It was time for us to head down South to the cold of Patagonia and we boarded our flight from Cordoba to Bariloche, known as the Lake District of Argentina.
We had two days to spend in Bariloche so decided to hire a car for our first day, driving down Ruta 40 to Villa Angostura and on to San Martin de Los Andes. Along the way we stopped multiple times to see the 7 main lakes in the area, taking in the different viewpoints and admiring the surrounding snow covered mountains. Our favourite was lake Falkner as we were able to go down onto the beach and spend some time there, sitting in the sunshine.
For our next day we hiked to Cerro Llao Llao, a trek which was a 30 minute bus journey out of town. The walk offered incredible 180 degree views of the surrounding mountains and lakes, and by taking an extension to the route took us to three secluded crystal clear beaches. Having not researched the bus routes in Argentina, and lacking a Sube card required for travel, our journey back was somewhat adventurous, but thanks to some kind locals we made it back to town.
Our next stop in Patagonia was the town of El Chalten, which we arrived at after a full day of travel (starting at 4am and not arriving until gone 9pm). El Chalten is known as the hiking capital of Argentina and we decided to tackle the hike to Mount Fitz Roy on our first day here. Starting early the walk took us through several wooded areas before going uphill to a mirador which offered incredible views of Fitz Roy completely clear of cloud, which is apparently very rare. The walk then continued through a valley, taking us closer to the mountain, before we hit the final 1KM climb, with a 400m ascent. Winding our way up was initially okay, until we hit the ice and snow! The final section was slow going (with multiple screams from Sarah) but we finally made it to the top to again, crystal clear views. The way back down was just as tough as we made our way back through the snow and ice (which was even slippier at this point) and we then trekked back home taking our mileage for the day to 15 miles.
Having originally planned a shorter final recovery hike the next day, we ended up walking almost as far as we decided to extend our original planned walk to take in Laguna Torre. Here we were rewarded with incredible views of the lake filled with imposing icebergs, and surrounded by snow capped peaks. The walk took us across green landscapes and scrub lands, passed waterfalls, through forests, and alongside a river. The final section of the hike took us into a valley which was liable to flooding with warnings all along advising in any occurrence to get to higher ground. Tired after hiking another 12 miles we made it back to the hostel in time to collect our bags and walk the additional mile to our bus back to El Calafate.
Our time in El Calafate was filled with multiple glaciers, as we joined a tour on our first day to see the Perito Moreno glacier. Part of the south Patagonian ice field the glacier is one of the most important in the area, largely due to its accessibility and the fact that it’s currently a stable glacier, unlike others in the region. Making the most of our time here we initially jumped on the boat, taking us close to the face of the glacier. This was an amazing experience, and you could really feel the cold coming off it! Whilst on the boat we also had the chance to see some of the ice calving into the lake due to the changing of the season from Winter into Spring. We then ventured back to the land to explore the multiple boardwalks, offering different views and perspectives of the glacier. It was at this point that we could see how huge it really was, stretching back into the mountains as far as we could see.
The next day continuing our glacial tour, we splashed the cash and joined a boat tour that took us to explore otherwise inaccessible glaciers. After an hour and a half’s journey, our first point of call was to view a giant iceberg. The scale of the iceberg next to the boat was amazing, even more so when we learnt that only 10% is visible above the water. Next we traveled to view Upsalla, the largest glacier in the National park. Due to the nature and frequency of the glaciers calving, we were only allowed to get 400 meters away - but from this distance it was possible to see it’s immense scale and width, as well as the number of obstacles the boat would have had to navigate to get any closer.
As we travelled in the direction of the most impressive of glaciers on the tour, Spegazini, we were able to view multiple hanging glaciers in the mountains either side of the boat. Spegazini sat at the end of a tributary, and beautifully curved itself down from the top of the mountain. At 100 meters it was one of the tallest of the glaciers in the park, standing imposingly in the glistening sunlight. Before heading back we were able to picnic here on a beach overlooking the glacier.
Glacier-ed out it was time to continue our Patagonian adventure, this time heading across the border to Chile to tackle the famous W Trek. Upon arrival in Puerto Natales we quickly got all of our rented equipment organised, ready for the start of the trek the next morning. The first day involved getting a bus to Torres del Paine, before switching to board the Catamaran to take us across the lake and to our starting point at Paine Grande.
As we were doing the trek from West to East we started by walking the 7 miles from Paine Grande to Grey campsite. This walk involved a trek uphill for the first half, before we were rewarded with views of Lago Grey with icebergs floating on the surface. Still getting used to our heavy backpacks we stopped for a homemade lunch of tuna wraps with a view of the lake, before we started the downhill section to the campsite. This took us closer to Glacier Grey, giving us multiple viewpoints to stop for photos. A few hours later we arrived at the campsite and settled into our dorm room, grateful for day one to be complete. Although comfortable in the Refugio it was still cold so, after a protein heavy dinner of chicken and quinoa, we layered up and were tucked up in our sleeping bags just after 8pm.
After a better than expected sleep, kept warm in our -11 degree sleeping bags, we started our day waking a further mile and a half along the trail to the hanging bridges that afforded beautiful views of Grey glacier. On our journey back to the Refugio, we also followed a path that took us to another viewpoint and an information board giving some eye opening history to the scale of the glaciers retreat.
After collecting our bags, and waterproofing due to the rain that had arrived just in time for our departure, we retraced our steps from yesterday back along the route back to Paine Grande. This direction was just as beautiful, but came with an immediate and steeper rocky accent before flattening out and descending into our Refugio for the night. From our available ingredients today we made a lunch of salami and cheese wraps, shading from the wind and rain in a comfortable spot next to a rock. After a second night of chicken for dinner, we were once again in bed before 8.30pm, both tired and cold, craving our warm sleeping bags.
The third day of the hike was set to be one of the most difficult, with the ascent through the Frances Valley. Setting out with trepidation the first two hours followed a beautiful path alongside the side of the lake, before we arrived at Italiano campsite to leave our bags. After some reshuffling of our belongings to take only what was necessary we set off on the ascent up the valley. Initially going through a wood the path soon hit a steep and rocky section, leading up to the mirador Frances just under two miles later. The views here were incredible and offered the perfect lunch spot for more of our tuna wraps. Whilst sat there we were also able to spot some mini avalanches down the mountain. As the weather was good we decided to press on to the Mirador Britannico. This turned out to be slightly further than expected, along an undulating path, but the views at the top made it all worthwhile. This mirador offered 360 degree views of the Torres del Paine, including a great view of the back of the towers, and we sat here soaking it in until it was time to descend. The descent was a little quicker (although we were very grateful for our walking poles) and we were soon back down to collect our remaining bag and walk the final KM to campsite Frances for the night. We were camping for this night so, after checking in, settled ourselves into the tent for a quick pre-dinner lie down. Concerned about the cold we were in bed just after 9pm, both burrowed deep into our sleeping bags.
Waking up once again grateful for having slept better than expected, we had a long slog of a day ahead of us in the direction of our final campsite Chileno. Our walk started with a steep uphill, before flattening out as we navigated alongside a beautifully blue lake. At one point the trail passed a stone beach, with the most impressive crystal clear waters. From the beach however the trail took an upward trajectory, and most of our afternoon was very much uphill. We took lunch on a rock, reverting back to our salami wraps, which had powered us so well so far in the trek.
Our trail today offered some of the most beautiful views of our trek so far. To our right beautifully blue lakes were accentuated by a greener landscape than previous days, and to our left snow capped mountains came closer into view as we ascended further and closer to our campsite for the evening. The final stretch was long and painful as the campsite came into view and we still had a couple of kilometres up and down to trek. Upon finally reaching the campsite we immediately treated ourselves to a rewarding fizzy drink and snickers, before our final meal of chicken. With a 4:30 am wake up call, and camping far from the toilets, we skipped a pre-bed cup of tea and once again had an early night.
With our alarm set for 4:30am to try and catch the sunrise we were up and out in the dark, quickly packing up the tent and setting out with just our head torches to guide us. The path initially wound up and down through a wooded section for a couple of miles before we hit a steep, rocky climb. At this point it was snowing quite heavily, although we were still semi protected by the trees overhead. After some climbing the path became exposed as we neared the top, winding our way around the final part of the mountain, now covered in a layer of snow. The going was slow at this point as it slowly got lighter around us. Soon we reached the top, only to find the view of the base of the Torres completely concealed by white snow clouds! After waiting a few minutes, and starting to feel the cold, we decided to start our way back down through the now compacted and slippy snow. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes after we started to descend the sky did start to clear and we met lots of people who had gone down going back up to see the view. With Sarah’s hesitancy on snow, coupled with the distance back, we decided to keep going down and made it to the Refugio just after 9am for a cup of tea to warm up. After a little rest we decided to press on for the final stretch to the Welcome centre. This was mainly a steep downhill walk and we were happy when the path flattened out around the Hotel Torres. The welcome centre was a truly welcome (!) sight and, arriving at 12pm, we immediately got two Patagonian beers to celebrate having made it!
Hiking the W Trek was an incredible experience, and a truly memorable way to end our two weeks in Patagonia. Now it’s time to head back up North in search of some sun!