Lakes & Lava

We left El Chaltén in Argentinian Patagonia with heavy hearts. We had met some fantastic people, enjoyed sublime views and had embraced hiking. The last one is probably a stretch too far but we were looking forward to exploring the lakes and snow capped peaks of northern Patagonia.

Travelling up Ruta 40, Argentina’s version of Route 66, we had left the more mountainous areas and arrived in our first ‘Lake District’ stop of El Bolsón after a 22 hour bus journey. A small town nestled at the foot of a mountainous range, famous for a hippie movement back in the 70s. Feeling lethargic, we were rewarded with a stunning cottage-like hostel. The garden stretched for acres, featured a small stream and hammocks for all our wine consumption needs. All three of our evenings in El Bolson were spent either swaying in hammocks or in front of a fire. Mornings were just as sweet – decent coffee and homemade bread, smothered with dulce de leche (a 3rd mention, anyone claiming bingo?)

Wine and a hammock – living the dream

Our oasis amongst the hills was relaxing enough to stay at all day but we instead opted to hike Cajon de Azul. The walk took us through a forested valley and beside a turquoise blue stream, and even a shout of ‘puma!’ although we were less convinced by that. A few knee wobbling moments over rickety bridges were conquered, however a new nemesis was discovered in El Bolson. The midges of Scotland had not prepared us for the horse flies of northern Patagonia. Giant vampire like flies, capable of biting through clothes and relentlessly set out to devour Cal (que the wild, frantic flapping of a gangly, pasty tourist).

Holding on to the side of the bridge seemed like a necessity

Having fended off the horse flies (just), our final day in El Bolson was spent sitting by beautiful lakes and exploring the local artesenal markets, as well as tucking in to some of the Patagonia famous gelato. El Bolson had been a quaint and relaxing introduction to life in Lake District, and we met some interesting people – a German vegan for Rosh to emphasise with, a couple of Brits emigrating to Canada to take inspiration from (perhaps) and a French paraglider who flew right into the hostel one eveniAn afternoon spent skimming stones

Onto our next destination, and a beautiful 4 hour drive up the road landed us in Bariloche. Famously the place where Hitler was said to have had escaped to, as well as ‘where God would live if he was in Argentina’ – we had high hopes for beautiful scenery and a hit of culture. We travelled on and reached our panoramic hostel, with views overlooking a beautiful, vast lake. Another hostel that gave us little incentive to leave. However given the German influence, Bariloche is home to plenty craft beer houses and we had a good reason to explore.

The view from our hostel looking over the town of Bariloche and the Andes – we both agree that the Lake District is one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited

Not ready to say goodbye to the hiking just yet, we explored Llao Llao – it’s actually pronounced with an S and in a Shaun Connery accent – Shlow Shlow. Maybe the accent was not official but Cal was convinced. The walk to the top of Llao Llao gave us perhaps the best view of the trip so far. Perched on top of our picnic stop rock – we had an idyllic setting of lakes, mountains and forests. Add in 2 absolutely delicious vegan meals, nights spent drinking craft beer, and Bariloche has been very kind to us. We spoke too soon though and Cal was struck down with illness and bed ridden for the day. Thankfully it was only one day out of action and the next morning we hopped on a bus destined for our first border crossing. Vamos a Chile!

Our favourite view of the trip so far

Our drive through the Andes was beyond picturesque and, with 2 apples left behind (no matter how hard we tried to convince border control they went well with peanut butter), we arrived into Puerto Varas. Our first stop in the Chilean Lake District, and our first view of some of the ‘ring of fire’ volcanoes that are spread through this part of the world. Having successfully nailed our previous meals, we thought it was easy going and Cal whacked on the rice. Cue some distressed French girls, panically asking “who’s is this? It is burning” Cal grabs the pot and removes from heat, burns fingers in the process. Rosh finds Cal minutes later – a dishevelled, deeply embarrassed, wincing from the burn, shell of a man and eating a boiled egg alone in bed. Cal later discovered he had left his earphones on the bus. Victim #2. He’d had better evenings.

The town of Puerto Varas sits on this lake, with incredible views of Volcan Osorno & Volcan Calbuco

The sun did not shine on the shores of Lake Llanquihue either morning we were there, but we were promised sunnier lands a bit further out. Bracing the advice, we ventured to waterfalls with Aussie Cass and looked upon stunning views of clear water with volcanoes as the backdrop. We spent the day exploring small streams, devouring fresh fruit and ended up back in Puerto Varas with pizza, our first Pisco Sour of the trip (a delicious Margherita-like cocktail, hotly debated between Chilean and Peruvian ownership) and promises of white water rafting the following day.

Indulging in some Chilean street fruit (an early sign that Chile had taken the lead for us)

Rafting was high on both our ‘things to do list’ – fuelled with falafel, and in high spirits over how much cheaper Chile was than Argentina, we were exploding with excitement. That excitement was quickly squeezed into a wet-suit and we were off, crashing into icy, clear waves while surrounded by volcanoes. We briefly stopped to attempt a cliff jump (about 4m high). Cal successfully jumped, Rosh bravely walked up to the top and stared the water down before taking on the 2m option (albeit with some negotiation). Having looked back at photos, we realised how far off the water this actually was and couldn’t not share it here for your enjoyment.

Puerto Varas had been perfect – a small town, friendly vibes and beautiful views. It left us hungry for more volcanoes, adventure action and scenic surroundings. A 6 hour trip up,the road and we got to the town of Pucón, which had it all in multitudes. The first day was spent planning activities and debating whether to climb Villarica – one of 5 volcanoes that has an active lava crater. Given the aversion to skiing and all things steep and icy, Rosh decided it was not for her but Cal wanted to give it a go. The next day at 5:30am Cal took the bus with three Swiss travellers to Villarica. The Swiss opted for a chairlift, bypassing the first 400m ascent while Cal walked – making a total of 1800m icy ascent in three and a half hours. From the top you could see swathes of sulphuric gas puffing into the air and then blasts of lava spewing out, one of Cal’s highlights.

Cal looking like Bane from Batman at the top of Volcan Villarica

The following days were spent exploring the outskirts of Pucón – hiking to lakes and spotting the Monkey Puzzle tree. The hike was not the most scenic, a slog at times and heavily featured the horse flies, prompting the idea to quickly get back to water based activities.

Parque Nacional Huerquehue was filled with monkey-puzzle trees (tall, toilet-brush like), the national tree of Chile

This culminated in a trip to one of the geothermal spas around Pucón that was promised to ease our aching muscles after a month of hiking around Patagonia. Spending 4 hours hopping around pools of differing temperatures, with the occasional plunge into a waterfall, was an afternoon well spent.

The heat from the water meant the plants growing around the pools were far more tropical than expected!

Sticking with the water theme, we set out on a kayak voyage and reflected on political discussions and opinions. Of course it wasn’t all that serious and kayak cerveza featured amongst intermittent paddling. Also, self-reflection was met with intense water-reflection and Cal’s red knees began to extend to red shins and feet (even Rosh got a bit tinged). Despite the burn, we cooled off with ice-cream and sunsets on the lake – one our favourite days so far!

To top Pucón off, we indulged in Michelin star-quality food from the in-house chef who rustled up one of the best curries we have had, continued our education of craft beers in the region with the 3 local favourites, and even had a Friday night pub quiz which made us think back to our local King & Co in Clapham. After two weeks in the region, we left with a love for volcanoes and lakes. We had been spoilt by scenery and we can’t wait see similar landscapes in Central America next year. But for now, we are loving Chile and can’t wait to head to our next stop, Valparaiso.

Hostel Hit: Our El Bolson oasis La Casana de Odile was as fairytale as it gets. It’s sparked a conversation piece with travellers we meet – “how would you design your perfect hostel.” The El Bolson masterpiece is the benchmark so far!

Food find: After travelling around Argentina with our bottle of chilli sauce, coming to Chile and being introduced to merkén was a treat – Chile’s version of smoked chilli pepper that made every breakfast of avocado on toast a party in the mouth.

What we’re listening to: Finally diving into some Latino vibes with an album from Perotá Chingó – laid back female vocalists that we heard in Bariloche.

Love & hugs

Cal & Rosh xxx