mad nomad: Since there were requests for Angeliki to write a little something about our adventures, she penned the following article. Enjoy!

We were by now properly in Patagonia and the landscapes could not have been more magical! Lakes, rivers, forests and cute settlements comprised a landscape that one does not come across often! We started off with an unprecedented experience for both of us. Although we have both been on volcanoes before, this was the first time for both of us to ascend a volcano on a motorbike! The route to the Batea Mahuida Volcano, although off-road and quite steep, was easily done two up. The view at the summit, which has an altitude of 1,948 metres (6,391 ft), was rewarding, as we could see all the way to neighbouring Chile, while several lakes were also visible, the most impressive of which being Lake Aluminé.

We ascended to the crater of the Batea Mahuida Volcano two up on the XR!

Since we had started ascending volcanoes, we thought it proper to continue doing so… Luckily, there were quite a few candidates in the area! We were eventually won over by the Lanín Volcano, which lies in the namesake national park. Said park is managed by members of the indigenous Mapuche tribe, who live in the area and keep everything very well organised. Our plan was to hike to the base of this impressive volcano, whose summit reaches 3,747 metres (12,293 ft). The route had it all! It went through a river, countless araucaria trees, as well as snow towards its end, in the alpine zone. We massively enjoyed the hike and continued our tour around this huge national park.

This is the Lanín Volcano; we hiked up to its base.

On the South of the national park and on the shores of a lake, lies the city of San Martín de los Andes. It was the first time during our trip that we came across a purely European city, which was reminiscent of a Swiss winter resort. San Martín de los Andes is mainly inhabited by descendants of German settlers and this is evident everywhere. The buildings are mainly made out of wood, while the prices at the shops and restaurants are very Western. We restocked and headed to Lake Queñi, which was recommended by an Argentinian couple we had met earlier on our trip.

The picturesque town of San Martín de los Andes looked more like a winter resort in Switzerland than in Argentina!

Following an incredibly beautiful, but also demanding route in the forest, we arrived at said lake. For me, up until that point, it was the most challenging route I had ever driven on! The last 8 km (5 miles) took me an hour, while I also used the 4×4 and the low gears. I drove through rivers, over potholes, tree trunks and tree roots, rocks and stones; at the end, though, I felt that I am now ready to tackle anything! Since then, 11 months after the beginning of our expedition, only twice did I have a harder time driving.

The secluded Lake Queñi was, probably, the prettiest place we visited in Patagonia!

Once we arrived at Lake Queñi, all of our tiredness was gone and the landscape compensated us to the max! The view was breath-taking, but also uniquely calming. Lots of other people however made the same plans as us, so the spot was packed with campers! It was also Christmas. About an hour’s hike away from the lake, there are also natural hot springs! We spent quite a bit of time soaking in the hot water and enjoying nature’s generous gifts. We explored the area for a few more days and then returned to San Martín de los Andes, in order to adventure on the Camino de los 7 Lagos route.

The Queñi Hot Springs, a stream with boiling hot water, cascading from the mountain, was our reward for the demanding off-road route we completed!

As the name suggests, the Camino de los 7 Lagos is a route that passes by seven lakes. Each lake is prettier than the previous one! Since it was still holiday season, it was packed with people everywhere and the grills were on fire! We stayed on the shores of Río Pichi Traful for a couple of nights, where we met a lovely couple of Brazilian overlanders, with whom we played board games. We had so been longing to play board games with more than two persons! On our way out, we passed through Villa Angostura, where allegedly Hitler found refuge, after escaping from Germany. The town was also extremely German and touristic, but also had the best ice cream I have eaten on our trip so far! It was New Year’s Eve by now, which we spent on the shores of the Lake Nahuel Huapi, just a breath away from the famous city of Bariloche.

The Road of the Seven Lakes goes through gorgeous landscapes with turquoise lakes, rivers and snow-capped mountains!

In order to celebrate the New Year, we organised a two-day trip on our kayak! We sailed down Río Limay, all the way to its confluence with Río Traful. It was a gorgeous route, which allowed us to see the area from a different perspective. It was also our first journey on our kayak in the American continent! Upon our return, we stayed in Bariloche for a few days, in order to repair a few things on the van that had broken down. We also wandered around the city, where many Swiss immigrants settled and really looks like Switzerland! We tried the city’s famous chocolates as well! During winter, lots of tourists flock to the city, since there are several ski resorts around, but there were plenty of tourists in summertime too, when we were visiting!

The first river we sailed in on our kayak was the enchanting Río Limay!

Close to Bariloche, there is a very beautiful route, which is called Circuito Chico. It was a very impressive route as well, with lakes, rivers and forests. We stopped at the brewery that produces my favourite local beer, which has the imaginative name Patagonia and is located in a small piece of heaven! A Swiss village called Colonia Suiza, is also to be found on the same route. It is extremely touristy, but also extremely pretty and I felt a deep nostalgia for my time in Switzerland.

The Circuito Chico route reveals epically beautiful landscapes!

Our next stop was the town of El Bolsón, where Elias had arranged to fly on his paraglider. This town, although I hadn’t heard of it, made a great impression on us, because of its location in a valley with a river and mountains all over, its chilled atmosphere and its delicious empanadas! Moreover, a forest on the mountain where Elias was taking off from, has been turned into an open air gallery of wood sculptures. A number of artists from different countries got together and carved sixty wood sculptures on tree trunks that were saved from a huge fire that broke out in 1978. The view from the forest and the surrounding mountains was spectacular!

Flying on my paraglider between Patagonia’s snow-capped mountains felt like a dream!

Next on, we entered the province of Chubut, which is very sparsely populated. Our first stop was the Cholila settlement, which is famous as it was used as a hideout for four years in the early 20th century by Butch Cassidy, a notorious US outlaw. One can visit the farm, where Butch Cassidy, along with two other members of his gang, resided. One can also visit a very interesting museum on his time there, which also features everyday items from that era. According to legend, Butch Cassidy was killed in Bolivia. Later on, we may follow his footsteps there as well. We completed this part of our trip at Los Alerces National Park, with the impressive arrayan trees, whose trunk peels off. We shall now enter Chile for a bit, in order to renew our entry permit in Argentina, so we’ll see you there!

Butch Cassidy, the notorious outlaw, would graze his livestock around here and, in a way, I was jealous of him!

This is the fifth episode of our documentary about our adventures in Argentina (with English subtitles):