By travellers, for travellers.
Wow....Patagonia....To put it simply - If it’s not on your bucket list, then you need a new bucket list. We thought about this blog for weeks, and how we would describe the natural beauty of Patagonia. After weeks of thinking and discussing we ended up with less than we started. It is by far, unequivocally, the single most beautiful part of the world that we have ever been able to experience! Many times in our stay here, we found ourselves gazing at something, in some direction, trying to put thoughts to words, but coming up with absolutely nothing! It is home to some of the worlds best hiking destinations, Andes mountains, national parks, beautiful lakes, rivers, camping locations that look legitimately, as if they were plucked from another planet and placed on our own.... Plus, the wildlife... Well I guess you will have to read on, or better yet, read this following sentence aloud, as many times as it takes until it becomes your reality.
“I am going to Patagonia”.
Now on our trip, we based ourselves in El Calafate. When you are planning your trip, check the dates and the seasons first as many things do generally close until mid to late October. The easiest way to arrive is to either catch a 25 hours bus from Bariloche or somewhere similar, or for an extra $100AUD or so, you can fly there in just a few hours. We highly recommend the latter option! Once you arrive you can either organise a private transfer or catch a taxi to your hostel.
Now, to make things as easy as possible, we recommend that you stay in the hostel “America del Sur”. Voted one of the best hostels in South America multiple times. Upon arriving you can instantly see why! It is absolutely a beautiful hostel with a large fireplace in the middle of the communal room, panoramic views over the lake, an amazing free breakfast, bar, kitchen, amazing staff, cheapest tours in the entire region, clean, comfy, they even put on a massive, cheap dinner every night! Other extras, if your up early for a big days hike, they will even prepare a lunch for you! For roughly $10-$13 per night, this is by far your best option.
Now, what to do? First thing you need to know is this article will be more based on El Calafate and close activities here. A separate article will be published going into detail about the national park, Torres del Paine, and the many hikes, amazing hikes in the area.
El calafate is a very central point to many different experiences. First things first, let's talk about what you can do with in a easy day trip from here and the big hikes after! So, one of the first things you need to organise is your day out to the Moreno Glacier. A sight to really behold with jagged edges of ice cutting over 74 metres (on average) in to the air and over 5 km wide. Currently over 31 km long, is located between 2 mountains and is one of the few glaciers in the world that is actually growing! It is possible to do a boat trip here for an extra 500 Argentine pesos, Personally we suggest sticking to the walking trail, less crowded, better views and better picture with a lot less rush! Make sure you keep an eye on the wall of
the Glacier as you may be lucky enough to see ‘carving’ happen first hand. This is the process where huge sheets of ice, break off and crash into the lake below. It will be over by the time you hear it so be aware so that you stand a better chance to see it! The sound you will hear is similar to a loud and cracking thunderstorm! There is many different glaciers around El Calafate, many are with in an hours drive and many tours and solo bus companies will take you there. For a real up close and personal experience, it is possible to book all these tours directly through the hostel, but one in particular to look out for is the Kayaking experience! You and a whole group of travellers will be provided the whole kit to join a tour guide and paddle through the lakes and get to see some really beautiful landscapes, etch through the lakes and witness in full, the most amazing glaciers Patagonia has to offer!
Another great half day trip to do in El Calafate is horseback riding! There are 2 trips running daily. One in the morning and one in the afternoon so you can fit it in after a nights partying at one of the ice bars, casino or cerveseria, or, if your an early bird then it is perfect for you to have a good breakfast and make the most of your time here. The tour lasts 2-3 hours and is fit for people of all ages an ability. The company will pick you up from your hostel and take you to their own private farm. Once your kitted up ready to go you will be guided around the farm, which is absolutely stunning, a few river crossings and back home by the lake. The farm is also home to a natural bird reserve, so make sure you keep an eye in the sky for some of Patagonias beautiful birds flying around or nesting! Keep an eye in the sky, for one of the biggest birds in the world, if you are lucky enough you will be galloping along and be able to see one of south america's most famous birds, the Condor. Which is a very important part of the South Americans culture, predominantly from the times of the Incas!
If by chance you arrive to El Calafate mid afternoon, do not feel like you have a half day wasted! Located right by the lake, is a beautiful natural bird reserve. To enter you will need to pay a donation of 300 ARG pesos. The ticket you receive you can use as many times as you like throughout your entire stay! Awesome right? You can even see wild Flamingo, which was news to us!
Special mention - All the other trips.
There is many other activities to do here as well, if we were to go into detail about them all, you will be spending to much time reading and not enough time doing. But to give you some honourable mentions to things you just can not miss in this incomparable part of the world, please do some research on mini trekking, big ice, kayaking Perito Moreno, pioneros, mayo trek, marpatag.... And yes, that is only to mention a few!
El calafate... We will be back. For pictures and more, follow us on instagram at “rysys_world_tour” and “ethanharwood80”.
