Tours

(Phrygilus patagonicus) The Patagonian Sierra-Finch is an endemic species of Patagonia and one of the most colorful birds in this region. It belongs to the Thraupidae family and is strongly linked to the Andean-Patagonian forest. It lives on Nothofagus and Araucaria forests and its borders, up to 1,500 m high. They feed on seeds and fruits of bushes of the Berberis genus, insects, and nectar of tubular-shaped flowers such as Fire-Bush (Embothrium coccineum) and Fuchsia magellanica.   In winter they form big mixed flocks with Rufous-collared Sparrow, Black-chinned Siskin,...

La Payunia is a 25,000 km2 volcanic area located southeast of the Argentinian province of Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes and between rivers Atuel and Colorado. It is one of the regions with more density of volcanoes in our planet, with more than 800 cones of different sizes and eruption styles. These quantity and density make La Payunia one of the most important volcanic districts on Earth. Its landscape, made by vast lava plains with many volcanic cones, basalt flows and pyroclastic fields looks like a different planet, making the visit to La Payunia a wonderful experience. The area is candidate...

One of the best tours off the beaten track you can do from San Martín de los Andes is going to Villa Pehuenia 200 km north of San Martín and a gem still hidden from the massive tourism. Villa Pehuenia lies in the middle of the Pehuen District, one of the best touristic circuits of the Neuquén province. Some tour agencies in San Martín de los Andes do it as a day tour, but we think is much better to spend at least one night in Villa Pehuenia, so you have enough time to enjoy the place and als go thorough the so-called "Pehuenia circuit", one of the main attractions of the area.    The...

After spending the last couple of days in the pristine Perito Moreno National Park we started the third and last part of our tour. Our last destinations were two of the highlight spots in Southern Patagonia: El Chaltén and El Calafate, both in Los Glaciares National Park. This park protects an area of 724.000 hectareas of colossal glaciers and lakes, surrounded by magnificent landscapes of steppe and forest. Due to its amazing splendour this park was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1981 and it is undoubtedly one of the most wonderful natural landscapes in the world. El Chaltén,...

On this post we will relate the second part of our last Route 40 tour from San Martín de los Andes to El Calafate with Ana, Pedro and Gaetano. South of Esquel Route 40 turns slightly to the east, moving away from the Andes mountain range and entering the immense and mostly flat Patagonian steppe. Even for the Argentinians this is a very unknown and almost uninhabited territory; there are no major towns and the only little ones are very distant one from the other. Most part of this apparently void land is privately owned, divided in huge estancias or ranches, separated by wire fences. When...

Last February we were on the road again, on a new edition of our ever-changing "Lake District" & "Southern Patagonia" tours, this time starting from San Martín de los Andes, instead of Bariloche. Our travelling companions were Ana & Pedro from Spain and Gaetano from Italy. It was their first time in Patagonia, so we designed a comprehensive itinerary for them catching the best of Patagonia from north to south in two weeks filled with landscapes, wildlife and action. We can divide the itinerary in three sectors: the Lake District in north Patagonia, the steppe in the middle and the glaciers...

A few days ago I did a five-day birding tour covering the southwest of the Neuquén province, a territory that provides a great diversity of landscapes and environments and therefore, birds! The goal of the trip was to assess for Aves Argentinas and the Ministry of Tourism on the status of the birdwatching activity in the area. So I went from the dense Andean-Patagonian forest in San Martín de los Andes, to the dry and desolated Patagonian steppe in Zapala, passing by the spectacular Monkey-puzzle trees forest in Villa Pehuenia and Aluminé. DAY 1. SAN MARTÍN DE LOS ANDES - ALUMINÉI started...

The Baker River in Chile, runs by the south of the Aysen Region, going from the Bertrand Lake to reach the Pacific Ocean in Caleta Tortel. It is the drainage of the huge bi-national Buenos Aires/General Carrera Lake, the second largest in South America, which is fed by the melting of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Along its course of 175 Km. the Baker River valley delivers unforgettable landscapes and an enormous environmental richness, being one of the main attractions of the Chilean part of Patagonia.     From its source in the Bertrand Lake the Baker River is wide, carrying...

The magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) breeds during spring in the coasts of southern South America, both in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Starting in September they gather in huge colonies set in sandy areas. They are monogamous; the male is the first to arrive to the nesting area. Then he reclaims his burrow from the previous year, a small cave excavated in the sand or under the bushes. Then he waits there for the female, who finds him among thousands other penguins only through his call.       The female lays two eggs and both parents take care of the incubation...

Recently we went all over the Chiloé Archipelago, in the Chilean Patagonia. Chiloé is quite an unknown place, as it keeps hidden to the public by others wonders of Patagonia. It is a really peculiar place, both geographically and historically, so we will try to describe here our experience in the archipelago as best as we can.   We left our town, San Martín de los Andes, to take the Seven Lakes Route to the Cardenal Samoré border crossing, known also as Puyehue pass. During our way the Andean-Patagonian forest showed its amazing autumn colors, mixed with the first snows on the high...