Seija Cave de los Manos - Canyon
Seija on way to Hostel
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Glaciers and Lakes, Perito Moreno Glacier
Today (January 30) was our first trip to the Glacier Perito Moreno, by bus.
Argentina likes to charge for visiting parks, US$ 22 per person to enter the park a day, that is in addition to US$ 50 - US$ 100 for the tours (per person).
But is was a great trip something to remember for a long time.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 kilometres (3 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Lake Argentino, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 ft). (Wikipidia).
Meinhard and Seija Saturday Jan 30 at the Glacier Perito Moreno.
Friday, January 29, 2010
El Calafate
After 5 days in El Chalten (NO or SLOW internet) and 2 nights on the road we are back in a larger town, El Chalten. We like this town, many people on the streets and very lively also clean and rustic looking. We arrived 11:00AM Friday and leave Monday late afternoon for Bariloche by plane. For Saturday and Sunday we have full day excursion by boat and bus scheduled to visit the lakes and glaciers.
The 5 days in El Chalten were cold and rainy no perfect day but we managed to hike and walk an average of 9 miles a day.
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1-23 Rio Mayo to Perito Moreno with Chalten Travel Bus on Route 40 (Gravel Highway) 4.5 hours.
1-24 Perito Moreno in morning to Cave de los Manos, a sidetrip 3 hrs in van on gravel, 2 hrs at the caves then at 1:00PM met the Chalten Travel bus to continue to El Chalten 10 hrs on gravel highway, arriving at midnight in El Chalten and our Hotel (Yes Hotel and a very nice one). 670 km long is the trip Perito Moreno to El Chalten. It was a great ereat experience to see the 9,000 year old cave paintings.
Route 40 is a special route that is open in the summer to travel North and South during winer it is closed. Slowly the road is being rebult with asphalt.
Run into Karen (Hamburg, Germany) in El Chalten met her on the Penguin side trip in P Madryn. Also a few Germans are traveling around here but not as many as the French and Suisse - they are all over! Of course there are always a few Americans and British that are here for the long trip 5 - 10 month all over South America.
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Route 40 WEB Link
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1-25 rainy and windy
1-26 sunny with clouds and very windy, cold went hikeng trails.
1-27 windy some sun hiking trails
1-28 very windy some sun and rain hiking trails
1-29 bus to El Calafate beautiful view of the mountains when we are leaving, some tops we did not see while we were there.
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The 5 days in El Chalten were cold and rainy no perfect day but we managed to hike and walk an average of 9 miles a day.
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1-23 Rio Mayo to Perito Moreno with Chalten Travel Bus on Route 40 (Gravel Highway) 4.5 hours.
1-24 Perito Moreno in morning to Cave de los Manos, a sidetrip 3 hrs in van on gravel, 2 hrs at the caves then at 1:00PM met the Chalten Travel bus to continue to El Chalten 10 hrs on gravel highway, arriving at midnight in El Chalten and our Hotel (Yes Hotel and a very nice one). 670 km long is the trip Perito Moreno to El Chalten. It was a great ereat experience to see the 9,000 year old cave paintings.
Route 40 is a special route that is open in the summer to travel North and South during winer it is closed. Slowly the road is being rebult with asphalt.
Run into Karen (Hamburg, Germany) in El Chalten met her on the Penguin side trip in P Madryn. Also a few Germans are traveling around here but not as many as the French and Suisse - they are all over! Of course there are always a few Americans and British that are here for the long trip 5 - 10 month all over South America.
-------------------------------
Route 40 WEB Link
------------------------------
1-25 rainy and windy
1-26 sunny with clouds and very windy, cold went hikeng trails.
1-27 windy some sun hiking trails
1-28 very windy some sun and rain hiking trails
1-29 bus to El Calafate beautiful view of the mountains when we are leaving, some tops we did not see while we were there.
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Notes from the WEB Site of HostelTrail
Arguably the most impressive and active glacier in the world, the Moreno Glacier, 80km from the town of El Calafate is a towering 60 metres of craggy rock and ice and is certainly one of Argentina's top sights. With huge chunks of ice splintering off and and dramatically crashing into the crystal waters at regular intervals, this is truly an unmissable sight!
Perched on the southern banks of Lago Argentino, the town of El Calafate has few sites to offer the visitor. It does however, provide a gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park five hours out of town and El Perito Moreno Glacier two hours outside.
El Chaltén
El Chaltén is popular backpacker destination in Argentina, just north of El Calafate, and famous for the Fitz Roy Mountain range. The town itself is small and was built in 1985 as a base for mountaineers and those wishing to explore the surrounding area. The resident population is only around 400 people but tourists are plentiful in the months from October to May when the village recieves an influx of those wishing to take advantage of the good.
The area has many spectacular treks of varying length and difficulty as well as excellent mountaineering opportunities, horse riding and rafting excursions. The most popular activities are the Laguna Los Tres and Laguna Torre day treks reaching altitudes of up to 3,400 metres and affording breath-taking views of Mount Fitz Roy.
There is no park entrance fee and rough camping is also free within the park although there are no facilities for campers other than simple toilet facilities. Hotels and restaurants as well as general supplies in the village can be expensive as the area is extremely remote and the residents rely almost fully on tourism as a means to earn a living.
The area has many spectacular treks of varying length and difficulty as well as excellent mountaineering opportunities, horse riding and rafting excursions. The most popular activities are the Laguna Los Tres and Laguna Torre day treks reaching altitudes of up to 3,400 metres and affording breath-taking views of Mount Fitz Roy.
There is no park entrance fee and rough camping is also free within the park although there are no facilities for campers other than simple toilet facilities. Hotels and restaurants as well as general supplies in the village can be expensive as the area is extremely remote and the residents rely almost fully on tourism as a means to earn a living.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Cueva de las Manos near Perito Moreno Patagonia 1/24/2010
Brief Description
The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of human hands in the cave, but there are also many depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), still commonly found in the region, as well as hunting scenes. The people responsible for the paintings may have been the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherer communities of Patagonia found by European settlers in the 19th century.
The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of human hands in the cave, but there are also many depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), still commonly found in the region, as well as hunting scenes. The people responsible for the paintings may have been the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherer communities of Patagonia found by European settlers in the 19th century.
The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of human hands in the cave, but there are also many depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), still commonly found in the region, as well as hunting scenes. The people responsible for the paintings may have been the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherer communities of Patagonia found by European settlers in the 19th century.
The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of human hands in the cave, but there are also many depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), still commonly found in the region, as well as hunting scenes. The people responsible for the paintings may have been the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherer communities of Patagonia found by European settlers in the 19th century.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sarmiento petrified forest Jan 21 - 22, 2010
Buses are not as often as in Colombia, to get West 200 KM to a bus at 4:30 PM Jan 24 (on RT 40) we have to take a bus an evening before and stay in Rio Mayo over night (a town of a few hundred). On RT 40 we will visit Cave de los Manos, 9,000 year old cave paintings near Perito Moreno. Then on 1/24 we go RT 40 (gravel road) from Perito Moreno and the caves to El Chalten. There will be a mechnic on the bus - just in case. This route is only open during Summer. Looking forward to this famous ride on RT 40.
Will stay 6 nights in El Chalten (Hotel - Hostels are full or have n private room), hiking to be done there. After that to El cafatel for 3 night reserved hotel again and two trips to the Glaciers and lakes in that region. Then on Feb 1 plane to Bariloche where we plan to stay at least 6 days then Mendoza with a stop in between for 1 - 2 days.
Puerto Madryn trip to Cdr. Rivadavia was 7 hrs in very good bus, from Cdr. ivadavia to Sarmento a 2 hr bus ride the taxi to our B&B. Arrived at 8:00PM and had a great dinnerwith host. We have bed and iving room here and a great bed, Seija is HAPPY! Today we toke a trip with private guide and driver to the Petrified Forest. Beautiful sight and amazing to see 65 million year old tree stumps and partial trees laying. Rested and walked farm (our BB).
Our Place in Sarmiento.
Sarmiento
Will stay 6 nights in El Chalten (Hotel - Hostels are full or have n private room), hiking to be done there. After that to El cafatel for 3 night reserved hotel again and two trips to the Glaciers and lakes in that region. Then on Feb 1 plane to Bariloche where we plan to stay at least 6 days then Mendoza with a stop in between for 1 - 2 days.
Puerto Madryn trip to Cdr. Rivadavia was 7 hrs in very good bus, from Cdr. ivadavia to Sarmento a 2 hr bus ride the taxi to our B&B. Arrived at 8:00PM and had a great dinnerwith host. We have bed and iving room here and a great bed, Seija is HAPPY! Today we toke a trip with private guide and driver to the Petrified Forest. Beautiful sight and amazing to see 65 million year old tree stumps and partial trees laying. Rested and walked farm (our BB).
Our Place in Sarmiento.
Sarmiento
This is on the way to the West coast 6-7 hours from Puerto Madryn by bus, and we wanted to see the petrified forest, the B&B gives guided tours.
Our place to stay for two night - reservations made.
Chacra Labrador - Hosteria B & B Click HERE for Link
http://www.hosterialabrador.com.ar/
http://www.hosterialabrador.com.ar/
The Petrified Forest...
30 kilometers south from town lies the Petrified Forest of Sarmiento. This imposing natural reserve's scenery produces many sensations to the observer, notably the feeling of being standing there motionless, facing the remot past.
95 million years ago, Patagonia was inhabited by great dinosaurs. and a lush vegetation covered the land as a result of its warm climate. 30 million years later, the ocean flooded this region and contributed many marine species to the Patagonian floor. Afterwards, clouds of silicon-rich volcanic ash fell heavily on the waters, which over a long period penetrated the vegetal tissues of the submerged forest, substituting silicon particles for their organic carbon. Now millions of tons of petrified wood lie on the hills, covered in lava, eloquently bearing witness to the past.
A short distance away from this wonder lies the "Moon Valley". Its barren, gray hills, and the greenish, yellow and ochre sediments on bluffs and slopes make up a severe (but very attractive) landscape to watch.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Punta Tombo January 18
Pictures from our Punta Tombo trip to the Penguin Colonie Monday January 18, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Puerto Madryn
Tuesday January 19, 2010
Yesterdays tour to Punta Tombo was a great trip, the Penguin colonie had over 1 Million Penguins and they were all there spread over 2 miles wide and about 1/2 mile deep (away from the water) they live in very dry almost desert type environment. Pictures to come. Today is Tuesday a free beach day, tomorrow a 6 hour bus ride towards Sarmiente 500 KM South where we stay on a Hacienda and take a guided tour of the Petrified Forest. Then towards Perito Moreno (WEst) to see the Cave de los Manos. After 2 days Route 40 to El Chalten a 12 Hour Bus ride way down South. The only way to get there it is a dirt road by bus, there is heavy traffic during the season and one tourist office has the only bus connection every second day down South the other day up North.
1/18/10 On the way to the Reserva Provincial Punta Tombo (1 million Penguins) a group trip by bus and boat to see dolphins. Click HERE
1/16/10
It is in the high 80s here and dry.
Dry and wind and no rain = DUST.
We are next to the Ocean so swimming is an option but water is very COLD!
Friday Night BBQ Argentinian style at the Hostel. - Beef, Beef, Beef Wine and some salad.
In most Hostels it is a tradition to have a BBQ once a week for guests.
1/16/2010
Puerto Madryn - Our place to stay.
Reserva Provincial Punta Tombo
Reserva Faunística Península Valdés
Information about Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city located on the shore of Golfo Nuevo. An important touristic centre offering unnumbered attractions for the visitor. It extends along its 5 km. beach where you will find 7 resorts, most of them work as restaurants and coffee houses all the year where nautical activities are practised during summer.
Different tours are offered by service suppliers: visits to fauna reserves, whales descry, diving, bird-watch, air and paleontological safaris, country houses tourism, fishing, 4 x 4 trekkings, boat navigation, historic circuits, visits to museums (Oceanographic Museum and Modern Art Museum (local) and Eugidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum in Trelew.
Puerto Madryn, considered as Argentina subaquatic capital is visited all the year by divers from all the country and from the world because of its transparent waters and owing to the wide variety of alternatives offered for diving both from the beach through accessible places or from a boat on navigation tours hiring the service of registered diving companies.
A number of gastronomic establishments allow you to taste different typical dishes: sea-food, fish and patagonia lamb. It has a cinema-theatre, casino, bingo, pubs and restaurants uptown and in front of the sea.
For those who are in search of adventure, a number of activities can be developed such as mountain bike, sandboard, windsurf, water sky, sail boat navigation, kayak, 4 x 4 tours.
This seemingly lifeless Atlantic outcrop and it's surrounding islands is in fact home to Argentina's most impressive collection of wildlife. Wander the bleak peninsula surrounded by sea-lions, penguins, armadillos and other Patagonian creatures The wildlife enthusiasts dream however, would not be complete without catching a glimpse of the Reserva's most famous residents - the Orcas. With close to all year round observation opportunities, this has to be one of the best spots in Patagonia to witness these enormous yet graceful creatures surfing the Atlantic waves.
Aside from the Orcas however, there are excellent bird-watching opportunities, particularly around the shores and a great way to get the most out of your trip to the Peninsula is to combine a trekking or overland tour with a boat trip to see the wildlife from both land and sea.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Buenos Aires (Jan 12 - Jan 15, 2010)
1/14 Walking the city, 6-7 miles a day. Great dinner at La Cabrera last night. Today on the way to downtown. Friday AM flight to Puerto Madryn where we will stay 5 nights.
1/12/2010 arrived after an overnight flight with no leg room (United!) you understand!
Buenos Aires is in the high 80s and sunny - so it is easy to enjoy.
Now we have to pay the new $131 entrance fee (for US citizens), they take Visa and MasterCard at the customs now! A one Hour wait to change money at the official bank counter then we went by taxi to town.
But of course Meinhard was tired and taken for the old counterfit scam in the taxi - change returned (ARS 70 $20) was really bad counterfit money (from the copy machine) and I did not see it. But I was suspicious when the driver tried to give me ARS 200 back that looked like fake money and told me those were my bills and wanted new ones. I did not go for it and he let it go, that was smart because that was more counterfit.
Wine and Empanadas for lunch, Coffee and Ice cream in the afternoon - all outside in the sun, that is BA.
Parilla La Dorita (the other place we eat).
Look at the WEB Page and listen to the beautiful Tango music!
Buenos Aires is a must see on every traveller's itinerary. The great nightlife, widely varying cuisine, the cultural attractions within easy reach of the city center and of course, the football, makes BA a real traveller favourite!
Divided into barrios, each with their own unique style and atmosphere, the city has something for everyone whether your priority is central, stylish, bohemian or modern. The most popular areas among backpackers include Palermo and San Telmo, two of the more upmarket areas offering excellent, restaurants, bars and shops, right at your fingertips
Divided into barrios, each with their own unique style and atmosphere, the city has something for everyone whether your priority is central, stylish, bohemian or modern. The most popular areas among backpackers include Palermo and San Telmo, two of the more upmarket areas offering excellent, restaurants, bars and shops, right at your fingertips
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