Hiking in Argentina???

Hi

I've hiked all over Argentina, Chile, Peru Bolivia as a female travelling alone with NO problems. I swear S america is the safest place to travel alone. You don't get any hassle at all and I even hitched a few times (out of neccessity ) with no problems......

On to your question. I mostly trekked in the Patagonian Andes when I was in Argentina but I also travelled up north to San Pedr de Atacama passing Tucuman and Tafi de Valle on the way.

Try to avoid Tucuman if you can as this is just a big dirty city (the locals kept on telling me that it was dangerous to walk around there in the evening, but I just think that they say that to any lone female travelling).

I have to say that I only passed through Tafi de Valle, as I had run out of time so I was unable to take a proper look, which I regret. But I think that this area is a real unknown to people travelling in Argentina, becuase my guide book said almost nothing about it, but when I passed through Tafi de Valle it was absolutely beautiful. I believe that there are alot of ancient ruins to see in this area. If you are going here you should also check out Cafayate (in the LP guide book) another little known place to see which is in the same area. I think there are alot of small villages whih connect all these sites and there are plenty of small buses that run between them.

$25 a day seems a bit much to me. I camped almost everywhere, but even when I hostelled I didn't need to spen more than 15$ most days. Hostels are only about $5 a night in most places.

I also went to Nahuel Huapi and it was gorgeous. I was there in January February though and the mountains were snow capped. I camped on a mountain called 'Mount Tronador' (very famous for having a camp site postitioned bewteen 2 glaciers) absolutely stunning!!!.

If you want to go to Nahuel Huapi and many other great treks in this area then you have to base yourself in Bariloche and Pucon. I can't remember which one Nahuel Huapi was near to but both of these town are loveley and have great hostel places to stay. They are VERY geared up for trekking. In Pucon you can also climb an active volcano called Villarica.

I have to warn you that August is probably the worst time to go to Patagonia, but maybe you will be OK if you don't go further south than Bariloche.

My last piece of advice....especially if your on your own, is to buy a 'Trekking in the Patagonian Andes' by the Lonely PLanet. It's an excellent guide book and I didn't need to get ANY additional maps. I did alot of the treks just by using this guide book.

I hope I've helped.
Please feel free to email me if you need any more advice.

Hi-

I'll be leaving for Ecuador in September and making my way down to Argentina and Chile by late November/early December. I hope to go trekking in Peru and I'm wondering if that's feasible after September? Also, I'm not sure if I'm going to need guides in many places or if I can plan the treks myself and do them alone or with people I meet along the way. I'm comfortable backpacking, reading topo maps, etc...I've gone many times here in the U.S and also in France, Italy and Corsica.

I'd like to spend at least a month trekking in Patagonia, along with several weeks in Ecuador or Peru, depending on the season. Do you have any recommendations? What are the longest treks I can do without needing technical climbing equipment, and what are the best ones to plan out without the help of a guide/tour company?

Thanks so much!

-Sarah

Hi Sarah...

Well you don't need any tour companies at all for Patagonia. If you have your own equipment then you can do it all alone. I trekked on my own sometimes (not a problem as Patagonia is very safe) and I also met up with other people in youth hostels and trekked with them. It helped that I had all my own camping equipment because alot of people didn't and found that they weren't doing so much trekking because they didn't like to pay for hiring a tent etc... So I got alot of people wanting to trek with me.

To trek in Patagonia independently you really need the 'Trekking in Patagonia' guide book by LP. It's excellent and provides all the maps you need. I did about 8 treks listed in this book and they were fantastic!!!!!!!!!! I spent about a month and a half in Patagonia and it definitely wasn't long enough for me (I will be going back).....one of my favourite treks in Patagonia was Fitzroy which is so spectacular. It's a great 1st trek to do because it's physically not that demanding (also listed in the LP guide book).

The most amazing trek I have ever done is Cerro Castillo. It's a very very difficult trek to do. I only did it because I met up with some guys, otherwise I was going to give it a miss. I also stayed in an amazingly helpful and friendly YHA with people who provided me with extra maps. This trek is near a small town called Coyhaique. The trek is not very popular because of it's location, and I saw nobody else on it. But it was gorgeous. The mountains in it look like a castle (hence the name Castillo). This trek is also listed in the LP guide.

Peru is a completely different story... You still need all your own equipment, but treks are alot harder (at a much higher altitude) and they aren't set up for independent trekking so much. Also, because treks are at such high altitude at times, it's really tough to carry all your equipment. I always recommend going with someone for trekking in Peru because if you get altitude sickness, you need someone to get help for you.

I did only one trek in Peru independently, with a girl I met at a hostel, and we shared the load. This trek was at 5000m and it was very tough. I was extremely unfit at the time, and I didn't realize that it was customary to hire a donkey to carry your stuff.

In Peru, it's usual to hire an arriero, I can't remember if that means donkey or donkey guide. Anyhow, you will need to hire both. They cost as little as $6 a day and if you are trekking independently I recommend this. You do NOT need a trekking guide. They are far more expensive and they know the exact same router as the donkey guide. You'll have to provide the donkey guide with a tent and cook food for both yourself and the donkey guide.

If you want to read up on some really good treks I recommend looking at the Bradts Guide to trekking in Peru and bolivia. It's very good. Among some of the treks I did, I did the Santa Cruz trek (4 days) and I also did the Huayhuash trek (6 days) in Huaraz , both were excellent.

Sounds like you've really timed the whole thing very well in trems of the weather and you should be fine.

I hope I've helped give you some idea about the trekking set up in Chile and Peru. When you go to Patagonia you'll find that you are always going to and from the chile and Argenitina border. This is fine and very easy. everybody does it...just make sure you passport always gets stamped!!!

Hi

I agree with the last entery. I recently spent 8 months in south america and 4 month just in argentina trekking and climbing.
Fitroy area is a must. Its totaly free to camp and no admission fees. Easy walking for the most part, but spectacular views, and if you have the gear and experiance, much more is possible.

Same goes for all the well known areas of Argentina. The Nehwel Hampi area is well worth a visit. Again plenty of well known and well used trails, nice to meet the locals aswell.

We also did some trekking arround Ushuia and the parks near there. This is much more remote and trails are more difficult to follow. Not realy worth all the effort involved, as there is so much else to do round the place.

Hey,
I agree with most of the things written before, both hiking and hitching in Patagonia isn't that difficult. As a female and being 21 I did the trip alone and never had any problems, met a lot of people and had the best time of my life!

But on the Lonely Planet guide "trekking in the Patagonian Andes": You should check with the national park authorities, if all the trails on the maps exist. I hiked two parks where the maps wheren't helpful at all because the trails never existed or weren't maintained at all, so you couldn't find them, in another park the desciption of the trail was just wrong.
Anyway, the book is still the best you can find.
But going to Argentina in the winter??? Patagonia won't really be an option for hiking i think - parks will be closed or the trails might be covered with snow in southern patagonia.

when is the best time to go to patagonia for hiking??? As in months not seasons cus i am not sure how the seasons are in south america??

Prices have escalated so expect to pay about U.S. $ 12 to $ 16 for a dorm bed in a hostel.

August is a bad time for hiking in Patagonia and the south --- snow and cold. You will have to stick to the North of Argentina.