ARGENTINA
After having
spent the past month traveling around Argentina, I feel pretty confident in
saying that it’s consistently stunning. From the capital of Buenos Aires to the
very bottom at Ushuaia, up along the Andes and Patagonia, across to the
inundated wetlands of Esteros del Ibera and to the very northern borders with
Brazil and Paraguay to the awe-inspiring Iguazú Falls, stunning has been the word that most came
to mind. Throw in some random street tango, delicious cuisine, gorgeous trails and
abundant wildlife and I can safely add that, as a photographer, hiker and
food-lover, Argentina has everything. I can’t believe it took me so long to get
there.
Buenos
Aires, ultra-modern capital mingled with old-world charm and known for its street art, is about as pleasant
a city as you can possible land in. It's easy, organized and despite being home
to some 5 million people is rife with quiet little neighborhoods. The public
transport is effortless; get a SUBE card for the Subte underground and you can
refill and ride to your heart's content all over the city.
We stayed in the San
Telmo barrio, a charming mixture of cobbled streets and low colonial houses,
great restaurants, good supermarkets to refill the hostel fridge, and the
excellent indoor and on Sundays outdoor market, Feria de San Telmo. If you've
ever been to Denmark, think Torvehallerne but a lot older. On Sundays the
surrounding streets are closed off and stalls line the pavement but any days is
a good day to visit the indoor market for antiques, dulce de leche, clothes, souvenirs
and an amazing array of really good food.
 |
| Heavenly empanadas at the San Telmo market |
Of course no visit to BA would be complete
without peeking into the coolest bookstore in the world (sorry, Powell's):
Ateneo Grand Splendid, housed in a former theater. Walrus Books is a good
option for English language books.
 |
| Ateneo Gran Splendid bookstore |
Speaking of warm days, one of the local
pilsners, Quilmes, is as pleasantly refreshing as a Singha and any street
vendor who will sell you a choripan, essentially a baguette with chorizo and
chimichurri, is a godsend. They're cheap and absolutely delicious. Argentinean
chorizo is less fatty and, in my humble opinion, more flavorful than the Mexican version.
For craft beer, my favorite was Patagonia IPA but they also make stout and a
red ale. And yes, the malbecs, even the less expensive ones, are delicious.
 |
| Tapas bar, San Telmo |
In the San
Telmo area, Plaza Dorrego is a great place to catch an inexpensive tango show
and a cold beer, but there are also organized shows. Nearby is a small venue
dedicated to the late and great Mercedes Sosa that often has live music and
hosts various artisans.
If I were to recommend one meal at a restaurant, I'd
say Gran Parrilla del Plata, which serves up perfectly grilled beef like no
other and the service is extremely down to earth, nice for those of us who
don't travel with fancy clothes. Big, bold, beautiful BA has it all.
  |
Super delicious food at Gran Parrilla del Plata
|
Outside of
the city, we did a tour with a few people to the small town of Tigre from where
we took a boat down the canals. It made for a nice respite from the bustle of
BA and it was neat to see the little wooden houses along the river and the
occasional kingfisher, although fair warning - it's extremely touristy. The best part was really hanging around the harbor and seeing just how much cargo can be loaded onto one barge...
 |
| Loaded barge on Rio Tigre |
We flew to
Ushuaia in mid January to catch the last of summer, endearingly nicknamed El
Fin del Mundo and it really does feel a world away from the busy heat of BA. It
sits between the imposing, glacier-capped Martial Range and the famous Beagle
Channel, hugging Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego on its eastern front and a
wilderness of lakes and lenga forest to the west. Being that far south means
that the weather is about as unpredictable as one can imagine - it's the sort
of trip you pack tee shirts and a down jacket for. So we were well prepared for
the four days of rain, hail, snow and brilliant sunshine that Ushuaia and
Tierra del Fuego had in store for us. And wind. Oh my, the wind. I had heard
that Patagonia was tempestuous but it's the first time I've actually been near
horizontal - which is why I recommend going in summer/fall since I cannot
imagine that with the addition of ice. But it's gorgeous and so we went.
 |
| Landing in weather beaten Tierra del Fuego - that's Chile over there | | |
 |
| Downtown Ushuaia |
One day we hiked the Glaciar Martial. The
trailhead is about 7 km from downtown and you can walk it or take a taxi. They
are fairly inexpensive and abundant. The hike is all uphill but the variety of
wildflowers and the glacier itself are worth it.
 |
| Martial Glacier |
 |
| Haberton Ranch property |
The day after we did the thing
that was the whole reason for coming to Ushuaia: we went to Martillo Island to
see the penguins. Piratours runs 20-person trips from Ushuaia to Haberton
Ranch, which houses a museum with a large collection of mammal and bird
specimens.
From this location we and about 12 other people took a small both to
Isla Martillo. Expecting to see a few penguins we were floored by meeting a
whole colony, many watching us with ill-concealed curiosity from the beach. The
island is home to about 3,000 gentoo and magellanic penguins (pygoscelis papua and spheniscus magellanicus, respectively) and
the occasional king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus). We saw only a single king that looked a little
lost among the hordes of his co-residents but he was beautiful. Many were young
and infants, some still nesting although their actual nesting areas are fenced
off to avoid inconsiderate people from getting too close. Bring a camera and a
big memory card - it's amazing. I came back with my pants covered in penguin
doo from sitting on the ground to get good shots.
|
  |
| Young gentoo and adult |
 |
| Magellanic |
 |
| The seemingly lonely King, wondering where all his friends are |
 |
| Gentoo on nest |
We hired a
taxi to drive us around Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego since it's huge and we
only had limited time but it was well worth it and the hiking was lovely. There
are several nice treks. The one I did most of was Sendera Costa that runs
parallel to the coast and had beautiful scenery and interesting flora. There is
a train that runs into the park but it’s only a 4 km ride and really only goes to
the edge of the park itself so we skipped that in lieu of more trail time.
 |
| Tierra del Fuego coastal trail |
Our last
day in Ushuaia that also serves as the jumping off point for Antarctica cruises
was spent with a boat trip on the Beagle Channel. Patagonia Adventure Explorer
runs small-boat trips that get far closer to the islands than the catamarans
and were extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and vegetation. The trip
passes several islands with cormorant colonies, sea lions and fur seals, and
makes a stop at Bridges Island to climb to the top for amazing, windy 360
degree views of Ushuaia, the Martial Range, Tierra del Fuego and Chile. Coming
back, the crew served us hot drinks, cookies and homebrewed coffee liquor,
which always puts a plus in my book.
 |
| Cormorant colony and Chile behind |
For food in
El Calafate, which is otherwise pretty touristy and therefore expensive on a
backpacker budget, the local Parrilla La Marca near the bridge is excellent and
they have all-you-can-eat options of beef, lamb, pork and chicken. The lamb in
Patagonia is delicious, leaner than what we're used to from the US, NZ and Oz
because grass is scarce on the pampas and the animals have to walk farther to
feed. La Marca's grilled lamb was heaven, enough to feed a small army, and
there was a good selection of local wines as well. They even let me go into the
kitchen so I could question the cook on the process.
 |
| The first serving of lamb.. more to come |
Another
reason to visit El Calafate was to take the bus to El Chalten, trekking capital
of Patagonia. It's about 2 1/2 hours, costs less than a lunch, and it a
beautiful trip across the pampas with lots of guanaco and rhea sightings along
the way.
 |
| Guanaos |
 |
| Ruta 40 across the endless pampas |
Once you get near El Chalten, the Fitz Roy range towers across the
hilly steppe, majestic and imposing, and makes your feet itch to get up there.
The town itself is a very laid-back and much smaller version of El Calafate,
mainly visited by trekkers and other adventure seekers. We stayed in a wonderful
hostel, Inlandsis, near the Rio de los Vueltos, but there are many other
options as well. There are some good restaurants, among them Nomade Resto Bar
and Matilda's, which has some of the best gnocchi I've ever had. Matilda's also
serves up a mean Irish coffee. Maffia is, obviously, an Italian restaurant that
is likewise excellent, again making me grateful for the significant percentage
of immigrants to Argentina. The pasta here is as good as any I've had in Italy
and there are also plenty of take-out options. While there are a couple of
small grocery stores, fruits and vegetables are somewhat costly since most of
them have to be imported from El Calafate.
All the
hikes around El Chalten are reputedly good. We did El Mirador de los Condores
one day, a fairly easy one behind the park information center that permits good
views of the town and valley.
In the afternoon we took a shuttle to Glaciar
Huemul some 37 km outside of town and hiked to the end of the trail, an uphill
all the way affair but again entirely worth it. The trail starts at Lago Del
Desierto. A huemul
is a fairly rare deer species that we unfortunately did not spot.
On day two,
I did one of the best hikes of my life: the 3,128 meter tall Cerro Torre. The
trailhead is just at the outskirts of town and on that day there were only a
few low-hanging clouds to contend with. The views on this 18 km roundtrip trek
are spectacular all the way and I mean ALL the way, even though the Torre
itself was shrouded in clouds as it most often is. In front of the spire Laguna
Torre, with its intersecting glaciers spilling into the lake, was hazy blue and
dotted with boulder-sized chunks of ice. It was windy and sunny and cloudy all
at once, a weather pattern you quickly come to expect in Patagonia. It makes
for some interesting shots.
Our time in
El Chalten was too short and there were more trails beckoning my attention but
we had to move on and so took the shuttle back to El Calafate and flew to San
Carlos de Bariloche. It's is a bit of a Swiss-style tourist mecca and not my
favorite place in Argentina, but there are some good eateries (the street
choripan cart near the Mercado Artisenale is a definite plus, as is Sara's
Creperie) and besides, Bariloche is known for having some really good chocolate
shops.
 |
| Switzerland... or Bariloche? |
  |
| Choripan heaven |
Although I love chocolate, we were there for the hike to and
overnighting at Refugio Frey. The refugio, essentially a mountain hut, was
established by the local hiking club and you can rent a bunk with mattress for
around $20 US directly from their Spanish-only website but no more than 3 days
in advance. It was easy to book but bring cash. Meals are extra, large and very
good, and there is beer, wine and sodas available in addition to some snacks.
We had hut-bagged in New Zealand a couple of years ago - this was like that but
with meals, which made the somewhat grueling
last 2 km of the 12 km trek well worth the effort. The skies were
perfectly clear, too. I can't recommend this outing enough. The views are
spectacular, the hut staff friendly and professional, and the array of
wildflowers surrounding the lake on which the hut sits was wonderful. We were
even visited by a couple of upland geese and to cool down you can take a dip.
If you run out of water along the way, the streams are safe to drink from
directly. And if you are a rock climber, this is the place for you. I am not
but it was fun to watch them scale the cliffs.
 |
| Refugio Frey and the solitude |
 |
| Upland goose |
  |
| Great place for alpine wildflowers |
 |
| The refugio at sunset - the dorm is the upper floor |
 |
| Sunrise was not bad, either |
 |
| Shared dorm with comfy mattresses |
Bariloche
sits in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, a 7500 square km area dotted with
numerous lakes and small towns, intersected with immense swaths of woodland. We
took a bus tour around seven of the lakes, ending in San Martin de los Andes. I
would not necessarily recommend this tour as it was pretty touristy and I
would have preferred a smaller area with some good hiking, but it was a good way
to see a lot of the park in one day.
 |
| One of the lakes in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi |
From
Bariloche, we flew to Posadas. This is the first time we have flown so much
inside a country but Argentina is huge and we simply did not have the time to
bus around too much. Posadas is one of several entry points to the Esteros
del Iberá, a 13,000
square km wetland that is home to some 350 species of birds and mammals. We had
arranged for a pickup from the hostel we were to stay at since getting there
was not possible by bus and so, after 4 ½ hours along Ruta 40, half of which
was a very dusty dirt road, we arrived in steamy hot Colonia Carlos Pellegrini
right on the edge of the park. It's bit of an expensive trip but worth it just
to see capybaras sprawling around like overheated guinea pigs the size of
actual pigs. They are adorable and fearless.
 |
| Capybara babies |
 |
| Black caiman |
The park has several good trails
and we ended up doing excursions with a guide from our hostel, Posada Jasy,
that included a couple of boat rides, a walk, and a night drive where we
spotted a very cute crab-eating fox among other wildlife. Expect great birdlife
and some very hot days. There are a few places to eat - Don Marcos has
excellent Milanese sandwiches - and a small supermarket. As with most places
around Argentina, they take a siesta and close down everything from around 2-7
pm, though not Don Marcos. Also, there were no banks or ATM machines so we
brought plenty of cash from Posadas.
 |
| Cuckoo |
Leaving
Ibera takes a bit of work as well and we had to arrange a special departure
with the hostel back to Posadas so we could catch a bus onwards to El Soberbio.
This small town sits on the banks of the Rio Uruguay and also forms the border
with Brazil half a mile across the river.
Once in El Soberbio, we were unable
to find a local bus north to Mocona but were fortunate enough to find a nice
cab driver who did not mind making the 35km trip late on a Saturday night for a
mere $20. Our lodge of choice was Mocona Guazú, where we got a nice private
section of a 2 unit building. They also had more expensive but more primitive
huts facing the Rio Uruguay. Ours had a kitchen, which is always nice. There
are no shops this far out but up the road a bit, all flanked by subtropical
rainforest with accompanying heat and humidity, was a small botanic garden,
Yari Yasaru, which provides tours in English of the sustainable crops they grow
and medicinal plants in the forest. They make a vast array of jams, pickles and
liquors and provide free tastings.
 |
| The tasty selection at Yari Yasaru |
Other than watching the river go by this area is the place to visit Mocona del Saltos, a bit
of a geographical anomaly in that a rift has formed a shelf in the Rio Uruguay
so that there is a 3 km long waterfall spanning the length of the river instead
of across it. We got a ride with family members from the hostel for about $35
US for a 4-5 hour trip. Entirely a good deal considering there is no other way
to get there. The park entrance of $19 US includes a half hour boat ride along
the falls - we got pretty wet since they take you right up to the spray so
bring a bag for the camera, but it was great fun and a pretty amazing sight.
There are a couple of short trails through the forest near the visitor center
as well. The area is part of the much larger Yaboti Biosphere Reserve so the
money you pay helps the conservation efforts which, in my book, are always a
worthy contribution.
 |
| Mocona del Saltos |
 |
| Butterflies near Mocona |
 |
| Heading further north on the Crucero del Norte bus |
The last
stop on our trip was Iguazú Falls. We got a hostel in Puerto Iguazú about 30 km
north of the falls, the lovely named Butterfly Hostel. From there we took a bus - the Rio Uruguay bus company runs every
half hour or so - to the falls. There were lots, and I mean lots, of tour
buses. After having spent time in tiny quiet Mocona, it was bit of a culture
shock to be suddenly submerged into a sea of European tourists, but hey, the
falls really were amazing. The whole experience was extremely well organized, with a
small train that takes you to the largest fall, Garganta del Diablo, and plenty
of steel walkways so you can get quiteclose to the water. It was a zoo,
though, so prepare for the masses!
 |
| Garganta del Diablo |
 |
| The falls on Brazilian side |
 |
| Giant catfish in Rio Iguazú |
 |
| The tourist train to Garganta del Diablo |
 |
| View from the lower trail |
 |
| Coatis |
 |
| Waiting for a hapless tourist to drop his lunch |
We just had
the one full day in Iguazú and did a trip to a small animal sanctuary outside
of town. They do tours in Spanish and English and are essentially a center for
rescued forest animals. In the evening we had dinner at the local food market, which was yet another excellent example of Argentina doing meat really, really well.
 |
| Puerto Iguazu night market |
 |
| Kitty at the night market |
 |
| Street art in Puerto Iguazu. |
And then it
was back to Buenos Aires, which sort of felt like coming home a bit, for some souvenir
and gift shopping and a last dinner at fabulous Parrilla de la Plata. We had a bit of time left and visited the Cementerio de la Recoleta to take in the beautiful architecture and alleged tomb of Evita (and follow stray cemetery kitties).
While
there is no doubt you're in another country, so many things about Argentina are
familiar but on a much grander scale. Patagonia was truly one of the best
places I've hiked, Buenos Aires one of the best places I've eaten, Ushuaia one
of the most unique and windiest spots on Earth. So just buy a ticket.
It's really stunning down there.
Hostels:
Buenos Aires - Art Factory San Telmo
Ushuaia - Case Departamento en el Bosque
El Calafate - Los Gnomos
El Chalten - Inlandsis
Bariloche - Saray
Esteros del Ibera - Posada Jasy
Mocona - Mocona Guazu Ecolodge
Puerto Iguazu - Butterfly Hostel
Buenos
Aires, ultra-modern capital mingled with old-world charm and known for its street art, is about as pleasant
a city as you can possible land in. It's easy, organized and despite being home
to some 5 million people is rife with quiet little neighborhoods. The public
transport is effortless; get a SUBE card for the Subte underground and you can
refill and ride to your heart's content all over the city. 
No comments:
Post a Comment