Northern Argentina and Bolivia

We originally bought tickets from Iguazu to Mendoza in Argentina with plans to bus north to Salta and then into northern Chile. After travelling all the way to Puerto Williams and spending 23 days backpacking in our first 2 months in South America, we were starting to feel pressed for time. So we changed our flights to take us directly to Salta, and decided to leave northern Chile for another trip. Many of the high elevation places we'd wanted to visit were in the middle of the rainy season when roads can become impassable, so it wasn't much of a loss.

We used Salta as a base for some multi day trips in the surrounding area. First we took a 4 hour bus trip west to the small town of Cachi for a couple of nights. The steep road switchbacked over the Cuesta del Obispo pass then ran through the Parque National Los Cardones. Los Cardones are the candelabra cactus, and they are the only substantive plants in the area. Outside the park, the large cactus are harvested and milled for lumber to make doors, window frames, furniture and even rafters. While in Cachi we did a 20 km day hike along back roads that ran through several smaller villages and ended with a tasting at one of the local wineries.

Next up was a few days in Cafayate, the second most important wine area in Argentina after Mendoza. Since we'd skipped Mendoza, it only seemed right to spend a bit of time in Cafayate and sample the local products. It was also just a half day bus trip from Salta through colourful canyons and rock formations. It's a beautiful little town with just the right amount of tourism infrastructure. Lots of places to stay, decent restaurants, and numerous wineries in the region sprinkled among the cactus and rocks.

After returning to Salta we headed a few hours north to the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The UNESCO listed Quebrada is a narrow and very dry valley with amazingly colourful mountains and small indigenous towns. We settled into Tilcara for three nights and explored the area.

The hills south of Tilcara.

Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls

After bussing and boating well over 4000 kms south through Chile and Argentina we decided to splurge and fly back up north. First we took a rough zodiac ride across the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, Argentina. From there we caught a flight to Buenos Aires via Trelew for a few days, then on to one of the most astounding places we have ever seen - Iguazu Falls.

We always try to avoid large cities or at least get through as quickly as possible, but everyone we talked to told us that Buenos Aires (known as BA) was worth a visit. We had to pass through on our way to Iguazu Falls, so we decided to stay for a bit and decide for ourselves.

Since we only had three days, we tried to fit all the "must do" BA activities into our short visit. We stayed in the historic San Telmo area of BA with its colonial architecture and narrow, cobblestone streets. We wandered along Avenida 9 de Julio - the widest street in the world at fourteen lanes, plus two parallel streets of two lanes each for a grand total of eighteen lanes. We even managed to cross it twice, although it took us two green lights to make it all the way across. 

Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding
of Buenos Aires in 1936, the Obelisco de Buenos Aires
is in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio.

Patagonia - The Dientes de Navarino

We didn't go all the way to Puerto Williams and Isla de Navarino just so we could brag about visiting the southernmost town in the world. We also went to do the Dientes (Teeth) de Navarino hike just south of Puerto Williams. Although Scott and Amundsen would probably disagree, the Dientes is (of course) billed as the southernmost trek in the world. So we've got that to brag about as well.

The raw numbers don't really capture the essence of the hike. If you include the walks from Puerto Williams to the trailhead and from the end of the trail back to Puerto Williams, it's around 45 kilometres in length. The highest point is Paso Virginia at only 3,280', although the hike does start pretty much at sea level. We were only on the trail for 4 days, and only actually hiked 3 of those days. Despite the easy numbers,  sometime late in our second day of hiking, Cyd decided that the Dientes was the hardest hike we'd ever done. And that was before the last and hardest day.

The hike was easy enough at the start. After walking about 4 kms along the gravel road from town to the trailhead, we followed the popular day hike trail to the top of Cerro Bandero. To this point, the trail is well marked and maintained. As you continue past the huge Chilean flag waving at the top of Cerro Bandero, not so much.

Looking west down the Beagle Channel from the top
of Cerro Bandero. Argentina in the distance.