Did you know the Andes Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world; some 4300 miles long and 120 to 430 miles wide with an average height of 13,000 feet. They make their way down the entire western edge of South America through seven countries including: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
Who knew Patagonia was not just the name of an American sporting goods company? In South America, it is a large sparsely populated geographic region that encompasses the lower half of both Chile and Argentina. It includes the southern section of the Andes and includes lakes, fjords and glaciers in the west and deserts in the east. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east and many bodies of water that connect it all (i.e. rivers/straits/channels/passages).
There are six separate areas of what is referred to as Patagonia that span both the western border of Argentina and the eastern border of Chile. Paul and his buddies were hiking in the remote southernmost part of Patagonia amongst large mountain peaks, glaciers and waterways. Paul and I are traveling in the northernmost part of Patagonia in the Bariloche area and “lake region” where seven magical lakes are located in the Andes foothills.
We flew from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, picked up a rental car and leisurely drove 3 hours on a winding mountain road while viewing the seven gorgeous lakes finally arriving in the northernmost part of the lake region in the small town of St. Martin located at the foot Lake Lagar. After a bumpy ride up a rocky gravel mountain road we arrived at our small four room scenic lodge where we stayed for three nights while exploring the town and the area. The lake view from our room was spectacular and the quaint Arrayon Tea Room was located in the old historic log home on the property.
Upon our departure from St. Martin, we traveled south on the same mountain road, once again taking in the view of the lakes with picture opportunities galore. Upon the recommendation from a local we took another bumpy gravel road navigating our way through both a sand pit and a shallow stream to another gorgeous mountain lake called Lake Meliquin. In our search for local smoked trout and venison we befriended the family of a small mountain lodge and were offered samples of their smoked meats and cheeses, homemade bread and artisan chocolates which we enjoyed in their rustic communal kitchen. You really can’t buy this kind of unexpected cultural exchange and thank goodness Paul speaks Portuguese which allows him to communicate fairly well in mangled Spanish. Our next stop was a large rustic lodge situated on the bay of a mountain lake where we both rested and recovered from head colds. We took a historical tour around the multi-cultural mountain town of Bariloche and are now off to Chile on some kind of multi-day boat/bus/boat/bus excursion. Stay tuned!