Patagonia Trip In Late April/early May

[ajl1239]

Hi,

I am thinking to head down to BA for about a month to celebrate a friend's birthday and then towards the end of April visit some spots in Patagonia. My main "wish" is to hike on the glacier Perito Moreno. That said, this late in the season, would it be worth heading as far south as Tierra del Fuego to Ushuaia? Would anything be open (i.e. walking trails, boat tours)? Would it just be miserable? What spots would you suggest behind the glacier at this point in the year? (It would be a budget trip, so nothing too crazy expensive.)

If so, how do you suggest getting down south and back to BA? Just buying a ticket online? Could a foreigner buy the ticket in cash (Blue Pesos) and save some money? (Not sure of the current status of airline tickets, cash, foreigners, etc.)

Many thanks!

 

[GMXam]

For Perito Moreno, El Calafate is where you wanna go. Ushuaia, in my opinion, is a good spot to go for last minute Antarctica deals, if that piques your interest. Even though it is on the same end of the continent, it is not like you can get to the other as easily as you can go between El Calafate and El Chaltén (a good place for hiking with some great views, if the weather is good that late in the season). If I was going to make the trip, again, to hike Perito Moreno (the glacier), I would include El Chaltén for at least a week, but only a two days at the most for El Calafate, but that's because I prefer the hikes there and the sites. For hiking in general, my first choice is Bariloche since there are so many options within a day's drive and quite a few multi-day hikes if you like camping or using the refugios.

If you are physically fit, I'd opt in for the longer hike than the shorter one on Perito Moreno. If you are renting boots, it's helpful to wear liners and thick hiking socks. If you don't find them or have them, it's not essential. Just helpful if you are prone to blistering as you could get blisters in unusual areas due to the angles of the ice you'll be trekking across and they way you have to walk with crampons. It's an awesome trip.

After making the drive in a rentacar, I'd fly down there and back into El Calafate, taking a bus to El Chaltén and back to El Calafate. You can get down there by bus but it's many hours on the bus. If you can afford it, I'd fly. I don't think it's possible anymore to buy in pesos without showing your DNI in BA, but others may have found places that will do that (I don't know of any). I have a DNI and have been asked to provide it with Buquebus, online with LAN and Aerolineas, and if you check a bag at the airport, all airlines will ask for that DNI at the check-in desk. Best of luck to you, and have a great trip.

 

[ajl1239]

Is it possible for me to buy a flight on Aerolineas using the Argentine version of the Web site in pesos? Or will I be asked for the DNI at the airport and be screwed? I noticed flights seem cheaper when I use the Argentine version then simply doing the search with Google.

El Chalten looks gorgeous, but it says on Lonely Planet most hotels close by May and transport links are few by then.

 

[GMXam]

If you have a DNI, CUIL and a debit/credit card with an Argentine bank, you can buy online in pesos. This has been a work in progress since early 2014 by the ARG money people and has made it progressively difficult for foreigners to benefit from buying travel in pesos (especially if they changed their currency at a blue rate, allowing for a lesser charge).

Yes, the fares are cheaper. Argentines and others who earn pesos have to deal with the devaluation of their pesos at a rate of/near 30% (or more) over the course of a year. They also pay taxes in the country and don't get a refund upon exiting the country as foreigners can. Transportation in Argentina is, for the most part, subsidized. Their national benefits for citizens and residents are different from other countries; this appears to be one such benefit.

That is true, you'd have to limit your stay in El Chaltén to leave by the end of April.

 

[ajl1239]

Ah, ok! So I should definitely buy the ticket online in a non-ARG currency (like dollars or real or euros)? Would I get a refund upon leaving the country for tax paid for the flight?

I was just thinking I would visit El Chalten for a couple nights in order to do the Laguna Torre and/or Lago de los Tres? Would you recommend one of the two? Also, would it be advisable to hire a guide if doing these trails in late April/very early May? (I'm fit enough, but would just be worried about hiking alone in the event the weather turned very bad.)

 

[GMXam]

Lago de los Tres is a pretty awesome hike, but it also depends on the weather, which is what makes the variable hikes they have such a good option. If you limit yourself to 2 nights, you are looking at one full day of hiking that you are banking on being minimally windy and clear of rain. According to websites of those that hike there frequently, those days are fewer between as winter closes in, so I would cross fingers that you get at least an okay day. If it's windy, Lago de los Tres is tough once you start the uphill trek on the mountain. You really don't need a guide for any of the trails that you'll be able to hike in one day. The backpackers are pretty friendly, just check who's going when you want to go and tag along. The trails are very clearly marked with signs throughout. You can also pick up a free map and check out their model map (3-D) in the visitor center at the entrance to the town, of the entire area which gives you an idea of coverage from wind/rain/sun and altitude changes. I don't think we even used the map while hiking. We did Lago de los Tres in a half day which included more than an hour rest at the top (you want to bring lunch, 1 water bottle is plenty, you can refill at the streams which tasted better than the bottled water). Dress in layers, the hike uphill does not have very many switchbacks, so you will get hot very quickly, but once you've gotten to the top, it's pretty windy and very cold compared to the temps at the bottom.

We didn't do Laguna Torre, but if I went again, I would after I did Lago de los Tres, again. Great views, I hear, but Lago de los Tres is the better one, according to different forums, if you are short on time and have to choose one.

They also have some really short hikes (about an hour to do them) which give you some great views of the Viedma glacier from afar, the town, and the lake. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the hikes they have to offer. The town has a back-packer feel. If you are on a budget, they have two grocery stores but they are not very well stocked since the deliveries don't come so often. You'll have a better chance at stocking up on peanut butter or things like that while in El Calafate at La Anonima (the larger grocer). El Calafate is a large city compared to El Chaltén, yet still pretty small. In El Chaltén, there is a health food store, AlmaZen, which has your trail mix goodies. We ate and had our coffee and submarinos (hot chocolate awesomeness) at QueRika Panaderia, good food). For great food on the pricier side, La Tapera serves Patagonian food, the cordero is great. No advice on where to stay. We went all out and stayed at Don Los Cerros. It was 3.5 stars on my bar. Internet in El Chaltén...don't count on it until everyone goes to sleep.

We went in November last year, we stayed 4 days. A friend of ours went early March and had a day of severe winds and light rain, a day of severe winds and a day of very clear weather. She stayed 3 full days, I believe. She took the bus from El Calafate to El Chaltén and back. She said she would show up a minimum of an hour before the scheduled bus as they are not likely to stick to the schedule.

 

[ajl1239]

Thanks! Good advice! When did you start Lago de los Tres and when did you finish? It took you about 6 hours round-trip? Did you take a taxi to the Hosteria El Pilar to start?

Also, how are the ATMs in these two cities? Are credit cards accepted most places?

 

[ajl1239]

Also, not sure if you saw, but can tourists get a refund of VAT for bus tickets, air tickets and hotel accommodation upon departure?

 

[thorsten]

Why should you get a VAT refund for these things? You don't take the "products" with you but consume them while in Argentina...

 

[GMXam]

Thanks! Good advice! When did you start Lago de los Tres and when did you finish? It took you about 6 hours round-trip? Did you take a taxi to the Hosteria El Pilar to start?

Also, how are the ATMs in these two cities? Are credit cards accepted most places?

We started at 10:30am, finished around 4:30pm, with 1 hr 45 min total of rest. We started at Hosteria El Pilar, hiked up, hiked back by way of Laguna Capri to the trailhead at Ave San Martín. Total hiking time 4:15 hrs. It was moderate difficulty up the mountain but we had zero wind until we got to the top and it was pretty clear except at Fitz Roy's peak, the rest was easy. We took our time outbound.

We don't use credit cards in Argentina except paying for airfare, rental cars, or other transportation. I've yet to use an ATM in Argentina for a foreign bank...that's the worst possible rate you will get if you indeed are trying to minimize your expenses. You get the official exchange rate, the currency conversion charge by your bank, the fees from your bank for a non-network ATM, and the fees from the Argentine bank which I don't know as I've not used one here (except my ARG debit card in BA). I recommend you bring cash and change your money in BA if you arrive here first. If you don't, I don't have any advice on how to change your currency into pesos in Patagonia. Maybe someone else can answer that for you, but I'd post that to a separate thread of it's own so you can get an answer to that question specifically.

Also, not sure if you saw, but can tourists get a refund of VAT for bus tickets, air tickets and hotel accommodation upon departure?

For the info about VAT, here's the website that gives you all those details: http://www.afip.gov....Information.asp