Overnighting at Refugio Frey

Mike and I spent a month in Argentina last year and while there were lots of highlights, hiking and overnighting at Refugio Frey outside of Bariloche was among the best. If you have done any of the New Zealand huts, this one is very similar with the exception that reservations can only be made a few days in advance. Oh, and the website is only in Spanish. I am not fluent by a long shot but fortunately it's pretty self-explanatory and Google Translate works wonders. 

Anyway, a few days before we had planned to overnight at the hut we got on the website and booked a couple of bunks (http://refugiofreybariloche.com). We were there in early February, which is the high season, but we had no trouble getting reservations - though I did stay up until a few minutes past midnight to get them, just in case. I am Danish and we are all about timing :).

Street art in Bariloche

San Carlos de Bariloche is a tourist town and it was easy to find a place that rented sleeping bags. From our internet research we had found out that there were the usual bunks with mattresses but nothing else so it was a BYO pillow, headlight, etc. situation. However, the refugio has a full kitchen so we splurged by signing up for dinner and breakfast which, as it turned out, was a great deal. Argentina is not an inexpensive country but it was worth every real.

The unmissable trailhead

The trailhead in located inside the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. To get to the trailhead, we took a local bus at around 7 am from Bariloche bound for Cerro Cathedral and were dropped off at the last stop, which was a large parking lot with a few concession stands. They were closed when we got there, possibly because we arrived very early but it was easy to find the trailhead at the far end of the parking lot since it had a large wooden statue, for lack of a better word, of a backpacker with a "Frey" sign.

We were lucky with the weather and it was clear and sunny all the way. The lower section of the trail goes through brush and shrub and, if you're a "hortaholic" like me, some seriously cool plants. Argentina was presumably once a part of the same slice of continent that included New Zealand, but not Australia, and a lot of the vegetation was familiar. But cool plants or not, the first section is very exposed and we drank a lot of water so bring plenty. There was a section of the trail that was a bridge, a bit harrowing for someone with fear of heights, but otherwise it was well maintained and very easy to follow.

After an hour or so and a bend in the trail we emerged into a more shaded area. Dry shrub gave way to the iconic beech trees of Patagonia and we soon walked on a forest trail. It was beautiful and much cooler. We soon reached Refugio Piedritas, a wood shelter lodged under a huge boulder, where you're not allowed to overnight but can take a rest. There were benches and a fire pit so you can cook a meal if you're on the trail late. We, however, pressed on as it was still before noon. The trail followed a shallow stream, Arroyo Van Titter, where we crossed the only foot bridge and took a rest by the banks. I had read that the water is drinkable without having to filter it. We did not use filters and did not have any problems but that's just a personal preference.

From the shelter, the trail continued up and through shrub and got a bit more rugged. We met a group of local army guys who told us they used it for training. After the shrub section we emerged onto a mountainside with great views of the valley.

First sighting of the refugio

The refugio lies at 1700 meters above sea level, with a total ascent on the trail of about 750 meters over the span of 12 km. It takes about 4 hours to get there, though we took longer since I take an awful lot of pictures. 

The refugio sits on beautiful Laguna Tonchek, which is a mecca for alpine flowers. We saw dozens of different species, along with some beautiful Andean ducks and their teenage duckling. Above the site the pale grey shard of Aguja Frey towers like a sentinel and is a destination for climbers. I was content to watch, listening to the echoes of their calls to one another from high above. It was mesmerizing. 

The dining room

As more people pooled in during the afternoon, the kitchen started to get busy preparing dinner for those of us who had bought the full deal - it was delicious! Since they also sell beer and wine, we bought a bottle that we ended up sharing with a group of Brits and a girl from Holland who added more drinks to the table, and spent the evening swapping tales and playing cards. A really good time in a really beautiful place. It just doesn't get much better than that.

Giant plate of stroganoff - not for the faint of heart!

As evening set in and it started to get dark, I went out photographing the light painting the gray mountains. It's a sight I'll never forget - and if I ever do, I have like a million pictures of it.

The sleeping room upstairs was comfy enough, a little noisy but it's a hostel after all and we got some good shut-eye before getting up at the crack of dawn to take more pictures. Another gorgeous light show later, and breakfast was served which was as delicious as dinner - pancakes! Then we packed up, wandered around for a while and finally headed back down, feeling like we had been somewhere really special. And we had.

So if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Bariloche, do this hike. I promise you won't regret it. And as always, feel free to email me with questions. :)