Arriving in the Andes we said goodbye to long cycling days for a while, and instead spent our time cycling to trailheads and pulling on our trekking boots for some hiking. Volcan Lanin dominated the sky line on our approach to the Andes and climbing Volcan Lanin in beautiful weather was the highlight of these walks. Being in tourist territory we generally weren´t met with the same interest or warmth as on the Pampa or in Uruguay, but we did have the excitement of meeting some fellow cycle-tourists at last. After too long hanging out with the hippies in El Bolson and trying all the local beers (for anyone in the area, Otto Tipp Trigueña is practically as good as Orval) we set off in mid-January for our biggest cycling challenge yet – Chile´s Carretera Austral.

Cycling Stats:
Days getting from Junin de los Andes to El Bolson – 36
Distance – 703km
Time cycling – 47h53
Cycle days – 15
Rainy cycle days – 2

Maximum speeds – 60.7kph (N), 59.8kph (H)
Unpaved roads – 240km
Longest day – 105km
100km+ days – 1
Punctures – 1 (H)

Number of cycle tourists we met -5

Accommodation – 4 beds, 31 camps, 1 mountain hut (on a floor of ice)
Longest stretch without a bed – 34 nights
Storms – 0
Pasta and sauces eaten – 21

New Argentinian beers drunk – Bieckert, Schneider Negra, Andes, Isenbeck Dark, Quilmes Red Lager, Refugio Piltriquitron homebrew, Pilker (Negra, Rubia, Roja), Piltri Blonde, El Bolson (Original con Aji, Negro Ahumado, Trigo), Otto Tipp (Trigueña, Mestiza).

Trekking stats:
Days of trekking – 17
Distance – 205km
Ascent – 12,100m
Descent – 12,350m

Peaks we climbed up – Volcan Lanin (3,758m), Cerro Piltriquitron (2,278m), Cerro Falkner (2,023m).

Photos