Journey to the End of the World: Patagonia Adventure (APA2601)
Welcome to Chile and Patagonia! Some of us were already here for a few days, so they had a chance to explore the town of Osorno, get settled in, and get a general feel for this part of the world. We used the day to do some final preparations, check on the bikes, and make sure everything is ready for the adventures that are coming over the next weeks on the road together. In the evening, it was finally time to get together for our welcome briefing. Going over some organisational things, but more importantly to go over the tour and what is waiting for us. A general overview of the route, the highlights, and some of the things that might prove a little challenging, some of the gravel passes for instance. But nothing we can’t handle! A dinner together will give us a chance to tell each other our expectations and ramp up the excitement for all that is to come! We are all very eager to get started tomorrow!
Today was our first riding day. It took us from Osorno to Pucón, and it really was a warm-up ride. The morning took us out of town and straight onto the highway. A great way to cover some distance, get used to the bikes, and already take in some of the scenery. After the highway we had a quick toilet break — which turned out to be a lot longer than planned, as road works had us waiting much longer than expected. From there it became more twisty, and the views got better and better as we entered the Lake District National Park. That’s when we got our first views of the snow-covered volcanoes in the background. A lovely lunch in a small town introduced us to Chilean portions. Safe to say, we won’t be starving on this tour. After lunch we had a few chances to take pictures of the lake and the volcanoes, and of course some obligatory selfies with volcanoes in the background. All in all, it was a very good first day — literally and figuratively a warm-up. Tonight some of us will walk into town and explore the wonderful town of Pucón. Then it’s off to bed to get ready for tomorrow, as we’ll get our first introduction to Patagonian gravel…
The day in Pucon begins with perfect weather, not too warm, not too cold, and hardly any clouds in the sky. We can hold the briefing outside. This is how a day of riding in Patagonia should begin. We spend the first few kilometers of the morning driving on almost perfectly paved and wonderfully winding roads. Villarica National Park provides the perfect backdrop with its snow-capped mountains and dense forests. After a relaxing coffee break by the river, we tackle the first border crossing of the tour. This takes less time than expected, and soon we are welcomed to Argentina. After a very good lunch in Junin de los Andes, we turn onto a small unpaved side road and have a little fun on the Patagonian gravel, enjoying the view over Lago Lolog. Our destination today is San Martin de los Andes, a small town whose charm reminds us more of Switzerland than South America. An all-round successful day – let's keep it up.
Today took us from San Martín to Bariloche, over the renowned Paso Córdoba. Directly leaving town, we had amazing views. A twisty road on the mountainside, with a beautiful lake on the other side. Absolutely postcard-worthy. The asphalt road was just about enough for a warm-up today, and soon it was replaced by a gravel road. We followed the wonderfully twisty road through the woods until we made it to a lake and a little insider secret. Along the beach of the lake there is a small bakery where they make everything over a wood fire behind the bakery. Cookies, pastries, cake — anything you can dream of. Hardly could wish for more of a coffee break, especially at a location like this. After lunch we continued on the pass. The gravel went on for a while and took us through the valley with some amazing views. A picture stop at the highest point let us marvel at the pass winding its way between the mountains. Regarding our lunch stop: You’d think we would have learned over the last days that the portions are very big here… Turns out we didn’t, and we all ended up with very large portions, where half would have been more than enough. That being said, the food was really good — a great lunch stop. After lunch we dropped part of the group at the hotel and did another extra loop with just a handful of bikes left. Luckily we had a lot of traffic leaving town, because otherwise we wouldn’t have been riding at 30 kilometers an hour — and then we wouldn’t have had the chance to look at every little detail of the town this intensely. Once the traffic let up, we got to wind through the forest and make our way to our coffee stop with amazing views of a lake. What a way to conclude our riding day! Back to the hotel, off to bed, and ready for the next day!
After yesterday's excitement, we're taking it a little easier today, admittedly not entirely voluntarily, as severe forest fires have been raging south of Bariloche for weeks, meaning we can't visit Alceres National Park. But we're not getting bored here in Patagonia. We continue our journey south, The road to El Bolson is quite winding by Argentine standards, and the landscape is a dream: gigantic mountains, seemingly endless valleys, and deep blue lakes. The famous Ruta 40 shows itself from its best side here. The highlight of our day is undoubtedly this small building in the middle of nowhere, which, to our surprise, houses a small museum. None other than the famous outlaw Butch Cassidy had a hideout nearby. We fortify ourselves with a few empanadas and set off into the surrounding countryside to follow in the footsteps of the wanted man😉 In the afternoon, we continue our journey through the increasingly barren landscape. Our destination today is Esquel. Not a fancy tourist spot, but a genuine Patagonian village idyll.
Day 6 took us from Esquel to La Junta, back in Chile. The first part of the ride took us out of the town of Esquel and along a wonderful, twisty road with perfect conditions. This meant we could use the riding wind to keep us cool, and the turns to keep us very, very happy. Beautiful sights along the way were just a bonus. After a while the road changed to gravel and we once again got to create some dust clouds behind our bikes. The road was in very good condition, all hard-packed, which made for a smooth ride along the gravel. Once we got to the border, we had to go through a similar process to the first crossing we did. The only difference was that they wanted to take a look at all our luggage — on the bikes as well as the bags on the truck. Even with these extra checks, everything went very smoothly and we were through the border in no time. After the border, we made our way to Futaleufú, where we stopped for some coffee and a nice lunch. This time in much more manageable portions than we’d had the last few days. After lunch it was more wonderful, twisty asphalt turns until we ended up back on the gravel. This section of gravel road ran parallel to the Futaleufú River, which meant we caught little glimpses of the incredibly blue water between the trees while riding. At one point, just before a bridge, the road had just been redone and the dirt was a bit softer. Taking it slow and easy meant we all got through without any trouble at all, and then had the chance to take some quick pictures of the river. The ride continued on gravel, past mountains, forests, and lakes — nothing short of postcard-worthy views. After another short coffee stop, it was on to the famous Carretera Austral, the road running through Chile and connecting the different regions. This northern part was all paved, making for a smooth but still very picturesque ride. The last little excursion of the day before reaching the hotel was an optional loop. This road is all gravel and only used by a handful of farms along the way, which meant we had it almost entirely to ourselves. We only had to share it with a few cows, standing in the middle of the road and staring us down — a proper rural experience. A day full of sights you normally only see in magazines, and roads you can usually only dream of. I can’t think of a place we would have rather been riding today than right here.
Another day in Adventureland dawns. Dark clouds hang over the mountains to the south. But we'll still get wet today, at least not from the outside😉 Our route takes us Our route takes us first to Puyuhuapi and from there along the fjord of the same name. The famous Carratera Austral winds its way along the steep rock faces, alternating between paved and unpaved sections. Imposing, snow-capped mountains and dense forests dominate the landscape. What a start to the day. Our highlight of the day is undoubtedly the Paso Queulet. This unpaved road winds its way up the mountain for about 5 kilometers. A real challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time. The way down is paved and can certainly compete with well-known mountain passes in Europe in terms of driving pleasure. After lunch, we continue on the unpaved part of the Carratera Austral. Hardly any traffic, a picture-perfect landscape and a bright blue sky. That was our afternoon. In the early afternoon, we finally reach Coyhaique and recharge our civilization batteries once again. Among other things, we can revamp our equipment in a motorcycle clothing store. Because tomorrow we set off into the wilderness. What a day!
After thoroughly enjoying yesterday afternoon in the lap of civilization, we set off a little earlier than usual today, as today has a lot in store for us. Shortly after leaving the city limits, we are immersed in an overwhelmingly beautiful mountain world. Wild animals, fantastic panoramas, and a wonderfully winding road make our biker hearts beat faster. After about 100 kilometers, the paved road ends and we find ourselves on one of the most famous sections of the Caraterra Austral. The road winds through the valleys along the Rio Ibanez through dense forests until we finally reach the mighty Chelenko. A gigantic lake with many names in an impressive landscape. The boat trip to the marble caves is definitely the highlight of the day. Our hotel today is also something very special; the tranquility and rugged beauty of this landscape is simply breathtaking. We will sleep very well tonight.
Today took us from Puerto Bertrand to Lago Posadas. We continued on the same road as yesterday, with fine weather and wonderful views of the lake where we stayed the night before. We made it to the visitor center at Paso Roballos, where we had a look around and enjoyed some coffee. The first part of the road was paved, but after the center it turned back into gravel. The scenery was absolutely amazing — extremely scenic and leaving lasting impressions. We then wound our way toward another border crossing. This one is a bit special, as they don’t have a fully digital system but still write everything in a book. This meant we had to fill out a form online a few days ago and get it approved. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t possible to fill in the form if you were born in Austria or Slovenia. This meant we had to coordinate with the PDI and register those three people as being from the Netherlands, which they then confirmed by hand. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing at the border, and we got through without much trouble. After crossing the border, we continued on toward Lago Posadas. The ride started off very easily, and we made good progress. We had a bit of rain, but only for about 20 minutes — nothing to worry about. That was until we reached the last 4 km before our hotel. All of a sudden, the road surface turned into clay, and all 13 of our motorcycles got stuck. The clay built up on the front wheels and packed itself between the tires and the fenders, completely blocking the wheels from turning. We tried to clear the muck out, but after just a few meters, the bikes would get stuck again. Some people started walking toward the hotel, and Amir even organized the police and a local resident to come back and pick some of the group up. We then used the car with the trailer to shuttle the motorcycles to the hotel, two at a time. This was definitely an experience we will all remember for a long time — truly an adventure, and something none of us had ever experienced before. In the end, we all made it to the hotel, got a good night’s sleep, and even managed to sleep in the next morning, as we wouldn’t be able to leave right away. We needed some time to organize alternative solutions, which meant we all got to enjoy the bustling town of Lago Posadas a little longer. I’m sure the lady at the local bakery was very happy we were there — she certainly had good company all day.
Since we couldn’t drive the bikes out of town due to the muddy road conditions, we stayed an extra day in Lago Posadas. Andy went to explore the beautiful Cerro de los Indios, with wall paintings on the rocks, while some others took the time to take a nap, play cards, and make friends with the owner of the local bakery. We managed to find a man with a trailer so we could transport the bikes past the gravel section to the road. We loaded four bikes into the horse trailer and four onto our car and trailer. This way, we got the bikes out in two trips and had them ready to go. We had to get the clay out first, though, so this took some cleaning and reattaching of the front fenders. Tomorrow we will take a bus ride for the 70 kilometers to the motorcycles and continue our ride from there on an altered route. It was a very different day than planned, but it was nice to have a rest day in the little town, take a nap, and regain some energy.
The day started a little earlier today because we had to be on time for the bus to take us past the gravel part. We managed to arrange an early breakfast, had our coffee, and got on our way. Once we got to the little gas station at the intersection where the asphalt starts, it was windy and a bit cold, so it was time to get dressed warmly. After a check and some tweaking of the bikes, we filled them up at the station. This was an experience in itself—the only gas station for a hundred miles is quite a sight. The road after that, apart from potholes, was in very good condition, so it meant that we were making good time along our detour. About halfway, we had a fuel stop and some lunch, and then on to our hotel for the night. A little town with some nice restaurants. Most of us ended up at the same place and had some different experiences regarding the quality of the food. But at least we are all fed and have a comfortable bed, so we will be ready for tomorrow and continue our way on to El Calafate, where we continue on our regular schedule.
Today we took off from Luis Piedrabuena and started heading south towards Río Gallegos. Before we started our regular day routine, we had two birthdays to celebrate, so we sang them a little song and handed them a small gift from Edelweiss. Since we are in Patagonia, what is more suitable than a vest from the brand Patagonia. Then it was back to our regular schedule with a briefing and then on the road. I am positive, on average, we had by far the steepest lean angle of the tour today. We had very strong winds, so to go straight, we had to lean into the wind. On our way down to Río Gallegos, the wind was from the right, and to even it out, we had it from the other side after lunch, as our route took us in the other direction. It was quite a few kilometers, and with the wind it was demanding, but everybody mastered it well and we made it to El Calafate. Now we are back on our regular schedule, so we continue as initially planned. Tomorrow is the rest day, where we have a chance to go and see the Perito Moreno Glacier and the surrounding Los Glaciares National Park.
On our rest day in El Calafate, we had the chance to explore the Perito Moreno Glacier. Andy and Boris joined me for the ‘group’ ride, whilst the others made their own way there on bikes and by taxi. This turned into a little inside joke of me being on the road with my dad, and self-proclaimed granddad. It was a lovely family trip. The boat takes you right up to the glacier, so you get a good chance to look at the impressive ice sculpt. The walls are over 40 meters high, so it is really a magnificent sight when you get up close. For dinner tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if we all end up at the same restaurant like yesterday, because the food there was really good. Best steak of the tour, I heard people say, and that is saying something on an Argentina/Chile tour.
After taking the boat ride to the glacier yesterday, it was time to make our way to arguably the biggest highlight of the tour, the Torres del Paine National Park. Tonight we are staying in Puerto Natales, and will do a big loop through the national park tomorrow. Our ride today started off by going back the same way we came in two days before. Since it was cloudy and so windy when we came in, some people didn’t even recognise the road at first. Since one of the bikes was struggling with the wind, we had a little unexpected change in the distribution of the vehicles among the group, but therefore we all made it to our hotel just fine. Tonight we will have a lovely dinner together and go over what is to come for tomorrow. I am sure this will be a day to remember!