An easy day trip from Cafayate, the Quebrada de las Conchas was incredible. Cafayate has sunshine all year round, and under a clear blue sky, this vast, colourful geologists dream was fantastic. Meaning "valley of the shells", Quebrada de las Conchas has been formed over many many years and used to be underwater, hence there are shell fossils. The landscape is so different from anything else we had seen in Argentina. Our guide told us that Argentina is like five countries in one because it has so many different types of terrain. The only three things the same across Argentina are Spanish, the flag, and a passion for football according to our guide! Quebrada de las Conchas was almost desert like, with cacti and dry land, and colourful soft rock. We hired a driver for the ... read more

From Bariloche, we had a much easier drive up north to Tucumán, overnight on the bus and arriving in Tucumán the next evening. We made friends with the drivers and they invited us down to the front to sit with them and drink maté. (Maté is a herbal tea drink that is very very popular in Argentina). It was the first time we had got to try maté because even though half the population drinks it, it is shared amongst friends and at home rather than being available at cafes or restaurants, so unless you buy the Yerba and the maté and the bombilla (straw), it is not that easy to come across as tourists. We sat in the front of the bus sharing rounds of maté (you drink one cup, refill it and then pass ... read more

Bariloche, a place of fond memories, for my brain and for my tastebuds! Just a warning, don't go to Bariloche if you are dieting, the food is just too good. Also, consider giving up being vegetarian for the sake of Alberto's steak restaurant! It really is a gastronomic town, if such thing exists! Set in front of the big, beautiful Nahuel Huapi lake, and surrounded by mountains, Bariloche is not very big but it is a lovely town and a popular base for skiers. I visited during winter, but I am sure it would be equally pleasant in summertime. Bariloche is a great place from which to take the drive round the seven lakes between San Carlos de Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes (see next blog) and is also close to other peaks with ... read more

After a three hour flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, flying over Patagonia's barren lands, we were in true Southern hemisphere winter, surrounded by snowy landscapes. Within fifteen minutes of landing on the tarmac, we were in a taxi driving past mountains and lakes under crisp blue skies on our way to the small town of El Calafate. Our hostel (America del Sur) was located in front of the lake and the underfloor heating was most appreciated, as the temperatures way down south were much cooler. (We were so far south that sunrise wasn't until around 9.30 am which was very strange to me). The town of El Calafate was nice and quiet, and as we were there in off-season, some places were shut. There were enough restaurants and a big supermarket though. The main ... read more

Take a twenty hour bus overnight from Buenos Aires, and you will end up in Puerto Iguazu, a town built for the sole purpose of being close to the magnificent Iguazu falls. A twenty hour bus may sound fairly hellish, however it was possibly the comfiest coach I have ever taken. We opted for the 'cama' class, so the chair becomes fairly horizontal, similar to what I'd imagine business class on an airplane is like. The bus never stopped, and we were served a snack, dinner (which included red wine and a glass of champagne), and breakfast! Not a bad ride at all! However.... The star of this blog is without a doubt Iguazu falls, an incredible natural wonder, so vast and powerful, it is hard to find the words to do it justice. We spent ... read more