If you get a chance to hike in Patagonia, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. The beauty of the area with the mountains, lakes, forests, volcanoes and glaciers left me in awe. According to our guides, we were blessed with good weather as Patagonia can get very windy requiring certain revisions to be made on a day’s itinerary.
Speaking of itineraries, the itinerary posted on Active’s website for Northern Patagonia needs some serious updating. There was a couple of hikes that changed but not reflected on the website. People book these trips based on the itineraries, so needless to say, there were a couple of moments of disappointment for me during the trip.
For the most part, I enjoyed all the hikes. We went during their summer season so we encountered a lot of visitors along the trails. One of my most memorable hikes was Cerro Goye (not on the itinerary). It was a technical hike, cliffy and sandy while gaining elevation. As we were hiking the peak, we saw 3 Andean condors flying above us, it was surreal. Once you get to the peak, you are rewarded of a 360 view of the mountains and lakes. I personally would have appreciated 1 or 2 more technical hikes on this trip.
I loved our main tour guide, Mayra. She was friendly, funny, patient and accommodating.
If you enjoy red wine, do not pass up the opportunity to buy some while you’re in Argentina. They have great Malbec. Enjoy a glass or two in your hotel room at the end of the day (don’t forget to pack a wine bottle opener!) Also if you are a beer drinker, you will find yourself in IPA heaven. lol
And if you enjoy fish, do not pass up the opportunity to try the trout and/ or the Chilean bass. Delicious!
Argentine pesos: you can get them when you arrive at the airport in Bariloche or take a walk from Las Marianas Hotel to Mitre Street (the Main Street for shopping) there will be solicitors on the street for currency exchange but if you go that route, it’s preferred that you exchange large USD bills ie $50 or $100 for a better rate exchange and I find it to be the same in shops too when paying in USD they want you to pay in large USD bills.
Lastly, I strongly recommend you arrive at least 1 or 2 days ahead not only for rest but the efficiency of the local airlines can be quite dubious. A fellow hiker “lost” his luggage at the Bariloche airport. If it wasn’t for his air tag, he wouldn’t have known that it was at the airport all that time in a storage closet. 2 days later, He ended up returning to the airport to get an airport personnel to help retrieve it. (I tagged along for moral support lol)He was initially informed that once his luggage was located, it would be delivered to his hotel which never happened. It was crunch time and he had all his hiking gear in his suitcase. That was a close call. There were two other hikers who arrived on the morning of the first day’s hike due to a flight cancellation, they looked tired, not a fun way to start the trip but we all survived. lol Prepare for possible travel glitches.

| January 1970