Bariloche

After Calafate we headed up to the land of lakes, Bariloche.

Also known for it's beautiful surroundings (becoming a bit of a theme in Patagonia) and the major ski resort in South America, the city followed the theme of Calafate and Ushuaia - chocolate shops galore, tourist driven and lots of restaurants and bars.

We planned to be there for three days before heading up to Mendoza.

El Calafate

Moving on from Chile, we headed back into Argentina for some much needed ´r n r´and headed to the ski resort town of El Calafate.

Obviously during the winter ski-ing is the main attraction and the town is set up to give the perfect apres ski effect.

It works well in the summer too. Calafate marks the entrance to Parque nacional de los glaciares. A haven for hiking but of course most people come here to see the glaciers, namely Perito Moreno Glaciar which is one of only two in the world that is growing.

Torres del Paine

Loathe to leave, we departed Ushuaia at 5am and headed for Chile with the aim of making it to Torres del Paine national park. The trip was an experience. Border control took a lot longer than on the way down and 12 hours in we arrived at Punta Arenas. We decided to stopover before heading to Puerto Natales, the gateway town to the park the next day.

I have to say we were less than impressed with Chile´s southern Patagonia´n towns compared to Argentina´s, however the park itself more than made up for this.

Fin del Mundo

After Puerto Madryn we headed onto Ushuaia, the city at the end of the world. Most people come here to travel to Antarctica and although we were sorely tempted at US $4000 per person (last minute price) we had to be sensible and forgo the experience this time..

There was lots else to do though in and around the city. The centre itself is a tourist haven set up to cater to the influx of foreigners it receives every summer when the boats start going out as well as those that come in the Winter to enjoy the ski season. As such it has a very Swiss feel about it. It is also tax free so very good for shopping! We spent a morning just wandering around.