast area in the hostel of the lake and mountains in the distance.

Our next stop was Puerto Madryn, 25 hours away by bus!

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Country: Argentina

City: Buenos Aires

Duration: 4 days

Buenos Aires is a vibrant city know for its culture and art, its food and wine and lively nightlife.

Here are some of our highlights from the capital of Argentina…

Sights

1.      La Boca

La Boca is a very popular tourist destination in Buenos Aires. It is famous for its brightly coloured buildings and for its Caminito Museum. The pedestrian street has tango artists dancing on the cobblestones but you have to pay for a photograph! The area was once settled by Italians and you can sit in one of its Italian taverns for a drink or a bite to eat and enjoy live tango dancing.

2.      Palermo

Palermo is one of the largest neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. Here you can visit the zoo, walk in the beautiful park, go to the Japanese Gardens or stroll around the small boutiques and cafes.

 The Japanese Gardens

3.      Plaza de Mayo

This is the main square in central Buenos Aires. It is lovely to walk around and see some of the city's famous landmarks such as the Casa Rosada (The President's House a.k.a. The Pink House), the May Pyramid (statue) and the Metroplitan Cathedral .

 Casa Rosada

Activities:

1.      Tango Class/Show

There are many companies that offer a tango class with dinner/free drink and a tango show afterwards. The tango lesson was fairly basic and the food was average but we had had a fun night. Johnny even got to dance with the Brazilian dancer mid show!

     2.   A South American Football (Soccer) Game

If you are in Buenos Aires, you should definitely try get to a football game. We went to see River Plate V's San Lorenzo. The River Plate fans were chanting songs continuously and there was a great atmosphere to the game. It as a pity that the standard wasn't that high.

Missed goal opportunity

Great chants!

Food:

1.      'La Cabrera'

This steak house in Palermo was recommended twice to me by friends back home. This place opens at 7 and if you are out by 8 you get 40% off! We got steak, obviously which was delicious and some yummy breads and dips and a glass of red wine. We were out by 8! We left so quickly for a finish that I forgot my jacket!

2.      Chocolate con Churros  

This doughnut type fried pastry with dulce de leche (caramel) centre, accompanied with a hot chocolate is to die for! You can find them in most cafes.