The Ultimate Patagonia

We have always loved the mountains. Back in Nepal, we used to trek frequently. We felt completely alive when we were in the wilderness. Unknown about what was in store for us, we were very excited about our trip to Patagonia. Many of our friends had been

When we started researching, we made a list of places we wanted to go but we didn’t want to miss any of it but had limited time and so much to explore. In the beginning, we had thought that we would do the famous W trek, all around Patagonia, even through Chile. Our Chilean visa was in process and we expected it to be an E-visa. However, it turned out to require a physical meeting, which we missed as we were already in Argentina. This is what happens when we travel, plan A doesn’t always work so, we need to have a plan B, C, D, and even E.

We explored different means of transportation after finalizing our itinerary but were flexible if any adventures came along the way. The only way to reach the Patagonian region was to fly in as the road transportation would take us a lot of time and would be even more expensive. We were worried that the season would not allow us to get there as everyone was telling us that winter was coming and once it started to snow, we wouldn’t be able to experience the Patagonia. We checked the flight after 2 days of landing in Buenos Aires where we had already booked our Airbnb for a few days.

Our plans changed when we checked the weather forecast. It was clear that we needed to act quickly due to the few sunny days ahead. So, we immediately booked our flight for El Calafate. We were feeling a bit anxious as many told us that the flights don’t land on time and it would be wiser if you had a day or two of extra days when you plan your itinerary. Taking the advice seriously, we had done so but everything was perfect. Our flight took off on time from Buenos Aires. It was a 3-and-a-half hour-long flight, traveling across 2050 km.

After a lot of research, everyone suggested that we should take an immediate bus to El Chalten which was only a 3-hour bus ride from there. We found bus tickets at the airport without any delay. As we endeavored on the road, the journey was pristine and majestic. The song ‘Almost Heaven, Patagonia’ played in my head. It was one of the most beautiful road trips we had ever been to. The road is also very popularly known as the Ruta 40 which is considered as one of the best roads for a road trip in the world. As the bus was driving along the road, the majestic Mt. Fitz Roy started to appear and as we traveled further, the view of it started to look grander as we were getting closer towards it. We even saw many Guanacos along the way, one of the native animals in Patagonia.

After we reached El Chalten, popularly known as the trekking capital of the world, found a traveller companion Constantine with whom we went to the hostel and checked in. The town was beautiful and we could see some snow-peak mountains. The breeze was cold and it was not densely populated, but quiet. We decided to travel together and head straight for the Torres del Paine trek, which would bring us to the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. It was an 18 km long trek and we were super excited for it, not knowing what lay ahead of us. We had to rush as time was limited and we had a long way to go. We started walking and were left stunned along the way to witness the landscapes, nature, and the whole vibe. It was fully in the wilderness as there were no hotels, no shops or nothing to be seen, anywhere nearby. We kept walking and reached many viewpoints along the way where we stopped and stared at the view, left mesmerized.

It was getting more and more difficult. We doubted whether we could make it. Many were camping, and the trek typically takes a few days, but with our limited time, we had to hurry. We pushed ourselves and reached the top after a treacherous climb of a couple of hours in the end. We were the last ones to reach the top and the wind was very strong. Usually, people start in the early morning but we start in the afternoon that too after a flight and a bus ride. Even though we struggled, we finally made it to the top. It was stunning and we felt accomplished to have made it. We rested for a while, took some deep breaths, and beautiful pictures, celebrated with our sandwiches, and slowly started to realize that we had a whole way to get back. We thought it would be easy on our way down but as we started to move, we realized that we were on for a lot of excruciating pain. We kept walking on our way back and it was slowly starting to get dark and we were getting worn out and even limping, with water starting to drizzle. At times, the body had given up and only the will had been carrying us.

While we made our journey back, it seemed to us that we were the last people as there was no one to be seen. After about 5 hours, around 8 pm, we met a group of Filipinos. They turned out to be interesting, and we enjoyed their company as we headed back together. Suddenly, time started passing fast and we enjoyed our conversations along the way. They even gave us medicines to help with the pain. Around 11 pm, One of the guys heard rustling in the woods and, using a flashlight, revealed a pair of eyes staring back—it was a Puma. Most of us couldn’t believe what we had seen and some of us started to get very frightened. After a while, we could no longer see or hear the animal. One of the guys in our group had an injured leg and Constantine helped him along the way. Finally, we saw some town lights and that was the most relieving feeling ever which was around 1 pm. We reached the town shortly and parted ways with the Filipinos who handed over a few hundred-dollar bills to Constantine for his help and support who guided us all back safely.

We checked in our hostel and ordered a few pizzas and beers. After an hour of dinner, conversations, and laughs, in all the pain, and feeling like a robot, we finally went to sleep. The next day, we wanted to treat ourselves to a better stay in luxury and found a beautiful cabana with Mt. Fitz Roy at the backdrop that was just perfect. We decided to go to see the waterfalls, the condors, and a few viewpoints that day after taking some rest in the cabin. They also had a pool table and table tennis which we played as both of us were sporty, enjoying ourselves, and sipping our coffee.

All of the locations that we were looking to visit were not so far. In the next days, we went to the waterfall which was called Chorrillos del Salto and it was only a couple of kilometres away. The owner of our hotel was very friendly and kind and decided to drop us to the waterfall. After a short walk, we reached the waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful and it felt serene when we stayed close to it, enjoying its sounds and the atmosphere. When we reached there, it was not very busy so we could enjoy the serenity, had a picnic lunch and the best photos. Soon, there were a lot of people who came in and so, we slowly headed out. We walked our way back to the hotel and decided to just stroll around the picturesque town. We cooked ourselves some Nepali dinner as we were missing the flavours of our home.

The next day, we decided to go to the viewpoint, El Mirador De Los Condores next to the town to catch the view from the top from where we could also see the Condors. We walked through some viewpoints and as we climbed, we could see Mt. Fitz Roy from a different angle, which looked majestic as it is. For the first time, we saw the Condor and many of them. These were gigantic birds, even larger than the humans that are about 10-12 feet, and are the largest birds in the world. We enjoyed our day at a slow pace, with the postcard view, sipping wine, and a brunch that we had taken for ourselves.

The best thing about the Patagonia was that there was no charge to get anywhere. Even the treks were for free. Nature was free as it should be. The next day, we had to take our bus back to Calafate. We checked out of the hotel and headed back to Calafate. We had not booked our stay in Calafate as we wanted to hunt around for the best places around town, be sure, and only then confirm. Before we went to the hotel, we wanted to book our bus for the famous, ‘Perito Moreno Glacier’ which was one of the highlights of our trip. Not sure, if everything would be busy and packed, we rushed to the bus station to confirm our tickets.

After reaching there, as it was late at night, everything was closed but only an hour for it to open, we decided to wait and grab a bite with a coffee. Meanwhile, we met many travelers, some locals, and many tourists like us. We collected different opinions and decided that we would not take the package as if we just took the bus tickets two way, it would be easier and cheaper. Until then, we were looking for accommodation nearby and found a few options but not very satisfactory. We got on the line to get our tickets as it wasn’t packed at all and we got the best bus seats for our trip to Perito Moreno Glacier on the next day.

We decided to take a walk to the nearest accommodation and checked out a few places. The first few that we saw, we were not very satisfied with the view or the price or the rooms until we came across one particular hotel that was offering a whole apartment at the price, we were offered the room which if we would take, it would be a rip-off but we got the best deal. With the landscape view of the whole city which was next to a beautiful lake and a whole apartment with a heater and a kitchen. We went to the departmental store nearby and grabbed ourselves a few bottles of wine, food, vegetables to cook, and some snacks for the trip. Both of us cooked ourselves a scrumptious meal and enjoyed it with a sip of the finest wine.

The next morning, we had an early trip to the glacier. In a hurry, we made ourselves breakfast, washed dishes, and packed our bags to check out of the hotel. We were getting late but made it right on time for the bus. Even when we were traveling to the glacier, we were soaking up the astounding views along the way, driving right at the time of sunrise through the lake. The bus was full and after a two-hour drive, they stopped us to collect our money for the tickets as it would be hassle-free for us while entering the glacier zone as the driver and his assistant sorted everything out for us. They dropped us in the spot gave us a few hours to stroll around and asked us to meet at a spot by 5.

We were thrilled to witness the Perito Moreno Glacier from the top and at the entrance we found a cruise option that was being offered to watch the glacier up close. Without giving it a thought, we took our tickets and entered to watch the glacier, first walking. There were pathways built with iron and wood that would take us hours to go around. Like children, we started walking and realized, the ways were not ending and we had limited time to get to the cruise. So, we went through different areas caught different views from different directions, and rushed our way to catch our cruise.

When we boarded the ship, it left the port to sail across and around the Perito Moreno glacier. We were left mesmerized when we saw those big blocks of ice holding themselves together, in different shapes and sizes. It was worth every dime we paid. We sailed back with the sunset and walked our way to catch the bus. As we were there before time, we couldn’t find our bus. We walked around to look at the bus and were walking with some fellow travelers. When we spotted the bus, I rushed to board it, thinking it would take a shortcut. Instead, it went a different route, and I accidentally left my wife behind, who had no phone and no money with her. The bus reached the bus stop and she also came back as her fellow travelers were with her, however, she was furious and had thought I abandoned her, even the fellow travelers had thought so.

Well, these sorts of adventures become stories later and we laugh about it. After finishing with Calafate, we took a 28-hour bus ride to Bariloche, a honeymoon destination and snowboarding paradise also in Patagonia. We decided to take the bus as we wanted to explore the road, we had to follow the Ruta 40 road all along the way which was 5194 km long right from the bottom south to the north which we traveled all through. Stay tuned for more details on our adventure in the next edition.