It is time to talk about Argentina! Really this article could be titled 2 weeks in the Argentinian-side of Patagonia, but that didn’t have quite the same ring to it. What we will be sharing with you here is the amazing 2 weeks we spent exploring southern Argentina. We knew when we set out to explore South America that Patagonia was going to be a major focus. To see as much as we could, we bounced across the Chile and Argentina borders a couple of times as we made our way south.
We are excited to share our journey with you, and even more excited for our next trip to Argentina to see more of what this amazing country has to offer.
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Places we Visited & Stayed:
– Bariloche (Airbnb): Bariloche is a stunningly beautiful city that doubles as a giant wind tunnel. It literally took our breath away. Right on the waterfront of a glacial lake and surrounded by the Andes, there isn’t a bad view in the city. The views are further augmented by the plethora of chocolate shops, breweries, and wineries (thank you Swiss/German influences)!
Our Airbnb was on the 15th floor of a large apartment building. We had a studio with a giant king-sized bed, brand new appliances, and gorgeous views of the water which were made even more beautiful during sunset. We found that there was a surprising lack of hostels to choose from in the area, and the hotels were past the upper limit of our budget (ahem, boujee), so we got a great deal with this apartment. Plus, it was helpful to have our own space for storage when we went backpacking, leaving our extra weight behind and not wasting groceries.
– El Calafate (Hostel Inn Calafate): El Calafate was a lovely little town, and much more quaint than Bariloche. Downtown was bustling and had a bunch of delicious food options and wine shops, and the surrounding area was very residential. This hostel was super affordable, so we opted for a private room with a king-sized bed and a private bathroom. The room was very spacious, and actually had an extra twin-sized bed, which would make it perfect for traveling families/groups. Plus the view of the sunset was incredible. Hostel Inn Calafate also has a large common space, free breakfast, and a fully equipped kitchen to cook your own meals. As always, the option to cook for ourselves saved us a ton of money, and gave us a nice opportunity to catch up with fellow travelers.
– El Chalten (La Comarca): El Chalten is much smaller than El Calafate, and is the home of the infamous Monte Fitz Roy. It’s pretty incredible, when you want to backpack you just grab your pack and walk out of town into the wilderness. Our hostel here was basic, and we stayed in a 5-bed dorm room. While quaint, La Comarca offers a large kitchen/dining space and 2 different common areas for guests. Plus, the owner is super kind and accommodating. We actually stayed here because our reservation somewhere else fell through, and it was super easy and cheap to get a couple of dorm beds here instead! Plus, it is right around the corner from the main road of shops/grocery stores, and directly across the street from the bus station!
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Budget Saving Tips:
· Cook at home:
o If you’ve read any of our other posts, this one will come as no surprise to you. But that’s because it is by far the easiest and quickest method to save money while traveling. Many hostels and Airbnbs have fully stocked kitchens so all you have to do is buy the ingredients! Support local business, eat local food, and save money! What’s not to love?
· Bid on 1st class plane tickets:
o We stumbled upon this by accident and were so excited that we did. We were flying from Bariloche to El Calafate, and in the days leading up to our flight we received many emails from the airline. One of these looked like just another marketing-type email, but when we read it we saw that it was offering the option to bid for 1st class plane tickets. So we did! Ever the budget travelers, we bid the absolute minimum amount ($20 each), and ended up getting them! Because of this, we didn’t have to pay to check our bags and got free lunch on the plane. We actually saved money by moving to 1st class!!
· Hitchhiking:
o If you’re anything like us, you may be a bit hesitant to try hitchhiking. But this actually ended up being a really helpful way to get home from treks. In some places, we found that we could buy bus tickets to the trailhead, but could not purchase bus tickets back. Instead, we ended up hitchhiking with some other hikers on their way back into town. Instead of spending money on a crowded bus that may or may not show up, we were able to get a ride home for free and enjoy getting to know some other travelers!
· Choose hostels with flexibility:
o Most of the places we traveled in Patagonia were for the treks, not for the surrounding towns/cities. That being said, we often waited for the ideal weather window for backpacking. Most hostels will store your extra baggage for free while you are gone. However, some hostels are not willing to adjust your reservation to match the available weather window, so you’re paying to rent camping equipment and for a hostel room that you aren’t using. We found it was helpful to just show up and talk with the owners/employees and make sure we could pay only for the nights we stayed there, while still having a place to store extra baggage while we were gone!
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We had an incredible time exploring Argentina and are already planning our next visit! The landscape is absolutely incredible, and we highly recommend dedicating some time to Bariloche, El Calafate, and El Chalten next time you make it to Patagonia. We also hope to explore more of the country beyond Patagonia soon, so stay tuned!
We hope this helps anyone else interested in getting out there to Argentina. We would love to hear about your experiences, or answer any questions to help you plan your next adventure!
Happy Traveling, friends!
Summer & Jackson
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