By Pete Gray

My wife Lolly and I visited Argentina 15 years ago and just covered the big city of Buenos Aires and wine country of Mendoza.  We enjoyed the trip, the people and country so much we always vowed to go back and visit Patagonia…and we finally realized this dream in January.

Patagonia is a massive area covering the southern portion of Argentina and Chile.  Divided by the Andes mountains, this area is so diverse it would take months to cover it all.  Having just short of 3 weeks, our trip took us to a large area on the Argentina side.

We started as most trip to Argentina do in Buenos Aires, where we flew the next day to San Martin de los Andes, at the upper portion of the “Lake District” of Patagonia.  We stayed at a wonderful small inn called Casona del Alto, run by

 

a super kind couple.  The inn had spectacular views and fantastic accommodations, along with great cuisine.  I would highly recommend a stay there.     The next morning, we were picked up by our guide from Set Flyfishing and we drove to their base at Spring Creek Lodge in Juninde del los Andes to pick up our inflatable drift boat and start our fly fishing adventure.  We spent the day drifting the Alumine River and we never saw another person on the river.  We fly fished with a nymph and dry fly indicator rig.  Fishing was surprisingly tough for as little pressure as this river receives.  We did manage to catch some nice rainbow and brown trout up to 16 inches and enjoyed a spectacular day.  We spent the night in our own cabin at Spring Creek Lodge and enjoyed amazing food and accommodation.  The next morning our guide was back and we headed off to the Chimehuin River for a 2 day float and camp trip.  That morning the fishing was amazing, nearly every cast was a bite and we released a bunch of fish to 18”, mostly rainbow but a few brown trout too.   After a great shore lunch, we continued our drift and things began to get a little tougher in the lower part of the river.  There was a green algae bloom that  got on our flies almost every cast.  We still managed to get several fish before we reached our camp for the night. It was already set up by two guys, with a fire going and beef and sausage already cooking on the open flame.  After a nice dinner and comfortable tent accommodations, the next morning we were off on the river again.  We still had the algae problem that made fishing tough all day. We finished our drift and headed back to Casona del Alto in San Martin for a shower, great dinner, and rest in preparation for our next adventure.

The next day we met the group we would spend the next 7 days with- this was the Backroads Lake District Multi Adventure trip!  A fantastic group of people and 2 wonderful guides, Daniel and Sofi.  Over the next 7 days we hiked incredible trails, rode horseback through stunning forests, biked amazing roads, stayed in unbelievable hotels and ate fantastic food.  We needed all the activities just to work off the food and drink.  The group started in San Martin de los Andes and we spent 2 nights at the Paraiso Casa De Montana.  There is a reason they call it the lake district- there are giant lakes everywhere and scenery that will take your breath away at every moment.  Patagonia is literally a place that photos simply do not do it justice.  Every hike was extraordinary, every activity was an adventure, and the organization was fantastic.  We had 2 vans at our disposal to take us to new places, and even pick us up if you wanted to “tap out” on the bike rides.

We then moved about an hour to our next destination, Villa de Angostura and my favorite hotel of all time Correntoso Hotel. overlooking the giant and picturesque Nuhuel Huapi Lake.  We kayaked a crystal clear mirror lake, did some amazing hikes in the surrounding mountains, and another guest and I even did a 3 hour afternoon secession on the lake to fish with a local guide in his boat.  We fished sinking lines and heavy streamers, and only got 1 bite but it was a 7 pound rainbow trout!

Our next stop was probably the best know area of the lake district Bariloche. To get there we boarded boats and did a 3 hour ride across Nuhuel Huapi Lake that was fantastic.  We were so lucky with the weather, and the famous Patagonia winds were nonexistent and we had smooth sailing.  We stopped at Victoria Island for a great hike in the forest and fun picnic on the beach. We then made our way to the incredible LLao Llao Hotel.  This is a historic hotel that has hosted many presidents from all over the world and is truly spectacular.  We spent a couple of days hiking and biking and eating with the Backroads group and then it was time to say good bye to our new friends and continue our Patagonia adventure on our own.  Side note- I would highly recommend Backroads based on this experience.  I am sure Lolly and I will do another adventure with them.

Our next stop was about a 2-hour flight south from Bariloche to El Calafate in southern Patagonia.  We enjoyed a fun night in the picturesque town and the next morning we hit the road in our rental car to the Perito Moreno glacier.  A fantastic experience and not to be missed.    We then continued on a 3 hour drive to El Chalten at the base of the famous Mount Fitz Roy.  With some challenges, we were able to find our next hotel 7 miles up a dirt road called the Patagonia Eco Domes.  This is a small lodge with only 9 permanent Dome tents.  I guess you may consider this “Glamping” , but these domes were fully equipped with wood burning stoves, lighting, hardwood floors, full bathroom and shower and all the convenience you would want in a fine hotel room, except it was literally at the base of Mt Fitz Roy.  One of our favorite things to do in the 3 wonderful days we spent there was after a great hike, we would take our lounge chairs out our door and sit and enjoy a cocktail while looking at the mountains, glaciers and wildlife.  Don’t forget your binoculars as this place has a lot to see.  We even saw an Andean condor! The food and service at the Patagonia Eco Domes is fantastic. There were so many highlights on this trip, but this stay is certainly right at the top.

A trip to Patagonia should certainly be on everyone’s “bucket list”. Our trip was a memorable one and I am grateful to my wife Lolly for doing much of the planning.  It was a trip of a lifetime.