Arriving in Chile, Villarrica, San Martín de los Andes and via Camino de los Siete Lagos to Bariloche in Argentina
Packing up
As far as I know it is called "bike-packing" nowadays, when you travel with your bike. My bike, well one of the pack of wolves, has been packed as well... 9 1/2 weeks or so in Patagonia coming up. reduced the size of the original cardboard by 40cm in one dimension. See you mid February. Thanks to my neighbour from Palmstrasse for the cardboard, https://www.vehomachina.de/ via ebay kleinanzeigen.
Dec. 3rd 2022 - Just before take-off
...Munich Airport 12.00...
Dec. 3rd 2022 - Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport
On my trip to Santiago, I had a 9-hour layover in Madrid. A huge airport worth seeing, but it was a long time. The beer was good and cold and with 3.60 euros also affordable (thank you, Julia for this tip) and I had enough reading material with me.
Iberia served no food or drinks from MUC to Madrid.
Dec. 4th 2022 - Santiago: International to domestic
To change from an international flight to a domestic you have to retrieve your luggage including the bike I had with me and declare at the customs to take it with me again. The cardbox was openend and luckily I had spare tape with me. I had 4h between the two flights, but bulky luggage always comes quite late and the people from customs did their job very accurately. The new check-in is at another terminal and all the security etc again. The pictures below were taken on the flight from Santiago to Temuco
Dec. 5th 2022 - Now with Chilean Pesos at hand
The bike was quickly assembled in Temuco, the airport is 40km south near a small town called Freire. My first port of call was an ATM (after a lady in the airport in Santiago had advised me not to exchange money with her, because their exchange rate was so bad). Unfortunately, the ATM in Freire that Sunday wouldn't give me any money or didn't have any left, so I set off without Chilean pesos and decided to go directly to Villarrica without any detours. I managed to exchange 50 US Dollars in a restaurant along the road to Villarrica and with 3 of the camp sites closed in Villarrica it took me until 9pm to find a place to stay on the road to Purcon. This morning the ATMs in Villarrica did work, but it took me a long time to find camping gaz. So a short day concerning kilometers with a long stay in Lican Ray for swimming and moving on to Conaripe and a camp site at Lago Calafquén.
Villarrica
Villarrica is a city and commune in southern Chile located on the western shore of Villarrica Lake. It is popular for its water sports, fishing and rafting activities in its rivers, waterfalls, hot springs and volcanos.
Villarrica is a more down-to-earth alternative to Pucón. It lacks the bedlam of package tour caravans and has more reasonable prices. The new costanera provides pleasant walks, and the grassy lawn-cum-beach is surprisingly nice. It offers all the same activities as Pucón and can be a great option for travelers looking for an agreeable alternative.
Villarrica is also the name of an active stratovolcano located in Chile, near the town of the same name. It is known for its lava lake and has generated strombolian eruptions with ejection of incandescent pyroclasts and lava flows. Rainfall and melted snow can cause lahars, as seen in 1964 and 1971. Guided ascents of the volcano are popular during summer months (Elevation 2,860 m).
Dec. 6th 2022 - Up and down along lakes
Conaripe to Puerto Fuy to take ferry via a lake to Argentina. Starting at low altitude and Puerto Fuy at 620m was not the problem, but the many steep up and downs along the lake shores. Nice views to volcanos Villarrica and Coshuenco. Tonight bivouac at Lago Pirihueico.
Vulcano Mocho-Choshuenco and Lago Panguipulli
Mocho-Choshuenco is a glacier covered stratovolcano located in the Andes of Los Ríos Region, Chile. It is made up of two volcanoes, Choshuenco in the northwest and Mocho in the southeast. The northern foothills are surrounded by rivers and lakes, with Fui River having high underground infiltration. Pillanleufú River flows south along the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault to Maihue Lake. The highest parts of the volcano are part of Mocho-Choshuenco National Reserve while the eastern slopes are inside Huilo-Huilo Natural Reserve.
Lago Panguipulli is a glacial lake in southern Chile, located between the towns of Panguipulli and Choshuenco. It has an area of 117 km² and a maximum depth of 268 meters.
My bike on the trip. It has an aluminum frame and no suspension. A total of lush 6 bags were attached to the bike.
Dec. 7th 2022 - Don't cry for me Argentina
Ferry started at 10 and took 2hours. Wilderness along the lake shore. About 10km paved road to the border. I was quick for the many stamps I got and officers I had to see. As I passed the border Argentina started to cry and the rain did not really stop all day. Then a bad gravel road, with washboard and big boulders all the way to St Martin de los Andes. Maximum cash from ATM was 15000 AR Pesos, about 85Euros.
Puerto Fuy
Puerto Fuy is a Chilean village located in the Panguipulli commune of Los Ríos Region. It lies along the 203-CH route to Huahum Pass, at the western edge of Pirihueico Lake, and serves as a ferry terminal to Puerto Pirihueico. The village also lies south along the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault to Maihue Lake.
San Martín de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes (pop 35800) is a city in Argentina's Neuquén province, serving as the administration centre of the Lácar Department. It is located at the foot of the Andes, on the Lácar lake and is a major tourist destination in the province. The economy of the city was based on wood logging and husbandry until the opening of the Lanín National Park in 1937, when tourism became the main industry. Migration from different parts of the world has also contributed to the population growth.
Dec. 8th 2022 - Freerider in Argentina
Cloudy, sometimes light rain and again many meters up and down to the south along many lakes towards Bariloche. Not many ways to spend money on the way and the camp site is free too with minimal service, took me a while to find water. Swimming in the lake instead of a shower and using a biodegradable soap only back on the shore and my towel to both rub the soap in and take it away.
Camino de los Siete Lagos
The Road of the Seven Lakes, or Camino de los Siete Lagos, is a scenic portion of national route 40 in Patagonia Argentina, between the towns of San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura. It passes through Lanín and Nahuel Huapi national parks and provides access to numerous lakes and other sights in the forested area of the Patagonic Andes. The seven most important lakes on the way of the road after which the route is named are: Machónico, Escondido, Correntoso, Espejo, Lácar, Falkner, Villarino.
Lanín National Park is a national park in Neuquén Province, Argentina. It features volcanic scenery and lakes, including Huechulafquen, Aluminé and Lácar, as well as forests of Fagaceae and conifers. Visitors can enjoy sport fishing for salmon and trout in the rivers and streams.
Nahuel Huapi National Park is Argentina's oldest national park, established in 1934. It has an area of 7,050 km2, with landscapes representing the north Patagonian Andean Zone and small parts of the Valdivian Rainforest. It is bordered by Chile on its western side, and is dominated by the Andes mountain chain, many lakes, rivers, waterfalls, snow-clad peaks, glaciers, and extensive forests. In the Mapuche language, Nahuel means "jaguar", and Huapi means "island".
Dec. 9th 2022 - Argentina wins
The weather last night was quite stormy and rainy so my concern, when at 9pm a busload full.of Faehnlein Fieselschweif youngsters came to the camp site aged 14 to 16 years, was vain: they kept quiet in their tents.
Wind mostly from the back on my way to Bariloche and nice views to the lake and the mountains beyond. To busy for my taste, maybe today even more: public viewing of soccer and the shop were I suspected camping gaz did not even want to open in the halftime. For my camp site only the third on my map did (still) exist: Yeti Camp.
Bariloche
Bariloche is a popular destination in the Lake District with stunning views of the Cerros Catedral, López, Nireco and Shaihuenque mountains. It's a great spot for winter activities like skiing and snowboarding and summer activities such as climbing, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and horse riding.
The name Bariloche comes from the Mapudungun word Vuriloche which means "people from behind the mountain". There is evidence of indigenous settlements on banks of Lake Nahuel Huapi in the area now occupied by Bariloche prior to arrival of expeditionaries and white settlers. These groups were mainly tehuelches and puelches who had their culture affected by Mapuches due to the settlement of Spaniards in Chile.
Bariloche is home to a variety of scientific and technological activities, including the Centro Atómico Bariloche research center, Instituto Balseiro higher education institution, and INVAP, a high-technology company. These centers offer degrees in Physics and Engineering and specialize in basic and applied research in physical sciences, nuclear reactors, radars, and space satellites.
