Patagonia Galleries

Lago Escondido :

Lago Escondido

Updated: Nov 28, 2007 8:23am PST

Chile: Driving to Alerces Forest :

Chile: Driving to Alerces Forest

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 7:20am PST

Arrayanes Forest : Although there are Arrayan trees near the town of Bariloche, and elsewhere in the Andes, the forest that takes up most of the Quetrihue' Peninsula is special. It is the largest stand of very old and tall Arrayanes trees. In this special grove, the Arrayan trees are much taller than elsewhere in Argentina, and most are 150 to 250 years old. These trees are in the myrtle family. Their bark is extremely smooth and cinnamon-colored with white splotches. As they age, they become beautifully gnarled and "braided".

Arrayanes Forest

Although there are Arrayan trees near the town of Bariloche, and elsew ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2007 6:18pm PST

Bariloche : Bariloche is the largest snow ski center in South America. The town spreads along the south shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi., and caters well to tourists with all sizes of bank accounts. The local mature native trees are a very special sight to see.

Bariloche

Bariloche is the largest snow ski center in South America. The town s ...

Updated: Nov 10, 2007 3:09am PST

Bariloche to Angostura Excursion : North of Bariloche there is an unpaved road that passes through an especially scenic area of seven lakes. We drove 18 km of the road, dodging dump trucks and detouring around construction sites, and finding few access points to the lakes. Very disappointed, we turned around and drove back to the town of Villa la Angostura, for coffee and a taste of the hand made chocolates.

Bariloche to Angostura Excursion

North of Bariloche there is an unpaved road that passes through an esp ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2007 1:56pm PST

Casita Llao Llao : For Bariloche accomodation we rented this perfect one bedroom house. The Casita is 23 km west of downtown Bariloche -- snug, comfortable, quiet and situated right next to the Llao Llao peninsula with park, walking trails and of course the famous Llao Llao hotel. "Why come to Patagonia and stay in a city? It's a million dollar view from the windows of the casita, overlooking Lago Nahuel Huapi and the islands and mountains to the north. The ceiling is bare wood with beams, the furniture is rough-hewn of local woods, and the floor is flat stones. The gardens below the house contain local lupin flowers (Texas blue bonnets) and a few of the local araucaria trees callled El Pehuen (Monkey-puzzle tree).

Casita Llao Llao

For Bariloche accomodation we rented this perfect one bedroom house. T ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2007 7:58am PST

Cerro Campanario Chairlift : Not far from our casita is a chairlift to the top of mount Campanareo. Facing west, the views are of the Andes mountains in the far distance, and the local lakes and peninsulas in the foreground. It was wonderful to see from above all of the places we had visited. It was an excellent orientation, as well as a great photo opportunity, pastries and good coffee.

Cerro Campanario Chairlift

Not far from our casita is a chairlift to the top of mount Campanareo. ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2007 8:20am PST

Cerro Fitz Roy : Mount Fitz Roy's reputation as the most difficult mountain in the Andes to climb did not deter us from scaling its lower parts up to Lake Capri. At 3,405 meters in height, at the summit, the granite spires formed of rocks of extreme hardness are topped by a cupola of ice. We drove from El Calafate to the town of El Chalten, considered the trekking capital of Argentina, and the base for most Fitz Roy climbs. Our 1000 foot vertical hike took us above a river valley of great beauty, through an ancient forest, to a pristine lake from which we could fill our water bottles, all within view of Fitz Roy's mighty spires.

Cerro Fitz Roy

Mount Fitz Roy's reputation as the most difficult mountain in the Ande ...

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 12:46pm PST

Cheddar: Cafe' de Tea : We had just arrived by plane, rented a car, and were looking for our rental cottage. While we were looking for the cafe that our cottage owners recommended, we found Cafe Cheddar. What a delightful place, overlooking the lake, lovely local flowers, good food and coffee. We returned several times during our visit to Bariloche. And we learned that Cheddar is for sale for US$500,00, including the associated home - what a posie!

Cheddar: Cafe' de Tea

We had just arrived by plane, rented a car, and were looking for our r ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2007 9:25am PST

Circuito Chico : This is the 62 km-long circular route around the Llao Llao peninsula, at the west end of the town of Bariloche. The drive takes you past lakes and streams, excellent hotels and restaurants, lovely forests, lookout points , craft shops, cable cars up the nearby mountains, and boat trips out to the islands in Lago Nahuel Huapi.

Circuito Chico

This is the 62 km-long circular route around the Llao Llao peninsula, ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2007 2:07pm PST

El Bolson Excursion : Our friends Jamie and Shanie recommended that we drive to El Bolson, 127 km south of Bariloche, for the Saturday market fair and parks. We found some real treasures for our Christmas shopping.

El Bolson Excursion

Our friends Jamie and Shanie recommended that we drive to El Bolson, 1 ...

Updated: Nov 11, 2007 8:18am PST

El Calafate : This town services travelers who have come to visit the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. We stayed at the beautiful Design Suites hotel, perched atop a bleak hill overlooking Lake Argentina and the Andes in the distance. The town has built a fine waterfront drive along an ecological reserve where native geese and flamingos graze among the horses.

El Calafate

This town services travelers who have come to visit the Parque Naciona ...

Updated: Nov 23, 2007 2:56am PST

Gauchos of Lago Puelo : On our way to Lago Puelo park, we happened upon a Tradition Day celebration, where we watched the local horsemen and their families carry on the gaucho traditions of horsemanship. Tradition Day (Dia de la Tradicion) is Argentina's great gaucho festival. According to the World Events Guide: The day falls on the anniversary of the birth of Jose Hernandez, one of the nation's most important poets who highlighted the injustices and hardships of the common people of his day. Tradition Day is the climax of a week or so of parties, concerts, gaucho parades, traditional music, feasts and other festivities across the country. For more see the Argentina government site, which includes a biography of José Hernández.

Gauchos of Lago Puelo

On our way to Lago Puelo park, we happened upon a Tradition Day cele ...

Updated: Nov 11, 2007 12:20pm PST

Lakes Crossing to Chile : We took the day-long journey across the northern Lake District in Argentina, across the Alps, and into the lakes district of Chile. This is the old route first used by the Jesuits. Short bus rides interspersed with leisurely lake crossings by boat, of Lakes Nahuel Huapi, Frias, Todos los Santos, and Llanquihue, through temperate rainforests and beneath snow-capped mountains. We arrived in Puereto Varas, then visited our friend Evans in Puerto Montt.

Lakes Crossing to Chile

We took the day-long journey across the northern Lake District in Arg ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2007 7:34am PST

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares : Several dramatic glaciers spill over into the arms of Lake Argentino, having flowed from the southern Patagonian icecap, which is about 250 miles long. Our boat trip took us first to see the Upsala Glacier, at a distance of 4 km, because it has a large field of icebergs in front of it. Next we disembarked for a walk through a forest to Onelli glacier, and then back aboard the boat to travel to the truly spectacular Spegazzini glacier, which we were able to approach close to the calving face.

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

Several dramatic glaciers spill over into the arms of Lake Argentino, ...

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 7:10am PST

Puerto Madryn: Museum of Man and the Sea : Patagonia is an extremely harsh environment, known as a steppe, where there are high summer temperatures, low winter temperatures, and low rainfall. This climate is too dry to support a forest but not dry enough to be a desert. The sea, however is very fertile and supports many marine mammals, sea birds, and penguins. From the museum website: "The recently restored Oceanographic and Natural Sciences Museum re opened its gates at chalet Pujol, one of the most emblematic houses in the city. Located on a privileged corner from where a beautiful panoramic sight of Puerto Madryn may be caught, the building was refurbished with a modern conception that, in addition to preserving its architectural value, shows the various pieces of its heritage. The exhibition has been organized in various rooms and ranges from the history of Madryn, paying special consideration to the Welsh immigrants, to the wide ecological diversity in the geography of Chubut."

Puerto Madryn: Museum of Man and the Sea

Patagonia is an extremely harsh environment, known as a steppe, where ...

Updated: Nov 24, 2007 4:24pm PST

Puerto Pyramides Whale Watching : Although we saw whales spyhopping and even one whale breaching, the conditions for photographing the southern right whales and their young were not ideal. The seas were rough in a fresh breeze, and there were more than 70 other people on board, lining up to see the whales. It was a lucky trip. The following day, the seas were far too rough, and the one boat that did go out, turned around and returned to the beach where it grounded during the retrieval attempt. Sorry no photos due to the conditions. The intrepid whale-watchers were treated to a resourcefull firedrill comprised of multiple tractors + wheeled-contraption which worked to retrieve them in small groups from the grounded cat. And over the next 4 or 5 hours rescued the cat -- leaving a totally deserted beach outside our windows. The photos in this gallery were not possible on days two and three of our visit - our lenses would have been sandblasted by the pummeling of blowing sand and salt spray. We lost electrical power the afternoon of day 2. The Hotel Restingas staff found candles for us, then rustled up a very nice bottle of Finca La Linda malbec with some traditional Argentine cold cuts and cheeses for an early dinner. We had moved to a beachfront room, but could see little of the drama outside as the windows were coated with a slurry of salty sand.

Puerto Pyramides Whale Watching

Although we saw whales spyhopping and even one whale breaching, the co ...

Updated: Nov 24, 2007 6:09pm PST

Punta Tombo Penguins : The driving was not any fun -- 38 km of "ripio" each way, but we were determined to visit the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world. During the months of September to March, the penguins live in shallow burrows where they mate, lay and hatch their eggs and raise their chicks. The beaches, cliffs and sandy steppe bordering the bleak Atlantic coast are pockmarked with hundreds of thousands of burrows, and we were allowed to walk through some of the nesting areas. We almost spent the night in the car in this remote and desolate place. The Budget car's headlight alarm did not sound, so of course the Chev. Corsa wouldn't start [Argentina road rules, and prudence, dictate headlights are always on - of course the lights are not automatic]. Fortunately there were four Univ. of Washington grad students and post-doc biologists volunteering at Punta Tombo. Our little emergency created an opportunity to learn a bit from them about their penguin research. And Steve returned some of their generosity by showing them that their brand new jumper cables were defective -- then they helped us do an old-fashioned push-and-pop start. We made it back to Puerto Madryn for some sleep about midnight -- bushed, and very happy to have survived night-driving on the rural Argentine roads [not recommended].

Punta Tombo Penguins

The driving was not any fun -- 38 km of "ripio" each way, but we were ...

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 12:53pm PST

Victoria Island Cruise : The first segment of our day-long cruise on Lago Nahuel Huapi was to Victoria Island [the island being part of the view we enjoy out the front windows of our Casita Llao Llao]. The cruise was on the large power catamaran "Cau Cau" [big sea gull], where we selected the "VIP service" providing luxury top deck seating plus food and drink. In espanol cau = sea gull, so "cau cau" means "big sea gull". Similarly, "Llao Llao", the locale of our casita, means "very sweet" because "llao" means "sweet". Since we were looking forward to walking through forests of native trees, we were a bit surprised when we discovered that the tour was to show us some of the 200 species of exotic trees with which the logged forest had been reforested. The exotic trees are now mature, towering redwoods, sequoias, eucalyptus, elms, pines, cypress trees, and more from all over the world. The plan is now to replace the exotics with native trees, once again.

Victoria Island Cruise

The first segment of our day-long cruise on Lago Nahuel Huapi was to V ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2007 3:17pm PST

Perito Moreno Glacier :

Perito Moreno Glacier

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 7:23am PST

Puerto Varas to Bariloche :

Puerto Varas to Bariloche

Updated: Nov 25, 2007 11:19pm PST