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On the Way to Carretera Austral, Argentina
The journey from Patagonia’s southernmost town Ushuaia northwards thru Tierra del Fuego, to the tourist hotspots of El Calafate and El Chaltén. After a visit to Glaciar Perito Moreno and a hike to Mt. Fitz Roy, on thru the pampa to Paso Roballo to Chile’s Carretera Austral.
Ushuaia 2 Cochrane
Rio Gallegos, 31st December
Yesterday we’ve arrived from our Antarctica cruise. Back to Ushuaia.
This morning time to say goodbye to Conny’n’Simon. You already know, the guys we always meet when we’re on the water a little longer.
Prado thanks us for the 2 weeks of leave, and the nice holiday home with our travel agency for the cruise. But now it’s eager to move on. Now northwards.
Today we plan to reach Rio Gallegos. The 1st town on South America’s mainland. Some 580 km on a good road. Just to add 2 border crossings and 1 ferry. Well, let’s see how it works.
Once we’ve crossed the mountain chain behind Ushuaia, the weather improves considerably.
At 2pm we’re already at the border to Chile. 30′ later we drive on. The few km thru Chile.
As we’re quite early, we’re pretty sure to arrive in Rio Gallegos this evening.
At least until we approach the ferry crossing over the Strait of Magellan at Bahia Azul. More than a km of cars on 1 lane. On the other the same for trucks. And no ferry in sight. The wind is simply too strong for them to operate.
Some guys think the wind may calm down at night. Thus, we can eventually cross before the ferry shuts down at 1am.
We opt for an alternative: drive 30km back to the tiny village of Cerro Sombrero. Spend the night there and try it again tomorrow morning.
True, it’s not a world-class sleepery. Still, it protects from the fierce wind, has something to munch, and some beers.
Early next morning we’re back – waiting for the ferry to operate. By now just 100m of cars, but still quite a number of trucks. Visibly many people passed the night in the queue.
At 8am the 1st ferry arrives. We’re on the 2nd 1 – 1/2h later. 30′ to reach the South American mainland at Punta Delgada.
Just another hour to reach the Chilean border. Unfortunately, it seems to be a lengthy crossing. Huge queues. All mixed: incoming people, outgoing guys, loads of bus passengers, truck drivers, etc. On the Chilean side, more than 1h to get all stamps and papers – immigration definitely shows its importance. A little less on the Argentinian side.
In the afternoon we finally arrive in Rio Gallegos. What a nondescript town.
Anyway, as it’s New Year’s Eve, all shops have already closed down. The only movement we can see in town is the garbage being blown thru the deserted streets.
In the evening we only find 1 single place open. Fortunately, it’s a pretty nice coffee house’n’bar. Serving excellent beer and odd burgers. Still, by 8pm they close as well.
So far, our New Year’s Eve in Rio Gallegos. However, to celebrate we have 1 bottle of champagne left from the cruise.
El Calafate, 2nd January 2023
Next morning. The morning when everybody wishes anybody a happy New Year, all the best, and many nasty kids.
After this ceremony and breakfast, we’re on the way to El Calafate. 1 of Argentina’s most infamous tourist hotspots. Nevertheless, the gateway to a visit to Glaciar Perito Moreno – Argentina’s most famous glacier and an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Some 300km on a good road. But very strong headwinds. Prado’s consumption nearly doubles.
The landscape – flat, desert-like, lonely. Rather boring until we approach Lago Argentina.
Early afternoon we arrive in El Calafate. Find a pretty lousy sleepery at the price of a decent boutique hotel, but with excellent internet to upload all pics’n’vids from the Antarctica cruise.
The town: couldn’t discover anything else than tourist infrastructure. Mainly the overpriced travel agencies trying to sell every tour at higher prices than the guys in Swizzyland. And largely discriminating against all foreign visitors by refusing their payment in Pesos – thus doubling the price for them. Rip-off at its best. But who really needs these guys?
At least we find a good watering hole and an excellent asadero with some entertainment from street artists.
Next morning. We drive the 70km to Glaciar Perito Moreno. Said to be the world’s most wonderful 1. Let’s see.
Arriving at the national park’s entrance gate we already have the impression we’ll not be the only 1s who plan to admire the glacier. And this despite an entrance fare policy highly discriminating against foreigners – no wonder tour operators in El Calafate do the same. Shame on you guys from Argentina’s national parks. Remember you’re Argentinians, not citizens of the proud Democratic Republic of Congo.
Already from far away, we can see the huge icefield of Perito Moreno. And imagine, this is only a very small part of Patagonia’s huge Campo de Hielo Sur.
Arriving near the glacier Prado is sent to a parking. Nice place – Prado likes it, but we have to use the offered minibus to reach the trails.
After that, we’re finally near the glacier. There are a number of walkways on the slopes opposite the edge of the glacier. With many viewpoints. Time for a kind of hike.
Well, maybe don’t expect a great hiking feeling or adventures. The walkways are infamously overdeveloped for all the guys arriving in Havaianas. But the viewpoints are definitely great. You just need to queue up a little bit until a few 100 visitors standing in front of you have taken their selfies. Whatever, let’s see what to expect. We’ve known that this is Argentina’s ultimate hot spot for incredible over-tourism. Still, it’s a great view.
In the afternoon back to El Calafate. Busy to organize the next days.
We need some more Pesos. Western Union in town is well known to be absolutely dysfunctional. If they have funds, you queue up forever, to get less than 200$. So, we search for quite a while for someone to change cash. Not an easy task, nobody seems to have enough Pesos. Finally, we find a kind of professional money changer. In a backroom of a restaurant – looks like a money laundering issue.
Then we need to pay for the hotel in El Chaltén. True, that’s really unusual. But as our next destination is heavily booked, we had to make a reservation. Of course, 1 we can pay with pesos. Thus, booking.com or similar sites are not an option. The 1 we found after a pretty long search wants to be paid in advance. Fortunately, there’s their sister sleepery in El Calafate where we can pay cash. Yeah, not easy to be in heavily booked tourist hotspots and to cope with Argentina’s weird economic politics.
In the evening we find Restaurant Nina. Looks quite ok, as an alternative to the steaks of 1kg each we had yesterday. Unfortunately, it turns out as a 1st class tourist trap. You even don’t get what you ordered, even if the waiters insist that’s the very thing you always wanted to eat. Just to add, we’re still not sure if lifelong torture would not be a fair punishment for such a bad cuisine. Thus, avoid Restaurant Nina under all circumstances.
El Chaltén, 4th January
2 days in El Calafate are definitely enough. We better leave it to the remaining other tourists who like hot spots like these.
We’re on the way to El Chaltén. Unfortunately, it’s just the next tourist hot spot. But also, the gateway for the famous hike to Mt. Fitz Roy. Some 300km away on a tarred road. Despite the gravel marked on all maps.
Along Lago Argentina and Lago Viedma. The latter with all the mountains next to Mt. Fitz Roy in the background.
Early afternoon we arrive in El Chaltén. The very 1st thing to explore – of course, Argentina’s most famous gas station. We’re not the only 1s having this great idea. So, we have to queue up for quite some time to fill up.
Famous El Chaltén: doesn’t seem to be a real village where real people live. It’s more of a cluster of sleeperies, eateries’n’watering holes for the numerous tourists. For many of them, it looks like their primordial interest is to show their expensive outdoor clothing. You know, a little bit like in a Tanzanian National Park overpopulated with US tourists sneaking around in their most fashionable safari outfits.
Whatever, they have a cool watering hole with excellent IPA and a cool shelf full of wine. What more do you need?
Next morning. The hike towards Mt. Fitz Roy. To Laguna de Los Tres. 10km horizontal, 1km vertical to sneak. 1 way. So better to leave early – between 7 and 8am. This also avoids the hordes walking up every day – especially the numerous tour tourists from El Calafate, often in groups of 20 to 40 persons.
The 1st kilometers are just slowly going up on the slopes of El Chaltén and the valley towards Lago Desierto in Chile. Then rather flat towards Mt. Fitz Roy.
As there’s nobody else sneaking up, there’s still some wildlife to admire.
After an hour at Lagoona Capri. Don’t expect too many of these famous Italian fishermen or Caruso to schmaltz O sole mio. It’s more about the fabulous view of Mt. Fitz Roy and its neighbors.
Then another 6 km of a more or less flat trail.
After 2 1/2h and 9km, there’s the point the hike is famous for. True, remains only 1 km. Just you have to climb 400m uphill. And don’t think it’s on a well-developed trail you may slowly get up. No, they just placed all rocks they could find in the middle of the trail and make you climb each’n’every 1.
At least they warn you on a big signboard.
After 1h of scrambling just a few meters are left to reach Laguna de Los Tres. Unfortunately, Mt. Fitz Roy hides in the clouds. Even the most intense sun dance doesn’t help.
Once you have reached Laguna de Los Tres even don’t think that you’re done with the hike. You definitely have to sneak another km to get to the ultimate viewpoint. The pond you already know on your right, Laguna Sucio 400m below you at your left, and Mt. Fitz Roy in the clouds in the back.
After 2h at the lake, it’s pretty evident that the sun dance has not been too effective. Time to sneak back. We’ll certainly need some time to reach El Chaltén. Especially at that time. There are 100s hiking up. Mainly the huge tours arriving from El Calafate.
Back to El Chaltén, it’s time for a couple of beers and something substantial to munch.
Bajo Caracoles, 6th January
We drive on. To reach Carretera Austral in Chile. Today just 300km to the small town of Gobernador Gregores. Most of the time on Argentina’s famous Ruta 40.
Gobernor Gregores: a sleepy small town in the middle of nowhere. A kind of hub in the semi-desert of southern Argentina for the few people living in this huge area. And a stopover for all these bikers’n’automobilists so enthusiastic about Ruta 40.
True, the town does a lot to make the place more attractive. No idea how successful this is in reality.
The next morning on to Bajo Caracoles. Just 200km thru the desert. Maybe not the most interesting drive ever. Still, on the way quite some wildlife.
Bajo Caracoles: don’t worry if you just bypass it without taking notice. Just a tiny nothing in the middle of an immense nowhere. A few government buildings, the roadhouse serving as hotel-bar-restaurant-supermarket-gasstation-instaphotopoint, and 2-3 houses.
We spend the night in their slightly grotty sleepery. This gives us the opportunity to visit another UNESCO World Heritage site: the Cuevas de Las Manos.
Some 50km to the caves on a quite good gravel road.
Arriving there we have to wait a bit. There are quite a number of people with the same idea. Somehow, we start feeling that the big summer holidays in Argentina and Chile have finally started. After 1h, it’s our turn to visit. Of course, only with a tour. Probably the guys are afraid we would steal some of these paintings and later they have to justify that to UNESCO.
It takes about 2h to visit it. In a pretty large group.
Back to Bajo Caracoles. To the roadhouse. To have a couple of beers, after a few hours something to munch, to observe all the guys frequenting the place, and to chat with a couple from South Africa just about to discover the world on their way up to the sources of Congo River.
Cochrane, 8th January
We’re leaving quite early. True, it’s only 200km to Cochrane. But all on a remote gravel road, over Paso Roballo, and crossing the border to Chile. Who knows how many hours we’ll finally need to reach Cochrane.
The 1st part thru Argentina’s Pampa. Very dry landscape, then approaching the Andes and the lakes at their eastern side. Still no really high mountains.
After a little over 2h, we reach the Argentinian border post. We’re pretty astonished to find more people queuing up. Not many. There are just 3 cars. But it still takes some time to stamp all these passports. Internet seems to work extremely slowly, so it takes an eternity to check everybody’s criminal record.
A few km further the Chilean post. It even takes longer. They’re just about to explain to some tourists that they cannot leave the country with their rented car because permission from the rental company is missing. Visibly, the guys are pretty frustrated. Especially, as they booked everything for each’n’every day thru a German tour operator.
Finally, we get all the administrative stuff we need. For the very 1st time in Chile all handmade. Reminds a little bit of Africa. Hopefully, they’ll accept it at the other border posts.
Just 100km left. On the Chilean side, the landscape gets much greener. Thru the newly established Parque Nacional Patagonia.
Late afternoon we finally arrive in Cochrane. You really feel here they’re still in the mood of pioneers.
That’s enough for this post. Surely you’re tired of seeing it. And hopefully still jealous.
Soon there will be the next 1. About Chile’s famous Carretera Austral. On the way to the north.
In the meantime remain jealous, preferably dreaming every night of such a trip. But please get back to reality in the morning before heading for salary slavery.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin