South America 2002-3

We are in Pucon, Chile for Christmas, hoping the weather will improve. We had what could have been a very scenic drive over the Andes from Argentina, but the clouds were hanging low over the mountains and it was blowing and drizzly. Nevertheless, the Andes are spectacular. We like them so much we have been hanging around them in both Argentina and Chile.

The last you heard from us we were about to leave Argentina and board the bus for Puerto Natales, Chile, in anticipation of hiking in the Torres Del Paine National Park. Puerto Natales is not the sort of town I would go out of my way to visit, but it is the gateway to the Torres Del Paine, so everyone ends up there. It is a rather dusty, scruffy town set on an ocean inlet with beautiful mountains in the background. But it is quiet and friendly, so we didn´t mind spending several days there waiting to start our hike. It also gave me more time to recover from the cold that had me going through an awful lot of Kleenex (actually, we use all-purpose toilet paper).

Our first night in town we caught the last day of the travelling version of the Banff Film Festival. The theme was Mountain Madness. We watched a number of short films from several countries depicting an ascent of Fitz Roy mountain in Argentina and jumping off mountain tops with parachutes, among other wild activities. I am not attempting any of the exploits filmed.

view from old dock in Puerto Natales

Students learning English in Puerto Natales

A young man, a teacher in Puerto Natales and a friend of our landlady, arrived at our hostel one morning to ask if Ray or I would consider helping him with his English class. He was substituting for the regular teacher who was ill. The class was due to take an oral test and they needed an English speaking person to help. I said I would, so that afternoon found me answering questions from a small group of 14 and 15 year olds. Their English was still in the rudimentary stage so I got to ask them questions when they ran out of their stock four or five questions. They seemed pleased with the results and so was I. Like most teenagers, they like sports and pop music, but since there is no movie house in town, they are not up on the Hollywood scene.

Refugio Pehoe where we stayed overnight on our walk

first great view of Torres del Paine (tower peaks)

There are two types of accommodation when you hike the Torres Del Paine; you can take your own tent and cooking equipment, or you can stay in the refugios (huts). You can also spend eight days hiking the whole circuit of the Torres, or you can spend four or five days hiking the ´W´ to see the most popular areas. We wanted to limit the weight we would carry during our hike so we opted for the refugio route and four days sounded about right. The refugios are very popular and are not very big, so we had to wait three days for reservations before starting our hike.

Glacier in Vallee Frances on route

Torres Del Paine view from boat

Actually Ray was so insensed with the high price and the two tiered pricing system set by the private company that owns three of the Refugios, he almost said forget it. You pay US$17 per night, for just a bunk bed with a mattress but no pillow or blankets. If you pay in Chilean Pesos, you are charged 18% more. You can also buy all your meals at equally high rates or you can bring your own food and use their kitchens to cook. We decided to go regardless, but we brought our own food for all but one dinner. The scenery was spectacular and although we had long days on the trail, we were sad to leave the area. We saw soaring pillars of rock towering above glacial lakes, rushing brooks and waterfalls and glaciers on every peak. Despite the number of people in the area, there was never a congestion problem. We might pass people going the opposite direction, or occasionally we were passed by faster hikers, but usually we found ourselves alone on the trails. If I had it to do over again, I would stay five days, but I would buy all my dinners. The one we did have was quite good and it sure did beat our own pasta dinners.

After finishing our hike in Torres Del Paine, we returned to Puerto Natales and the next day, took the bus to Punta Arenas, a little farther south, where we got a flight north to Peuto Montt. We chose the plane ride over a four day boat trip up the coast and we are happy we did. The boat trip can be fun if the weather cooperates, but a short plane ride had more appeal than four days on a rocking boat. We made sure we had seats on the right side of the plane so that we could see all the Andes, including some of the mountains we had hiked.

Osorno Volcano in Puerto Montt

We had decided that we would take a bus from Puerto Montt back across the Andes to Bariloche, Argentina, so we only stayed in Puerto Montt one day. We made the most of that day by taking a minibus tour of some of the surrounding lakes and snow covered volcanoes. Puerto Montt is a busy commercial center on an ocean inlet and is a gateway to the Chilean Lake District. This is a favourite vacation spot for Chileans who stay in one of the many hotels in the area or own cottages around the beautiful lakes.

Click the map above to see an album of photos of Bariloche and San Martin. Close the window to return to this page.

Bariloche was worth the trip. It is built on the steep slopes of the hills at one end of the 100 Km long glacial Lago Nahuel Huapi. Bariloche is a large resort town styled like a Swiss Alpine village. There is even a stone clocktower on the town hall and a triple arched stone gateway to the main town plaza. Most of the hotels and stores have retained this alpine style, resulting in a busy but very pretty town.

Bariloche Town Square

Clock Tower in town square

We stayed in a friendly hostel in the main town and explored many of the walks in the area. Several of our fellow hostelers were off on multi-day excursions to the mountains in the area, staying in refugios along the way, but we opted for tamer hiking. One day we took the local bus 26 Km around the lake to visit Cerro (peak) Llao Llao (pronounced sh-ow sh-ow). The bus lets you off at the plush Hotel Llao Llao on the top of a hill overlooking the lake and their golf course. It was very impressive and could rival any of the better North American resorts. An English couple staying at our hostel were so impressed that they inquired about staying there for a few days. The cost at US$208 per night for a standard room with a view of the lake wasn´t too bad, but it was booked solid.

Hotel Llao Llao

Lago Nahuel Huapi

We settled for an hour hike through the woods to a rocky peak, Cerro Llao Llao, where we had a great view of the snowy peaks surrounding the lake. We tried a little bushwhacking in our attempt to find a different trail down from the peak, but we had to give up part way. The bamboo that grows in the area makes bushwhacking a challenge and we really had no idea where we were heading.

Bariloche is also a ski center in the winter, so we set out another day to walk to a viewpoint at the top of one of the gondola lifts. Most of the way was along the same steep, gravel road used by the cars to access the lifts in the winter, but of course we didn´t stop there. We found a trail leading further up to Cerro Otto so that we could get a 360 degree view of the area. We had to shelter from the fierce wind behind some rocks to enjoy the view, but it was worth it. The mountains stretch out for miles in every direction.

We stopped at a refugio cum tea house on the way down to get warmed up with a hot cuppa. The refugio, still in use, was filled with memorabilia of Otto Meiling, for whom Cerro Otto was named. He was a German skier and mountaineer who settled in the area in 1930 and was responsible for bringing alpine sports to Bariloche.

Inside Refugio Berhof

San Martin de los Andes on Lago Lacar

We took the bus through the scenic Seven Lakes to our next stop, San Martin de Los Andes, another lovely alpine style town with lots of hiking possibilities, nestled in the hills at one end of long, thin Lago Lacar. We climbed up to the popular Bandurria Lookout for the view down the lake then took a different route back to town over a long gravel road. Ray wants you to know that I declined the offer to bushwhack straight up the mountainside in the hopes of reaching another lookout. I was leery after our Llao Llao experience.

Cerro Colorado

Cairn on Cerro Colorado

Our last day in San Martin, in my opinion, we hit the jackpot for hikes in the area. We took a taxi 10 Km out of town and then followed a trail to Cerro Colorado. It had been offered as a guided walk but we figured we could do it on our own and we were right. It was an 1½ hour grunt straight up the hill to a rocky promontory, but we had great views of Lake Lacar and more of those snowy peaks. At first glance, we thought we were at the top, but we saw the trail continuing upward, so on we went. By that point we were above the tree line and the wind had picked up, so on went our raincoats. The top section changed to red lava rock and ended in a Nepali rock cairn complete with a prayer flag and religious figure in the center of the cairn. The view was magnificent. The skies were still relatively blue and we could see the 3776 M high Volcan Lanin on the Argentine/Chile border as well as another unknown volcano even farther away. We huddled behind the rock cairn to have our lunch and enjoy the view, then we hustled down the hill to await the return of our taxi driver. Hitching a ride home didn´t seem like a very good option as the cars were few and far between on that road.

Christmas Eve we boarded another bus to cross the Andes once again and returned to Chile. We had reserved seats, but the bus was packed with families going to visit their relatives for the holiday. We have crossed the Argentine/Chile border several times now and we know what to expect, but this was the longest border crossing yet. At the last town before the border, there was a delay while everyone´s passport or other identity was checked and forms were filled out to be handed in at the border. Next came the leaving ceremony at the Argentine border. Everyone had to file out of the bus and stand in line until their name was called and we were stamped out of the country. Back on the bus, we travelled about 10 Km to the Chile border crossing. Once again everyone had to get out of the bus and file inside to be processed. We knew that Chile was vigilant about imports of fruits, vegetables or meat products so we had eaten our fruit before reaching the border. What we hadn´t counted on was that this was the day that everyone´s luggage was inspected. All the bags were taken off the bus and everyone had to claim their bag and present it to a customs officer. They were opening every bag and rummaging through looking for heaven knows what. Ray got caught. He had a left over garlic clove that got confiscated. I hope the customs officers can boast that they stopped a garlic invasion in Chile. Finally we were allowed back on our bus to complete the journey. It took 6 ½ hours to make the 173 Km journey. Granted, most of the route was unpaved and was a narrow twisty road over the Andes, but it was a slow trip. It was a good thing everyone was in a good mood.

The clouds are low over the mountains today and it has been raining off and on all day. Not a particularly good start for Christmas. We are hoping the weather improves so we can join a group to climb a volcano near town. There are also white water rafting possibilities, so even if it is not great weather, we can keep ourselves amused.

From Pucon, we plan to keep going north, first to Santiago, then Valparaiso on the coast, then up to the border with Bolivia. I must say that neither Argentina nor Chile are third world countries. They are easy to travel in and even though there are lots of unpaved roads and there are some poor areas, the water is drinkable and the scenery is great. Much of what we have done so far is similar to our New Zealand outdoor adventures, but that is just fine with us. Our encounters with third world cultures will come soon enough in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. We look forward to those adventures.