So after a pretty spectacular day yesterday on the Brazilian side, the Argentinian side of the Cataratas held up the promise to be even better! The National Park on this side is a lot bigger and one really needs a full day to explore and walk on all the different walk-ways and circuits that get you close to the waterfalls! And although there are a lot of tourists here, lot's of groups and people from all over the world, the size of the Park accommodates the masses quite well. The heat however is a different story! It is difficult to be [View Full Entry]

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So from the mountains to the tropics.... palm trees, mosquitoes, heat, and HUGE waterfalls!!!! After another 18 hours overnight bus ride we (Gabriela, the Spanish teacher from BA and I) arrived in Puerto Iguazu on the Argentinian side. And since we arrived early in the morning, after we checked into our hostel, (Marco Polo Hostel, highly recommend it) we figured we use the day to first visit the cataratas (waterfalls) on the Brazilian side. The Brazilian side is a lot smaller then the Argentinian, yet nevertheless just as stunning. The panoramic views are breathtaking and although these f [View Full Entry]

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So now the time in Patagonia is coming to an end! I have enjoyed it a ton, and am not sure if I am really excited to head up to the heat of Buenos Aires, but of course I am still looking forward to the trip to Iguazu Falls that is still on the schedule! So now for now it is good-bye to the mountains! The last two days have been super sunny here, and so I opted for rafting and hanging out by the lake and gave the hiking boots a rest (well, my feet needed the rest probably more [View Full Entry]

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Ok, after those two days on the bus, I arrived in the beautiful mountain town by the lake, Bariloche! If you picture Switzerland, a little bit of Heide, a little bit of Austria and then all that maybe even a tad better... that is Bariloche! Not bad, eh? So the first day here, Dagmar, another German from Hamburg who I had met on the bus and I took a local bus a little outside of town and then rented mountain bikes to bike the extremely scenic Circuito Chico inside the National Park Nahuel Huapi. We had once again only sun and [View Full Entry]

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So after those two full days of hiking in El Chalten, I took a bus up North on the infamous Ruta 40. A "highway" that travels up North along the Andes to the northern part of Patagonia. So, after two days of 12-14 hours on a bus, I arrived in Bariloche on the evening of the 28th. You might think: why would anyone want to be on a bus for 12-14 hours a day for two consecutive days... and i can understand the question, but the answer is quite simple: i love the mountains and desert, and with the ipod handy, [View Full Entry]

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Hola, so this will be a series of blogs hopefully today, to catch you all up a bit on my travels. I traveled to El Chalten from El Calafate, and since it is in the mountains... no cell phone towers, no ATM, gravel roads, and unstable internet because of the satellite transmission, you will just have to bear with me now and i will take you through the last couple of days! EL Chalten is the cutest little hikers paradise town. It is located in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, and all hikes start somewhere in the town! Once again, I [View Full Entry]

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Hola, Que tal? So now a short report from my hiking excursion in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile! I took a bus from El Calafate (leaving at 5:30 am) to Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile! The journey all together took about 4.5 hrs, with about an hour at the Chilean border. Since a lot of tour buses cross this tiny border post, the back-up can be quite extensive, but nevertheless, we made it to the Park by around 12 o'clock and then toured the park by tour bus with different stops at lookout points and with a [View Full Entry]

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Hola a todos, today I visited the amazing Perito Merino Glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciers Now I was impressed with the Glaciers in New Zealand and Norway, but nothing really comes close to the Glaciers here in Patagonia! WOW! The fact that Perito Moreno alone covers an area of 257 sqkm, is 30 KM long, 55 m high and 4-5 km wide and is not the biggest in the Patagonian Icefield is amazing! I know that you will enjoy the pictures, but now imagine the sounds of ice breaking off the glacier and falling into the lake! Since the Glacier [View Full Entry]

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I spend my last day in Ushuaia visiting the Maritime Museum and the former Presidio in the morning and hiking the Glacier Martial in the afternoon. The museum, which is housed in the old prison of the former Penal Colony Tierra del Fuego, shows the life of the prisoners, as well as a pretty interesting account of the expeditions to Antarctica. The Maritime portion of the museum tells the story of the ships who have sailed the cold waters of the Antarctic and the waters around Tierra Del Fuego and provides a glimpse into the life of the regions history. I [View Full Entry]

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This morning it was certainly time to hike again, and so I joined up with two of my "dorm- mates" Christoph from France and Marco from Spain, and the three of us tackled the remaining hikes in the National Park! After about 20 + km, I am thoroughly tired right now, but it was once again a phenomenal day, with lots of sunshine, incredible views and wildlife along the way! So i am writing this blog as I am enjoying my Quilmes (beer brand) and some chips in the sun room off the hostel! Once again, there is really not much [View Full Entry]

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