Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and The Lake District

Back in Argentina we headed to El Calafate, the main launch pad for the Southern half of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. This park is apparantly the closest thing you can get to Antartica without actually being there. We decided to splurge on a glacial cruise through the best of the park´s formidable ice sheets and ice-berg laden lakes. It was an impressive display of deep blues and moody skies and a particular highlight was the intimidating 400ft ice wall of the Spegazzini Glaciar. However, the longest glacier in the park, Upsala, was inaccessible due to an ice barrier formed by huge ice-bergs the size of office buildings. Since 1946, this glacier has retreated 7km and seems to be breaking up at an increasing rate but the good news is that the park´s famous Perito Moreno Glaciar is currently stable.



El Calafate would disappear into insignificance if it were not for the nearby glaciers, and the consequent flow of tourists. We didn´t like the town much due to the excessive tourism but we did manage to find an epic burger restaurant that served the biggest burger we´ve ever seen. I embraced the challenge with gusto and demolished the dinner-plate-sized monster burger. The genius of this memorable eatery is that the owner realised his customers would need to recover after such a feast, so provided comfy leather chairs to recline in after your meal, with The Discovery Channel to entertain you and fire to warm you. However, he did say 'sin dormir' (No sleeping!) as we took our seats with the eyes rolling in the back of our heads!







To access the northern half of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares we continued on to El Chaltén, the trekking capital of Argentina. The small town of 3,000 inhabitants was full of cute A-frame cabins and cosy restaurants with log burning stoves. Here we were to discover the other side of the coin when trekking in 'shoulder' season. Instead of the week of Autumnal sunshine we were treated to in Torres del Paine, we found ourselves caught in the middle of a severe Andean snow storm and camping in a foot of snow! Despite the cold we had a magical time hiking through beautiful snowy landscapes and enjoyed the total contrast to our last outdoor adventure. The elusive peaks of Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre were rather shy and were completely obscured by the heavy snow-filled clouds on the first day. Fortunately, the second day was much clearer and Monte Fitz Roy gave us a sneaky peek of his 3,400m sheer granite face.




Patagonia continued to surprise us with its wide variety of plant life as we found Bamboo growing wild in the valleys of the Lake District and richly coloured Ñirre leaves in range of reds, oranges and yellows.









After warming up from the freezing temperatures in El Chaltén we headed north to Bariloche in search of a more pleasing climate. Bariloche is Argentina's biggest outdoor destination giving access to The Lake District and is packed with locals in the summer months. Thankfully for us the town was still enjoying the last of its Indian summer with blue sky days. This gave us the perfect opportunity to take on the Circuito Chico hike through Argentina´s oldest national park (Nahuel Huapi, created in 1934).

The hike started at Cerro Catedral, a local ski mountain, and our first surprise came when the Gondola (which is supposed to be open all year round) was closed. This meant a 3 hour hike to the top of the mountain (2,042m) to get to the start of the trail! When we emerged above the cloud line we forgot the pain in our burning legs and admired the stunning scenery. Eventually the cloud burned off as the day warmed up and we were rewarded with 360 degree views of the numerous lakes and mountins, as well as distant volcanoes. As we progressed we discovered that this high altitude hike would be our stiffest challenge yet. We had to overcome some tricky bouldering and rock climbing sections and the descent into the next valley was steep and slippery. The presence of patchy snow made things even more interesting as we occassionally sank down to our knees. With a bit of care we made it down safe and sound and set up a nice camp fire to warm our cockels. The next day was much easier going and we enjoyed the long valley walk through tunnels of Bamboo and Lenga trees.




We were thoroughly exhausted once again after the strenuous exersion, but felt satisfied as we had seen so many wonderful sights. Of course the main benefit of being in Argentina is that there is always a comfy bed, bottle of wine and juicy steak waiting at the end!

Next up we head to Pucón in Chile where we hope to climb a volcano and soak our aching muscles in some hotsprings. We also booked flights to Easter Island and will be arriving in the most remote island on earth on the 5th of May.... can't wait!

May need to turn your head for this one....

Chile - Torres del Paine 8 day trek

After 2 months of gourmet gluttony, beaches and carnival we felt we had accumulated enough winter blubber to take on the mammoth 130km Paine circuit, an 8 day hike around the Torres del Paine (pronounced pie-neh) National Park, in Chile. This world class trek encapsulates some of the finest scenery in Patagonia, including glaciers, jagged peaks, tundra and several types of forest. We packed our bags with enough supplies for 10 days in case we got way-laid in the infamous Scottish like weather.... boy were we in for a surprise!

As the pictures above show, we were treated to unbelievably good conditions which rendered our waterproof ponchos and impermeable layers redundant. During the first couple of days we pushed on and covered a considerable distance while we were still fresh. This part of the circuit was virtually deserted (as most people do the shorter 'W' trek) and we were able to enjoy the sublime scenery in solitude. As we scaled our first peak we were greeted by the majestic sight of graceful Andean Condors, whom glide with ease with their giant 3m wingspan. On the third day we tackled the most difficult portion of the trek, John Garner Pass at 1,229m, which is often deemed impassable due to the strong Westerly winds and frequent year round snowfall. The weather gods were shining kindly upon us again as we crossed the pass and were mesmorised by the spectacular sight of the 17km long Glacier Grey below bathed in glorious sunshine. By this point we were more concerned with our supply of sunscreen than anything else!

As we chose to come here in Autumn (remember we are upside down!) the array of colours, textures and berries was astounding. In fact, all berries in Patagonia are edible, although some are reputedly unpalatable. The forests were a fantastic mix of yellows, reds, oranges and browns and we particularly enjoyed the Bonsai like trees which make up the numerous areas of stunted Lenga forest.

Despite the sunshine, temperatures were often near freezing at night and camping was not for the faint hearted. Spooning was somewhat awkward in four layers and sleeping bags and the ground was like concrete! For the softies out there, there are several Refugios scattered about the park where you can relax in warmth with a bunk bed and three meals for GBP45 a night. Although tempted, we tented the whole journey but enjoyed two lovely hot dinners next to the log fired stoves.

Obstacles abounded with ravines to cross, dodgy ladders to climb, muddy wet bogs to negotiate and pesky mice trying to steal our food. Some campsites were infested with hungry little rodents and we quickly learnt that EVERYTHING had to be hung up in the trees. One night we heard the rustling of plastic bags and we awoke to find our backpacks had lots of nibble holes in them and they had even had a go at my leather bound organiser! Pumas (mountain lions) are common in the park but rarely seen, however, we were sure we heard the purring of a rather large cat outside our tent on the night after a can of tuna oil was accidently spilt over a nearby rock... purrrrrrrr!!! Unfortunately, Lydia wouldn't let me get out of the tent to take a photograph!

The colour of the water in Torres del Paine is a breathtaking shade of glacial blue or turquoise, and the vast abundance of lakes create almost perfect mirror images in the calm air. We felt at ease drinking the fresh ice cold water straight out of the springs and we only wish we had brought a worthy bottle of single malt to enjoy with the 10,000 year old pleistocene glacial ice cubes.

After the initial push of the circuit hike, we were able to indulge in a few of the ´W´ hike highlights to the Valle de Frances and Torres lookout. The mountain peaks of the Valle de Frances tower above you on all sides and provide a spectacular natural amphitheatre as you perch on the central mirador. Adding to the drama is the frequent avalanches caused by glacial melt that send thunderous echoes down the valley.

On our final morning, we arose at 6am in order to hike to the Torres Lookout from Campamento Torres. It was a gruelling, steep trudge in the dark up to the mirador at an elevation of 840 metres. However, our efforts were rewarded with a clear morning and a spectacular kaleidoscopic sunrise upon the formidable granite towers (No photoshopping required!!).

With the end in sight we were jumping for joy (unfortunately, Lydia forgot about the landing and ended up on her backside!). We completed the 130km loop after a gruelling but unforgettable 8 days. Although the beer sold at the Laguna Amarga park shop was pricey it was worth every penny!

Never before had either of us embarked upon such a long trek but it was worth all the sweat, cold nights, blisters and instant soup packets! It was totally different to anything we had seen or experienced on our travels before and our appetite for further trekking in Patagonia has been well and truly whetted! We thoroughly recommend this trek to all our friends and family.

Obviously, 8 days of exertion had taken its toll and getting back to creature comforts had never felt so good!

Next stop, we head back over the border to El Calafate in Argentina to explore Parque Nacional Los Glaciares....