Puerto Madryn, Argentina

November 22, 2016

After another big overnight journey we made it to Puerto Madryn. Despite the tiredness we walked to our hostel and after a tea and coffee ventured out for a walk along the seafront to the site of the Welsh settlements. The weather was a complete surprise, blue skies and high temperatures, vastly different to our time in Bariloche.

The next day we woke early to do a tour of Peninsula Valdés. We saw so many animals. From the minibus window we watched guanacos (similar to llamas and alpacas) and a rhea and chick crossing the road. Our first stop was to see huge elephant seals lazing on the sand, we also saw a sea lion having a slow swim in the ocean. On another stop we saw the cutest little Magellanic penguins napping in their burrows. After an impromptu stop to watch mare from the window and a quick armadillo sighting we made our way to our boat trip to hopefully spot whales.

We were so lucky as we spotted several southern right whales, one as it breached. We also witnessed a mother and calf gently swimming by the boat, I'll never get over how beautiful and majestic these creatures are.

The following day was a relaxed one, we spent the evening chatting to fellow Brits George and Rosie, swapping travel stories and laughing a lot until the early hours.

As we didn't have any plans for the next day, we were invited to join George and Rosie on a road trip to see a huge penguin colony at Punta Tombo. The drive was a little long through quite desolate landscape but it felt so great to have the freedom to drive where we wanted and George and Rosie were excellent company.

We arrived at the colony and were overwhelmed by the amount of penguins, they were everywhere! Walking on the pathways, dozing in their burrows and generally milling around making noise and mess! It was a joy to see so many of them, particularly the ones swimming in the ocean.

The following couple of days were spent deliberating about what to do next, going for walks along the beach and watching the sunset from the pier. We still weren't feeling 100% and so a little down time was much appreciated. While Craig got some rest I spent hours drawing in the hostel kitchen, eating apples with an ocean view. Our next stop would be El Calafate, home to Los Glacieres National Park and where we'd finally see some real wild Patagonian landscapes.

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Bariloche, Argentina

October 20, 2016

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.

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.

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.

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

October 20, 2016

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.

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.

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.

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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