Three Months Traveling Through Chile and Argentina
At some point in 2011 we decided that it’s time to take a few months off from work and do what we enjoy a lot: traveling in foreign countries and meeting new people. It was not however until end of January 2013 that this plan turned into reality.
On Wednesday, January 30, we hit the road, boarded a plane to Buenos Aires and off we went to our adventure in South America. We had two main objectives for these three months. First, we wanted to improve our Spanish skills. That’s why we spent the first month in Buenos Aires and hired a private Spanish Teacher.
Second, we wanted to explore Argentina and Chile, in particular the south such as Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego. For this we rented a 4x4 camper van to be as independent as possible. This turned out to be an amazing trip! :-)
Places We Visited
Buenos Aires - Boca Juniors - Colonia Del Sacramento - Tango - Tigre - Mar Azul - Peninsula Valdez - Gaiman - MN Bosques Petrificados - PN Monte Leon - Ruta Del Fin Del Mundo - Ushuaia - PN Tierra Del Fuego - Dolphins for Breakfast - PN Torres Del Paine - Glacier Perito Moreno - Fitz Roy - PN Perito Moreno - 9500 years ago - Cueva de las Manos - Lago Posadas - Carretera Austral - Coyhaique - PN Queulat - Termas Naturales El Sauce - Puerto Raul Marin Balmaceda - Butch Cassidy’s Cabin - Lake District - Seven Lakes Road - PN Lanin - Adela + Helmut - PN Conguillio - RN Malalcahucllo - Nalcas - Buchupureo - Valle Maule - Valle De Colchagua - Aconcagua - Mendoza - Farewell
Our Stories
Jugador No 12 (the 12th player) was born in La Boca. Being in Buenos Aires for a month watching a game of the Boca Juniors is certainly one of the highlights and an absolute must.
Boca Juniors
13 February 2013
After a 14 hour flight we arrive in Buenos Aires on the morning of January 31st. Here we stay until the end of February to improve our Spanish skills.
Buenos Aires
31 January 2013
Just across the river, although it is very big one, we pay Uruguay a visit for short weekend. Colonia Del Sacramento has a very beautiful and relaxed old town. Another nice break from buzzing Buenos Aires.
Colonia Del Sacramento
17 February 2013
Exploring the surrounding areas of Buenos Aires one place that is worth while visiting is Tigre and the Parana Delta. Just 30 minutes away from the city by train feels like a totally different world.
Tigre
25 February 2013
You don't get away without Tango in Buenos Aires. Thanks to our Spanish teacher we experience a fantastic night at the "El Viajo Almacen" with a great Tango show.
Tango
20 February 2013
Finaly, after an eventful month in Buenos Aires, we hit the road going south. With our 4x4 camper van we are going to explore Patagonia.
Ruta Del Fin Del Mundo
02 March 2013
With perfect weather we get to explore PN Tierra Del Fuego for a few days. There are a lot of different routes for walking and hiking. That's why we came all the way down here.
PN Tierra Del Fuego
12 March 2013
4000 km later we arrive at the southern end of the American continent in Ushuaia. Some also call it the end of the world.
Ushuaia
10 March 2013
After almost one week at the end of the world we hit the road again towards Chile. The distances are vast but along the way we find a few nice camping spots and get the please of seeing dolphins for breakfast.
Dolphins For Breakfast
16 March 2013
One of the other highlights is our first ever hiking trip on a glacier. Glacier Periot Moreno is one of the few glaciers world wide that has kept its size since the 1970s. Again, we have the perfect weather for this trip.
Glacier Perito Moreno
22 March 2013
Torres Del Paine is clearly one of the highlights of this trip. Again we are very lucky and experience the perfect weather so that we end up hiking in shorts and t-shirts around the park.
PN Torres Del Paine
18 March 2013
A bit further north we make a short stop in El Chalten to do some hiking around Fitz Roy. Here we are less lucky with the weather but at least on the first day we get a beautiful view of the mountain range.
Fitz Roy
24 March 2013
It's time for something different. Today we make stop at the Cueva de las Manos which holds the most famous rock paintings in Argentina. Some of them are dating back more than 9500 years ago.
9500 Years Ago
29 March 2013
Our next destination is PN Perito Moreno a destination off the beaten track. No, apart from the name it has nothing to do with the glacier we visited a week ago. However, this parque is another highlight on this trip.
PN Perito Moreno
26 March 2013
Crossing over to Chile we hit the famous Carretera Austral. First thing we notice is the complete change in vegetation. It's clearly visible after a few meters into Chile that there is much more water.
Carretera Austral
31 March 2013
Our next stop is the Lake District in Argentina. Very popular with locals the beautiful lakes, forrest and mountains remind us more about Switzerland, Austria or Southern Germany. One of the reasons why we move on rather quickly.
Lake District
07 April 2013
Seems that even notorious American train and bank robbers such as Butch Cassidy enjoy living in nice places. Didn't last too though long until the Pinkerton Detective Agency had traced them down again.
Butch Cassidy
06 April 2013
Back to Chile we visit Adele and Helmut who is an old friend of Michael. He gives us great advise what to visit in the area.
A Few Volcanos
11 April 2013
We swap the beach to the wine tasting. Both Chile and Argentina produce fantastic wine. Being in this part of the world we have to visit a few wineries in both countries to stock up and buy some bottles for taking with us.
Wine Tasting
17b+ 21 April 2013
Time for the beach and the Pazific Ocean. What starts out to be a great few days end up in fog. Not exactly what we had in mind.
Buchupureo
14 April 2013
On our way back to Buenos Aires we make a short stop to see the highest mountain of the American continent, the Aconcuagua with its 6962 m. Crossing over the Andes we climb up to 4000 m above sea level. A first for us.
Aconcagua
19 April 2013
Everything comes to an end. It's time to say good bye to the country and our new friends. We invite everybody to a last night out in Buenos Aires before we fly back home the next day.
Farewell
23 April 2013