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Argentina, with snow-capped peaks reflected in seven stunning lakes. The heady scent of freshly bloomed flowers and the clear waters tempted us to take a dip, but the water pouring down from the glaciers didn’ t even allow us to get our feet wet. In San Carlos de Bariloche, we discovered that some Nazi leaders fled the Nuremberg trials and took refuge in that small village. The rough stone architecture, the windows, and the sloping wooden roofs recalled the town’ s ties to Germany. Today, the memory of having hidden those who committed brutal crimes seemed to be slowly fading, except for the occasional tourist still searching for the homes of famous refugees.
Although the signs indicated we had been in Patagonia for several days, our journey through this land truly began when we entered the Carratera Austral.
Ruta 7 was a journey in itself; along the hundreds of kilometers of dirt road to Lago General Carrera( or Lago Argentina on the other side), we felt like we were at the edge of the world. It was a shame that some motorcyclists were too busy accelerating rather than travelling at a slow pace following the perimeter of this body of water.
From Puerto Rio Tranquillo we visited the“ Capilla de marmol” formations which, when illuminated by the sun, created plays of light of rare beauty on the lake water. We visited the Confluencia where the Rio Baker and the Neff River met but we did not continue to Villa O’ Higgins because we could not cross the border in that direction with the motorbike. Instead, we decided to climb the X265, which, with its double-digit gradients and rocky surface, was both fun and challenging.
Desolate lands battered by incredible winds, indescribably blue skies, and the white of the glaciers were the colours that bewitched us in this unique land that fascinated and captivated travellers from all over. The wind was constant: we could be lucky enough to have it push us from behind or feel it strongly in our face when it came head-on, but when we faced it from the side the feeling was more that of driving a sailboat than a motorbike.
The mountains awakened our inner walker; from El Chalten we walked the 11-kilometre trail to the“ Laguna de los Tres” to admire Fitz Roy as closely as possible. We got back in the saddle and headed south until we reached his majesty, the Perito Moreno, truly imposing with its 5 kilometre long and up to 70-metre-high ice face. No picture or video could do justice to such beauty. The hope was that it would continue to be observed for many generations to come, even though its well-known stability was beginning to be undermined by the effects of climate change.
In Chile, we hiked for a whole day, braving the biting cold, to observe the Torres del Paine reflected in the
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