Patagonia, Salta, and a little Buenos Aires.
When flying within the country from Buenos Aires, you can use the Newberry Aeroparque airport (AEP) inside the city rather than the international airport (EZE) which is about an hour outside.
Money tips: Bring USD and exchange locally at the “blue rate” which is 2x the official rate. As of Dec 2022 credit cards (at least visa) are also charging at the blue rate, which makes travel way easier! If not, you can also send yourself money using the Western Union website which has a rate closer to the blue rate. The Remitly app is also a good option if you need to make a cash deposit for anything.
We visited the Northern part of Argentinian Patagonia, flying into the San Carlos de Bariloche airport from Buenos Aires, where we rented a car to do the beautiful “Ruta de Los 7 Lagos” road trip (Bariloche to Villa La Angostura to San Martin de Los Andes and back).
You can drive to this lake but we walked there on the Camino Viejo trail. When the wind is still this lake turns into a beautiful mirror of the mountain landscape, hence the name “Lago Espejo”, Mirror Lake.
Camino viejo hike (7km) round trip
https://goo.gl/maps/UMWZMxUFUT6FbDUp8
We stayed in a cabin we found on this local website www.bog.com.ar and loved it! We stayed in the Antilhue cabin ($100/night) in a beautiful serene area close to town. They also have options in San Martin de Los Andes.
We stopped in Junín de los Andes on the way back for an ice cream and stopped in at the Archeological museum to see some fossils and Mapuche artifacts.
A few hiking trails leaving from the campsite of various lengths.
We did a short ~15 min hike to “Cascada de Los duendes” waterfall
But there was a longer 5-6km walk to “Playa Muñoz”, and another to a viewpoint.
You can also rent kayaks from the beach
Cute tea house to grab a bite before/after the Aerosilla! Favorite dessert in Argentina so far: Berry and granola crumble
Huge sandwiches. We got a delicious one with prosciutto and arugula
Juan runs a local real estate company — he helped us look for a cabin to rent, rented us a car at a super affordable price, and was super helpful with recommendations on things to do in the Bariloche area! Speaks great English.
We took a 3 hour bus form Humahuaca to check out this cute mountain town for the day. ends up being all day on the bus for a very small rural town w not much to do. Beautiful drive, but I don’t think the bus ride is worth it.
📍Ecuador
Originally from Hawaii, but I’ve been living in South America for the last few years. I love exploring all South America has to offer - from hiking up to glaciers in the Andes, river rafting in the Amazon, to surfing deserted beaches. When I’m in the cities I love finding the best restaurants to eat at — especially those that showcase local ingredients and highlight the unique culinary identities of the continent.
Ive been lucky enough to travel Ecuador with my Ecuadorian partner who knows all the best insider tips! Excited to share them with you all
#Galapagos Guides coming soon!!
