Bariloche, Argentina

I love Bariloche. I reckon I could live here, easily. The town is full of chocolate shops and the landscapes here are out of this world. If you've ever visited the Lake District in the U.K. and loved it, then you'd adore it here. We're currently hanging out in our lodge-style hostel waiting for our coach later today. 

While here we've managed to do some great walks. Unfortunately the weather and colds (first me, now Craig) have prevented us from getting out as much as we'd have liked but we're happy to have done what we have.

Our first walk took as round Cello Llao Llao where we had a picnic on a secluded beach, walked through forest, watched wild woodpeckers, ate snacks overlooking the mountain ranges and hiked to the top of Cello Llao Llao for panoramic views. 

Craig at Llao Llao

At the top of Cerro Llao Llao

Our second walk was to a waterfall where we befriended a beautiful white dog we named Ghost, she walked with us all day and really felt like ours. Besides chasing off the birds and the occasional excited jump she was a joy and we were really sad to leave her behind. The waterfall was pretty and the forest was very atmospheric thanks to the rain and low cloud. 

Forest

Me and Ghost

We were meant to do a big walk to Refugio Frey but had to cancel due to the weather so instead we drank artisan hot chocolates then hiked to the top of Cello Campanario which offered amazing views of the lakes, mountains and forests.  

Cello Campnario Views

At the top of Cerro Campanario

If it weren't for wanting to catch the end of the whale watching season in Puerto Madryn then we'd probably stay here even longer. We booked three nights and stayed a week, the longest we've stayed in one place on this trip so far. We will definitely be coming back.  

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Mendoza, Argentina

Our time in Mendoza was full of highs and lows. I don't want to dwell too much on the lows (they involved an awful hostel and countless bed bug bites) so let's skip to the two highlights of our time there.

Aconcagua National Park

Highlight one; hiring a car and driving through the Andes to Aconcagua National Park. We picked up our car from Mendoza city centre and drove her along the long sweeping roads with views over vineyards at first, then mountains. The scenery was breathtaking and I ended up taking so many photos while Craig drove.

Driving through the Andes

Driving through the Andes

We arrived at Aconcagua National Park and were delighted to find that we didn't have to pay the usual entry fee; after a 1.5km walk up the road we arrived at the trail where we stopped for a picnic lunch in the wind with fantastic views. We continued along the trail feeling a little breathless thanks possibly to the altitude and found crystal clear lakes and Aconcagua mountain herself in the distance shrouded with cloud at the summit. We were completely battered around by the powerful wind and were not prepared at all for the weather in our hoodies and macs. 

1.5km to the Trail

Moon over Mountain

After returning to the warmth of our car we drove to Puente del Inca a former hot springs where mineral deposits have created an amazing sight. We stopped for hot chocolates and bought handmade jumpers from a stallholder who we chatted to about Marmite of all things!  

Horse Riding in The Andes

Highlight two; our horse riding trek at sunset through Mendoza's hills. The horses were a dream to ride, neither of us are experienced riders (we last rode 5 years ago in New Zealand) but we both felt very confident. Carlos our guide took us on a two hour ride through the countryside telling us about the history of the region and pointing out the different mountains. As we rode back it became dark, we could hear crickets sing and see the distant lights of the city.

Sunset Horse Ride

Our Horses

Afterwards we enjoyed an Argentinian asado, they barbecued a variety of vegetables for us as we're vegetarian which were absolutely delicious. Carlos played guitar and sang for us encouraging us to sing along too which was great fun.  

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Uruguay

I can't really justify a full journal entry for our time in Uruguay, we spent just four days in South America's smallest country. We had intended to stay longer but prices scared us off a little bit and so we returned to Argentina after visiting Colonia del Sacremento and Montevideo. 

Colonia del Sacremento  

Flowers in Montevideo  

Colonia del Sacremento was well worth visiting, it's a pretty former smugglers town that reminded me of a Cornish village. There were colourful shopfronts and cobblestone streets and a lovely lighthouse that we ventured to the top of. 

Montevideo was a bit of a write off for me. The hostel was party central with blaring music until the early hours right outside the dorm room. It was too expensive to enjoy restaurants or cafes and the museums (we visited three in one day) I found to be disappointing for a capital city. This was just my personal experience, I'm sure others have visited and loved it. 

Still, it's a place we can say we've ticked off our list.  

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