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Square kms: 2780400
Language: Spanish Currency: peso Population: 40.76million Capital: Buenos Aires |
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Introduction
Driving on Ruta 40
In September 2013 we went motorhoming in Argentina, and for the first time booked ourselves onto an organised motorhome holiday travelling with strangers courtesy of the “Amazing Argentina” holiday booked through Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays which is part of the Camping and Caravanning club.
There were six other couples in our party, all well travelled, as well as Brits there were two Americans and two Swiss. We were not obliged to travel in convoy, instead, we would meet up at our campsite for the night.
Our trip lasted just under six weeks with most of the time in motorhomes hired from AndeanRoads. We had an itinerary and a few excursions included in the price, the most spectacular being a trip to the Brazilian border and Iguazu Falls. We stayed in the north and north west of the country, we would have needed a far longer trip to get down south and to see Patagonia.
None of the campsites had been booked which meant that we had quite a bit of flexibility as we travelled and only had to be mindful of the few organised excursions which were fixed in the calendar.
There were six other couples in our party, all well travelled, as well as Brits there were two Americans and two Swiss. We were not obliged to travel in convoy, instead, we would meet up at our campsite for the night.
Our trip lasted just under six weeks with most of the time in motorhomes hired from AndeanRoads. We had an itinerary and a few excursions included in the price, the most spectacular being a trip to the Brazilian border and Iguazu Falls. We stayed in the north and north west of the country, we would have needed a far longer trip to get down south and to see Patagonia.
None of the campsites had been booked which meant that we had quite a bit of flexibility as we travelled and only had to be mindful of the few organised excursions which were fixed in the calendar.
View Our Argentine adventure in a larger map
Buenos Aires
The Duarte Mausoleum - Evita's burial place
Our first few days were spent in Buenos Aires where we had time to recover from the 13 hours flight, get to know our travelling companions and then take a mini bus around the sites of Buenos Aires with local guide Mattias who was pleasant and knowledgeable. However the day confirmed that big cities are not what we like - this quick visit was plenty for us.
Buenos Aires is huge and has a population of 20 million, half the population of the entire country.There are plenty of modern buildings in BA and some fine 19th and early 20th century classics, but also some hideous buildings and an extensive barrio area (‘villas miserias’ in local terminology, but pronounced bishas). We stopped at the mausoleum of Evita, also at her statue and at the Casa Rosada - she is still big here, but the new Argentinian Pope is providing some competition.
Buenos Aires is huge and has a population of 20 million, half the population of the entire country.There are plenty of modern buildings in BA and some fine 19th and early 20th century classics, but also some hideous buildings and an extensive barrio area (‘villas miserias’ in local terminology, but pronounced bishas). We stopped at the mausoleum of Evita, also at her statue and at the Casa Rosada - she is still big here, but the new Argentinian Pope is providing some competition.
The presidential palace, or Casa Rosada
Inside Buenos Aires Cathedral
We had a quick look at the Cathedral - the outside was under repair and the inside was OK but we have seen much better. We passed the Boca Juniors stadium and discovered that the team colours come from Swedish Flag (yellow and blue) as it had been decided that a dispute as to team colours was to be resolved by adopting the colours of the flag of the next ship that came into port.
We then took a walk through the wonderfully painted Boca (‘mouth’) area which is where the poor Italian immigrants lived (it is near the docks) and they used whatever bits of paint they could find - steal? - on the corrugated iron sheets along El Caminito. Boca was also the Tango area and it’s racy past was reflected in some of the balcony displays.
We then took a walk through the wonderfully painted Boca (‘mouth’) area which is where the poor Italian immigrants lived (it is near the docks) and they used whatever bits of paint they could find - steal? - on the corrugated iron sheets along El Caminito. Boca was also the Tango area and it’s racy past was reflected in some of the balcony displays.
Boca - the home of tango
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We ended the tour in the upmarket riverside area Puerto Madero area where we went to La Bisteca - an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant which had a massive display of food. Despite having had a decent breakfast at the hotel and the promise of another with a biggish dinner that same evening we all tucked in. These huge buffet restaurants were something we experienced several times over our stay and what was impressive was how huge they were (over 1000 covers at some) the quality of the food and the service. If you thinking of all you can eat buffets in English establishments then you are way off, there is no comparison.
Seven motorhomes ready for the off - well nearly.
The following day we plunged into the morning BA traffic for an hour of exciting cut-and-thrust to the motorhome pick-up point (bizarrely, a house in a rather nice residential area of the suburbs) where Sebastian and Christian of AndeanRoads (AndeanRoads.com) took us through the workings of our motorhomes.
Ours was a Mercedes Sprinter-based van conversion with a fixed double bed at the back and a tiny bathroom. Oddly - and this applies to all the motorhomes - there was no toilet cassette. There is just a wide tap underneath. Just as odd, there are no toilet emptying places in Argentinian campsites - the instruction is that you pull off the road and just empty the toilet into the countryside. The same with a grey water. Not very savoury.
Ours was a Mercedes Sprinter-based van conversion with a fixed double bed at the back and a tiny bathroom. Oddly - and this applies to all the motorhomes - there was no toilet cassette. There is just a wide tap underneath. Just as odd, there are no toilet emptying places in Argentinian campsites - the instruction is that you pull off the road and just empty the toilet into the countryside. The same with a grey water. Not very savoury.
Cordoba & striking bus drivers
Inside Cordoba Cathedral
One of our first stops was just outside Cordoba and we took the bus into Cordoba (12.50 Pesos each, single, for a one-hour trip). The outskirts were very BA - dirty, dusty with lots of plastic bags stuck in trees and some grim breezeblock slums. We noticed when we got off the bus that the police had blocked the road - we were later to learn the significance of this. Downtown Cordoba is not attractive - rather battered, crowded, dirty, littered with stuff blowing in the strong wind - with a few good old buildings.
The interior of the Cathedral was good - wonderfully Catholic in its extravagant decoration.We then found a good cafe for a coffee and croissant or media luna as they are called in Argentina, which meant that when we went into the next church they were just closing for lunch and the security guard was ushering people out.
We then walked to the Mercado Norte which is in a nicely downmarket area with rent-by-the-hour ‘Love Hotels’. We made our way back to the cafe we had discovered earlier and had a fine plate of cold meats and cheeses and a couple of beers (130 Pesos).
Once we stepped out of the air-conditioning afterwards we realised just how hot it had become so we walked back to the bus station for the return trip. This was when we noticed the problem: the police were still blocking the road but so were the buses, and there were a bunch of drivers walking along the road shouting slogans and banging drums. Signs on the buses indicated that the drivers had grievances with the local transport secretary whose office was next to the bus station. It was also clear that we were going nowhere by bus, so we walked back towards the railway station and were fortunate enough to pick up a taxi. It was 300 Pesos back to the campsite but we had little choice - one other couple paid 350 and a third couple were warned when they got to Cordoba so they just stayed on the bus and came back.
The Argentinian Cordoba is not a patch on the one in Andalusia, although the Cathedral was splendid it can never compare with the Mesquite in the original Cordoba.
The interior of the Cathedral was good - wonderfully Catholic in its extravagant decoration.We then found a good cafe for a coffee and croissant or media luna as they are called in Argentina, which meant that when we went into the next church they were just closing for lunch and the security guard was ushering people out.
We then walked to the Mercado Norte which is in a nicely downmarket area with rent-by-the-hour ‘Love Hotels’. We made our way back to the cafe we had discovered earlier and had a fine plate of cold meats and cheeses and a couple of beers (130 Pesos).
Once we stepped out of the air-conditioning afterwards we realised just how hot it had become so we walked back to the bus station for the return trip. This was when we noticed the problem: the police were still blocking the road but so were the buses, and there were a bunch of drivers walking along the road shouting slogans and banging drums. Signs on the buses indicated that the drivers had grievances with the local transport secretary whose office was next to the bus station. It was also clear that we were going nowhere by bus, so we walked back towards the railway station and were fortunate enough to pick up a taxi. It was 300 Pesos back to the campsite but we had little choice - one other couple paid 350 and a third couple were warned when they got to Cordoba so they just stayed on the bus and came back.
The Argentinian Cordoba is not a patch on the one in Andalusia, although the Cathedral was splendid it can never compare with the Mesquite in the original Cordoba.
Cafe 99 - cool with good food
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Not a crowd scene from Reservoir Dogs but striking bus drivers
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Nono - birds and gauchos
Rufous collared sparrow
We took the short but interesting run into the mountains to Nono. Some bendy bits and steep climbs and descents but some excellent scenery and lots of birds including the colourful Pampas Meadow Lark , Chestnut-Collared Sparrow, many Condors. And a few Guinea Pigs.
It was nicely cool in the mountains - we were up above 2,000 metres - but Nono was down on the plains again it was very warm. Sheila saw from a local newspaper headline that the locals are suffering in the unseasonal heatwave.
While at Nono we went walking first thing - while it was still cool - along the local river which is presently almost dry. Plenty of birds there - lots of Southern Lapwings, a White Monjita, a Whistling Heron, a Steamer Duck a Masked Gnatcatcher, a couple of Dot-Fronted Woodpeckers, a Brown Cacholote, and several unidentifieds. A raptor flew overhead and caused panic - possibly a Mountain Caracara. We also saw our first genuine Gaucho.
Nono was our first small Argentinian town and a very pleasant surprise with a helpful owner at the campsite.
It was nicely cool in the mountains - we were up above 2,000 metres - but Nono was down on the plains again it was very warm. Sheila saw from a local newspaper headline that the locals are suffering in the unseasonal heatwave.
While at Nono we went walking first thing - while it was still cool - along the local river which is presently almost dry. Plenty of birds there - lots of Southern Lapwings, a White Monjita, a Whistling Heron, a Steamer Duck a Masked Gnatcatcher, a couple of Dot-Fronted Woodpeckers, a Brown Cacholote, and several unidentifieds. A raptor flew overhead and caused panic - possibly a Mountain Caracara. We also saw our first genuine Gaucho.
Nono was our first small Argentinian town and a very pleasant surprise with a helpful owner at the campsite.
Salta - mummies and miracles
Happy pilgrims heading off for the celebrations
Our next stop of any significance was Salta and Sheila had read about the Semana del Milagro in the Michelin Guide and had been confident that our visit clashed with this week of celebration and so we found the campsite full of pilgrims.
The campsite did not live up to the Lonely Planet billing of ‘the best campsite in Argentina’. Big, dirty and dusty, the bathrooms were a good walk away but did have hot water in the showers if not much else. Possibly the broken economy may have resulted in the neglect we found, fair enough but Lonely Planet ought to take more care when updating its books.We are fortunate that we are used to ropey campsites from our Moroccan experience - if you were used to European standards you would be very disappointed.
The campsite did not live up to the Lonely Planet billing of ‘the best campsite in Argentina’. Big, dirty and dusty, the bathrooms were a good walk away but did have hot water in the showers if not much else. Possibly the broken economy may have resulted in the neglect we found, fair enough but Lonely Planet ought to take more care when updating its books.We are fortunate that we are used to ropey campsites from our Moroccan experience - if you were used to European standards you would be very disappointed.
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The week of celebrations relates to an incident in the past when there was an earthquake and the statue of the Virgin in the Cathedral fell down. There were no aftershocks after this and the believers put two and two together and decided that the Virgin had protected them from any further damage so once a year pilgrims come from all over the country to see the Virgin being carried around town and to generally have a good time. We went into town in the afternoon (taxi for four 25 Pesos) to watch the pilgrims processing past the cathedral. The cathedral square and surrounding streets were heaving with people and we were notable for our pale skins - almost everybody here is of Indian descent. There were lots of groups of pilgrims, each with their own flags, banners, virgins etc. waiting to process past the cathedral while being applauded by the onlookers.
We then went into the Museo de Arqueologia da Alta Montaña (40 Pesos for foreigners) to see the mummified INCA children who were sacrificed on mountain-top 500 years ago - a touch gruesome but very interesting. It was a great honour to be sacrificed to the mountain and so the children were usually taken from wealthy families. There would be lots of celebrations and the children would given alcoholic drinks that left them in a stupor following which they were buried alive in the mountain. The altitude and the dry climate meant that the bodies were very well preserved and there is always one on display at MAAM. It was a little girl aged about seven years on display when we visited. She looked as if she had never woken up after being left on the mountain the other was a girl of about 14 and she looked as if she had never woken up after being placed on the mountain.
We then went into the Museo de Arqueologia da Alta Montaña (40 Pesos for foreigners) to see the mummified INCA children who were sacrificed on mountain-top 500 years ago - a touch gruesome but very interesting. It was a great honour to be sacrificed to the mountain and so the children were usually taken from wealthy families. There would be lots of celebrations and the children would given alcoholic drinks that left them in a stupor following which they were buried alive in the mountain. The altitude and the dry climate meant that the bodies were very well preserved and there is always one on display at MAAM. It was a little girl aged about seven years on display when we visited. She looked as if she had never woken up after being left on the mountain the other was a girl of about 14 and she looked as if she had never woken up after being placed on the mountain.
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Inca mummies
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Its a big day so best costumes are called for.
over 1 million people come out for this event
Tasty Salta empanadas
Then into the café next door for an excellent dinner of empanadas, cold meats and cheeses, washed down with beer (55 Pesos per head, including a decent tip). Salta is famous for its empenadas which are regarded as the best in Argentina and they were very very good. Empanadas are little pies, a bit like a miniature Cornish pasty and are either meat, cheese chicken, llama, or ham and cheese.
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Train to the Clouds
While in Salta we made enquiries about the Tren a las Nubes which is a whole-day (saturdays only) from Salta railway station (7am to 11pm) train trip up to almost 14,000 feet, but this was 950 Pesos a head (£120) and didn’t include lunch and dinner on board, though it did include oxygen.
Sheila climbed up to get this close up view and as a result is on many tourists holiday snaps
We knew that most of our group did not want to spend that sort of money and we weren't sure how easy it would be to get from the campsite to the railway station by 7am either and so we opted instead for a guided road trip at a fraction of the price along La Carretera a las Nubes which follows the railway (and we get a better view of the La Polvorilla viaduct).
Fabulous views with rocks of many colours
So our 400km round-trip by road to the La Polvorilla viaduct, tracking the path of the Tren a las Nubes (train to the clouds) and climbing to 4,000m (13,500 feet).
This is big country with scenery to match, complete with ice-sheets (Pierre our guide said that it reached 30C during the day up there and minus 20C at night), vicuna, Alpacas and the wonderful viaduct.
En route we found a good place for alpaca sweaters
Back at the dusty mining town of San Antonio de Los Cobres (copper, borax, lithium) we stopped for lunch. A small mistake here: we had met a man who said he had a friend with a restaurant at Los Cobres and would phone ahead telling him to expect an extra 14 for lunch. Despite this, the restaurant took the better part of two hours to serve us all (OK food, but a fairly mean portion of llama/lamb stew) and our guide reckoned the restaurant usually used for these trips would have turned us all round in less than an hour.
Deciding what food to have to accompany our Salta beer
Buying gifts from local lady
Tilcara - no heating on a frosty morning
Sheila holding sheet of ice from workmen's oil drum
We took the scenic route to Tilcara, which involved a ‘camino sinuoso’ into the cloudforest which had some fine spanish moss and bromeliads. At one stage our progress was slowed by a roadblock imposed by protesting locals and we had to turn round and follow a local on an alternative route. We never discovered what the protest was about (and we just escaped another one being put in place later) but the police were there and did nothing.
They spend all their time stopped innocents such as us: on a long trip you can go through half a dozen police checks. They don’t all stop you, and some of them don’t seem to be policemen at all but some form of local militia, but there is an enormous police presence which perhaps smacks of the relatively recent military dictatorship. We saw a headline in an old newspaper which noted 30 years of democracy in Argentina - not much of a boast.
They spend all their time stopped innocents such as us: on a long trip you can go through half a dozen police checks. They don’t all stop you, and some of them don’t seem to be policemen at all but some form of local militia, but there is an enormous police presence which perhaps smacks of the relatively recent military dictatorship. We saw a headline in an old newspaper which noted 30 years of democracy in Argentina - not much of a boast.
In the Alto Plano
The roadblock en route to Tilcara
As we approached Tilcara we got into some serious mountains (the campsite is 8,000 feet up) and some fine cacti. We also got low cloud, and a howling gale which generated a fine dust storm (winter is clearly the dry season and. there is only a trickle in the massive rivers). Altogether not great visibility. And it was freezing cold - not a great time for Sheila to discover that she has left both pullovers at home, although we had remembered to bring thick jackets and gloves.
Locro all round
Downtown Tilcara
Tilcara is a pleasantly dusty little town which looks and feels like the end of the world but is clearly a tourist destination for the hardier traveller. It's also a good spot for some local sightseeing including Pumamarca and the Grandes Salinas. Unfortunately the climb up to the salt flats was very steep and our van was not up to it and we had to turn around, although we did get to see some wonderful scenery en route so the journey was not wasted.
The campsite is better than the average: it has operational electricity (best not to ask about reverse polarity or lack of an earth connection), hot water in the showers and the toilets flush if treated gently. We have found our first laundry so the towels are getting a treat and our jeans (too thick to wash in the bucket) are getting their first wash.
The campsite is better than the average: it has operational electricity (best not to ask about reverse polarity or lack of an earth connection), hot water in the showers and the toilets flush if treated gently. We have found our first laundry so the towels are getting a treat and our jeans (too thick to wash in the bucket) are getting their first wash.
Tilcara campsite
Pumamarca
We ate well in Tilcara: one night we went to Pena de Carlitos where we had local speciality called locro (a sort of meat and beans cassoulet) and listened to folk music from a three-man band. Lucky we got there early because it was full by the time we left. The next night just us went to Los Puestos and had a splendid steak with chips with two fried eggs on top, and again music and again the place was full by the time we left.
We ate out two days on the trot because it was too cold to stay in the motorhome in the evening when the heater wasn’t working. One morning Sheila found thick ice on the water barrel, as you can see in the photo at the top of this section.
We ate out two days on the trot because it was too cold to stay in the motorhome in the evening when the heater wasn’t working. One morning Sheila found thick ice on the water barrel, as you can see in the photo at the top of this section.
The road to Salinas Grandes
Road to Salinas Grandes
Salinas Grandes -photos by M. Etheridge
salt furniture
Humahuaca and the altiplano
Town Hall in Humahuaca
From Tilcara we went north (past the Tropic of Capricorn) along the Quebrada de Humahuaca, climbing steadily to the altiplano where the mountains become rounder and it feels like the top of the world. Wonderful scenery again (it is a World Heritage Area) and some fine birds including the Mountain Caracara, Crested Eagle (blow left), Short-Tailed Hawk (below right) and Thick-Billed Siskin.
Potatoes
The market in Humahuaca had a wonderful variety of local potatoes (confusingly called Papas here, like the Pope) and maize. And some rather fine Lolibs (little old ladies in black) , though they were more colourful.
Corn
Humahuaca is an old Indian town with a fine Town Hall and an excellent church (no interior photos allowed). There was a very active street market where Sheila bought a pullover to replace those which she had accidentally left at home. There is also a huge memorial to the wars of independence of 1810-23.
Sheila doing business with 6 year olds
The Road to Cachi
Argentina is full of fabulous scenery and another scenic trip was the part-gravel road from Salta to Cachi via the 3,400m Cuesta del Obispo pass. We were a bit worried about this because our motorhome does not like heights (as we had discovered when we had tried to get to the salt flats) but we kept it to 2,000 revs in second gear on the steep bits which provided slow but steady progress and the engine warning light only came on once.
This drive is stunning, with magnificent scenery, more vicuna, snow in nearby mountains, fields of huge Cordones cacti and high enough to be looking down on the clouds.
This drive is stunning, with magnificent scenery, more vicuna, snow in nearby mountains, fields of huge Cordones cacti and high enough to be looking down on the clouds.
Cachi
Small, scruffy but rather pleasing is the little town of Cachi which has some cobbled streets and old Spanish architecture, including a rather fine adobe church. It had all that was needed, shops garages and restaurants, it was really rather nice.
Slight concern when we arrived because there was more noisy Spring Festival stuff going on in the school just below the campsite. We watched one act which comprised what looked like a mariachi band without the hats and a male lead singer in a blond wig, short skirt, suspender belt and black stockings. This was for an event for young to mid-teens, which did not seem entirely suitable, but Sheila reckoned part of the act may have been sex education.
Slight concern when we arrived because there was more noisy Spring Festival stuff going on in the school just below the campsite. We watched one act which comprised what looked like a mariachi band without the hats and a male lead singer in a blond wig, short skirt, suspender belt and black stockings. This was for an event for young to mid-teens, which did not seem entirely suitable, but Sheila reckoned part of the act may have been sex education.
Fat man in suspenders
Downtown Cachi
Driving along Ruta 40
We did the short (in distance not time) but bone-shaking trip from Cachi to Cafayate on a gravel road running parallel to the Cachaqui River (wide but not much water in it, be more full come December and the rainy season).
This road was very narrow in places, and rough as hell with deep sand edges and a washboard surface which could shake your teeth out, but it ran through some magnificent scenery and was excellent for birds - including a Spectacled Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush, American Kestrel and a Red-Bellied Parakeet (in that order above). We also saw more Condors.
This road was very narrow in places, and rough as hell with deep sand edges and a washboard surface which could shake your teeth out, but it ran through some magnificent scenery and was excellent for birds - including a Spectacled Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush, American Kestrel and a Red-Bellied Parakeet (in that order above). We also saw more Condors.
En route we stopped in Molinos - another sleepy little town but with a fine old church (first built 1659) and an excellent hotel converted from a hacienda where we enjoyed a coffee and cake.
A coffee break in Molinos
The old church in Molinos
The landscape for most of the trip along the famed Ruta 40 was semi-desert, but there were patches of green where irrigation was possible, and even a fairly large vineyard. But as we approached Cafayate the main feature were the dramatic rearing hills of mudstone through which the road climbed and twisted.
Cafayate
Like all the other towns, this one had a good supply of classic cars
Cafayate is a delightful small town with an attractive main square full of restaurants and tourist shops. The town is a big wine growing centre so there are large fields of vines and a winery almost next to the campsite. We enjoyed an alfresco lunch in the main square and had - inevitably - more steak and - almost as inevitably - it was delicious.
The campsite was fine - big and dusty (as always) but hot water (most of the time), electricity and some wifi by reception. As you can see from the photo below, there was some shade beside the pitches which all had barbecues -a universal feature of all Argentinian campsites we visited.
The campsite was fine - big and dusty (as always) but hot water (most of the time), electricity and some wifi by reception. As you can see from the photo below, there was some shade beside the pitches which all had barbecues -a universal feature of all Argentinian campsites we visited.
rather unusual building site in Cafayate
A reminder of the importance of wine production
The pre-incas, strikers and beggars.
We took the - allegedly - shortish trip from Cafayate to our next stop at Londres, so named after the marriage of Philip II of Spain to Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry XIII and hence partly responsible for the Armada. Place names in these parts do carry some history, although the town itself was nothing more than a tiny dusty village with nothing to justify making anything other than an overnight stop.
The trip took much longer than advertised because we ran into yet another road block put up by workless protestors (our second this trip) and were stuck for 2.5 hours. However, Sheila had a chat with one of the lady protestors and she gave us both a bowl of locro (meat and maize soup) while we waited. And the protestors made sure that they held up the trucks (which had edged up the wrong side of the road) so that we were first through the barrier at 2pm. Very polite.
The trip took much longer than advertised because we ran into yet another road block put up by workless protestors (our second this trip) and were stuck for 2.5 hours. However, Sheila had a chat with one of the lady protestors and she gave us both a bowl of locro (meat and maize soup) while we waited. And the protestors made sure that they held up the trucks (which had edged up the wrong side of the road) so that we were first through the barrier at 2pm. Very polite.
Polite protesters
Before that we visited the Quilmes pre-Inca settlement (20 Pesos entry fee each) which fell to the Spanish in the C17th. Very large and restored just enough to give you the scale. Reckon the climate must have been a bit different then - it is semi-desert now and probably could not have supported an urban population of thousands. Excellent views of the complex from the surrounding hills.
Finding the campsite for the night was a touch hit-and-miss. The satnav was taking us miles away but fortunately Sandy Etheridge had arrived first and waved us on to the right road. The name plate for the site was hidden behind a Welcome to Spring sign. The written instructions were not helpful - along the lines of ‘go to Londres and the site is easily found’. Sheila sat with Sandy at the entrance for about two hours guiding latecomers in and spending all of that time fending off the attention of a beggar who started asking for money and clothes but eventually it was a Spanish/English language lesson.
The site was nicely laid out and rather nicely located, and with electricity, but the toilets were dire (one working toilet for each gender, the rest blocked), no doors in the gents, taps not working in the gents, and just cold water through a pipe in the wall - shower head missing).
Our leader did not pay for the site - there seemed to be nobody there except a thin cat and a wandering horse. What a shame that the owners did not think it worth while to maintain the standard of the place, it had probably been really good when first established.
The site was nicely laid out and rather nicely located, and with electricity, but the toilets were dire (one working toilet for each gender, the rest blocked), no doors in the gents, taps not working in the gents, and just cold water through a pipe in the wall - shower head missing).
Our leader did not pay for the site - there seemed to be nobody there except a thin cat and a wandering horse. What a shame that the owners did not think it worth while to maintain the standard of the place, it had probably been really good when first established.
Talampaya National Park
We drove through desert to Talampaya National Park where we were greeted by very pretty feral foxes who ate the bread Sheila threw to them so Gilroy cold take a nice photo . Not really a campsite just some spaces in the car park marked out for camping but it was OK once we got the feller to unlock the toilets/showers and then switch on the pump to shift the water into the gravity tank. No electricity, and once the sun went down it was bloody cold so most of us gathered in the restaurant where we could get eats and enjoy the warmth of the wood-burning stove.
On a freezing Sunday morning the plan was that we would get the 9.30am conducted tour of the El Cáñon with an English-speaking guide, after a morning tour here we would travel on to Valle de La Luna for an afternoon tour there.
Unfortunately the guide didn’t turn up until about 10.30, and then there was a cock-up with the booking for the 11.00 tour so we eventually got on the bus at 12.00. As the bus tour was full of other tourists and likely to take three hours or so, our trip to the next national park was beginning to look iffy and while we had had some flexibility on this trip a wine tour in Mendoza was coming up and we weren't sure how we would fit everything in.
There were advantages to the delay, however - the temperature and visibility had improved enormously and the Cáñon was spectacular with vertical cliffs and huge pinnacles. There was also plenty of animal life - Guanacos (Llama type things), Maras (an odd mixture of Guinea Pig and Deer) and huge Rheas which confirmed their bird-brain by running in front of the bus for quite a long way before escaping by running to the side.
Unfortunately the guide didn’t turn up until about 10.30, and then there was a cock-up with the booking for the 11.00 tour so we eventually got on the bus at 12.00. As the bus tour was full of other tourists and likely to take three hours or so, our trip to the next national park was beginning to look iffy and while we had had some flexibility on this trip a wine tour in Mendoza was coming up and we weren't sure how we would fit everything in.
There were advantages to the delay, however - the temperature and visibility had improved enormously and the Cáñon was spectacular with vertical cliffs and huge pinnacles. There was also plenty of animal life - Guanacos (Llama type things), Maras (an odd mixture of Guinea Pig and Deer) and huge Rheas which confirmed their bird-brain by running in front of the bus for quite a long way before escaping by running to the side.
The visitor centre at Talampaya `National Park
The visitor centre had a nice selection of dinosaurs
Rhea
The Valle de la Luna
As soon as we finished the Talampaya tour we had to hot-foot 80km to the Vallee de la Luna National Park where we just managed to get the sundown tour with our guide. Despite the delays earlier in the day he proved his worth here as we were probably too late for a regular tour but he persuaded the office to let us in and he acted as our guide as he had spent a year studying tourism.
This is a rather different environment where one part is a bare black-and-white landscape where lots of dinosaur bits have been found. We also found the “dinosaur’s toilet” which consisted of lots of balls formed - so the guide told us - from the gradual accretion of calcium carbonate.
Unusually we were obliged to take our tour of this national park by driving in convoy. The tracks were really rough and we agreed that none of us would have done this in our own motorhomes but the hired ones were made of sturdier stuff.
We spent the night in the car park at the Visitor Centre, this was fine, there was electricity and toilets but it was very very cold.
We spent the night in the car park at the Visitor Centre, this was fine, there was electricity and toilets but it was very very cold.
Mendoza - & where not to stay.
the road to Mendoza - through desert
The original plan was to spend two nights in San Juan but there was not too much to see so we all decided to head for Mendoza, the heart of the Argentinian wine country and our next destination and thus have an extra day there. You wouldn’t think you were getting close to high-tech agriculture as you drive along arrow-straight desert roads with peasant shacks on each side.
We all found the site easily enough but the man in charge was most unhelpful about where we should locate - he shouted loudly and did not seem willing to speak slowly in order to accomodate our poor Spanish. Altogether a feller who needed a good slapping, especially since this site costs 200 Pesos a night (the better part of $25) and resembled a building site. But it did have electricity and they did manage to complete the work on the showers - though the hot water comes out boiling so you have to be careful before you stick your bare arse in there.
We experienced all weathers in Argentina
Being in Mendoza gave us an opportunity to take Route 7 towards Aconcagua, at almost 7,000m the highest mountain in the Americas. More spectacular - and very snowy - scenery, and another nasty accident where a big truck didn’t make the bend. We had intended to walk up the path to the base of Aconcagua but we were above the snow line and the cloud base came down - and it started to snow - so we limited ourselves to the start of the path, a touch below 3,000m so high enough to freeze the proverbials.
horrific accidents seem commonplace in this country.
A lorry crashed and shed its load of loo rolls
When we got back to the campsite there were many many students in tents, some right beside us at the concrete table immediately behind us. This was our first night of no sleep, the student were noisy enough but next door there was some sort of music festival where the music started at 10 and continued until after 4 .
The next day was an organised wine excursion - the reason we had not fled after an appalling night and lack of sleep.
The next day was an organised wine excursion - the reason we had not fled after an appalling night and lack of sleep.
Uco Valley wine tour
This involved an initial longish trek (80km) and then a not very informative tour of a couple of smallish modern “boutique”wineries. One interesting feature was concrete fermentation tanks in one place - but only for the lowest grade wine. They had big oak tanks for the best stuff, and stainless steel for the in-between. Frankly we have been on better more interesting wine tours in South Africa, United States and New Zealand.
Then a quick tasting before the main event - an excellent six-course lunch at O. Fournier winery, with a Sauvignon Blanc with starters and then four different reds with the main courses. Delicious sweetbreads for the entrée, and yet more excellent steak. And the salty home-made bread rolls dipped in the local olive oil were superb. It took us a good while to eat our way through everything and we then walked some of it off with a tour of the winery. All very modern and austere - nothing cosy or rustic here - and some very pricey wines destined for the American market, matured in barrels that cost €1,200 apiece and were used for only two years. But still making plenty of profit - a huge diamond-shaped stainless steel installation looked expensive and some of the artwork adorning the walls suggested no shortage of ackers.
Then a quick tasting before the main event - an excellent six-course lunch at O. Fournier winery, with a Sauvignon Blanc with starters and then four different reds with the main courses. Delicious sweetbreads for the entrée, and yet more excellent steak. And the salty home-made bread rolls dipped in the local olive oil were superb. It took us a good while to eat our way through everything and we then walked some of it off with a tour of the winery. All very modern and austere - nothing cosy or rustic here - and some very pricey wines destined for the American market, matured in barrels that cost €1,200 apiece and were used for only two years. But still making plenty of profit - a huge diamond-shaped stainless steel installation looked expensive and some of the artwork adorning the walls suggested no shortage of ackers.
Plenty of glasses, plenty of wine & plenty of food
So back to the hell of our campsite. In addition to the rude owner, the unfinished pipework on the site, the presence of about a thousand students which totally overwhelmed the limited shower/toilet provision (four of each per gender), there was the problem of the NOISE from the nightly rave in the next field. This had started the previous day at about 10pm and went on to 4.30am. It was indescribably loud - the bass was so powerful it shook the earth. The following day it started at 10pm and went on until 5.30am, and then Gilroy had to get up and tell the students leaning against our van to shut up. We then decided that we had suffered enough and despite the plan to stay another day in Mendoza (and for which we had paid) we fled 500km to our next scheduled stop at the Hotel Colonial at Laboulaye. There we had clean sheets, hot showers (our first in days) and QUIET so quiet you could almost hear it ringing in your ear.
So, if going to Mendoza it is Camping Pilmayken that you should avoid.
So, if going to Mendoza it is Camping Pilmayken that you should avoid.
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Iguazu Falls
After some four weeks we had returned the motorhomes and were back in Buenos Aires. We were up early for the trip to the domestic Jorge Newbery airport for the 10.30am flight to Peurto Iguazú. The flight was a bit less than 2 hours and we transferred to the Hotel Cataratas. It was nicely warm so we spent the afternoon at the swimming pool - we even had a swim - and then took a taxi into town to visit the point where three countries meet (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay), admire the setting sun over the river and have dinner.
The three frontiers, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay
The following day we were assembled in the lobby at 7.40am for our first tour - the Brazilian side of the Iguazú Falls. This involved a surprisingly long coach trip and a longish wait at the border while passports were examined - presumably carefully given the time it took - and stamped. The American in our party, Gerry didn’t even make it on to the coach - the lady guide said that his visa - which cost them $100 each - were out of date. Later Gerry and his wife Faye went to the Brazilian consulate and were told that their visas were fine - the 90-day restriction was the length of time they could stay in Brazil, not the length of time from issue within which they had to visit the country. They got an afternoon visit so didn’t miss anything.
Most of the falls are on the Argentinian side of the border but the best view is from the Brazilian side and they were simply stunning. The falls extend for miles and at one end is “The Devil’s Throat” where a huge wall of water cascades over the cliff and creates a massive spray cloud. At a later stage we would take a boat into this deluge and get rather wet.
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During our walk along the well laid out paths at top of the falls we met the tame Coatis which begged for food from the tourists (and some people fed them despite the warnings not to, and despite the posters showing the nasty wounds they could inflict. There were also plush crested jays that were not averse to hanging around the cafes and stealing sugar or crisps.
Farewell Dinner & Tango night
We flew back to BA, arriving just in time for a quick change and then out for the final event of the trip - dinner and a Tango Dancing display. Another big venue, but another display of fast and good quality mass catering. Steak all round and lots to drink, and the tango dancing was mesmerising - a blur of swinging legs to a jazzy tune. The more modern electro-tango was not to our taste, and it would have been interesting to translate the words of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” which a lady sang in Spanish. They would certainly not have been the English original words which were less than totally complimentary to Evita, and the audience applauded at one point which suggests some topical reference (perhaps to the current political/economic crisis which would have fitted nicely into the song).
The audience was locally international, with Brazilians, Chileans, Uruguayans, Paraguayans, plus Spaniards, Brits (i.e. us), Swiss and Americans. Despite our initial reservations this was altogether a fun and interesting evening.,
The audience was locally international, with Brazilians, Chileans, Uruguayans, Paraguayans, plus Spaniards, Brits (i.e. us), Swiss and Americans. Despite our initial reservations this was altogether a fun and interesting evening.,
What did we think?
This was a marvellous trip and though still expensive we think that it was very good value for money. The Argentinian economy is not strong and inflation is rife and we think that the C&C Club managed to get some good deals and well done to them as we think that if we had travelled independently we would have paid more.We won't go again, only because there are too many other interesting places in the world still to be visited.
There are not too many motorhomes in Argentina and you will have gathered from this that the camp sites are nothing special. They are also poorly advertised so if you were to travel alone then this is entirely possible but you would need to get a map that shows campsites (although sometimes these are little more than picnic areas with no room for vans) or download Argentina on your satnav and that will have some campsites. We think its possible to wild camp and some of the bigger garages look ideal spots for an overnight stay.
We felt safe, never threatened and the only scary thing was the standard of driving which was appalling.
There are not too many motorhomes in Argentina and you will have gathered from this that the camp sites are nothing special. They are also poorly advertised so if you were to travel alone then this is entirely possible but you would need to get a map that shows campsites (although sometimes these are little more than picnic areas with no room for vans) or download Argentina on your satnav and that will have some campsites. We think its possible to wild camp and some of the bigger garages look ideal spots for an overnight stay.
We felt safe, never threatened and the only scary thing was the standard of driving which was appalling.
The aftermath of a sudden and heavy downpour, only one of us got stuck though
If you want any more info about our trip then please contact us.
Argentina slide show
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