After going in and out of Argentina from Chile a few times and also being here 13 years ago, I am always excited to go back. As I flew to Ushuaia in November to do the Antarctica, Falklands, and South Georgia trip, I used that time to photograph parts of the town that I did not get before. Ushuaia is an interesting city and with being here four times, I have seen it go through many changes….
After the Antarctica trip I flew up to Santiago to do the Carretera Austral with the truck as well as Chilean Patagonia, however we did have a week where we crossed into Argentina to some very desolate and beautiful lands with amazing canyons and colorful clouds as the sun went down…..
We then went to the isolated UNESCO site the Cave of Hands. This site shows a perfect example of early hunter/gatherer groups between 7,300 BC and 700 AD. The artwork decorates the interior of the cave and the surrounding cliff faces. It can be divided by three categories: people, the animals they ate, and the human hands. It was interesting walking around here as these are some of the oldest rock art in the western world and have been very well preserved through the ages. Pinturas Canyon runs through here where these hunter/gatherers lived in an otherwise desolate place.
As we travel more down a most desolate valley, we start running into different scenery with glacial lakes as well as rivers that transverse the land. Everything starts to turn green with snowcap mountains as we are reaching El Chalten with some magnificent spiraling mountains…
El Chalten is a very small town that caters to tourist with a lot of restaurants and small shops. It still has its charm to it as some of the buildings are interesting shapes and colors and an old abandoned hotel that is half finished shows a different unique side to the town. As I walked around photographing different areas of the town, I noticed how much it has changed since I was here in 2011…
The other side of El Chalten is some of the best hiking that Argentina has to offer and is a beautiful place. Mt Fitz Roy sits at the top of one of the most iconic mountains in the world as you can see it from miles away. It is the inspiration for the clothing brand Patagonia and is a must see if you are here. The hike is beautiful as it is a few hour round trip if you move fast enough and you will be greeted with a beautiful lake with the mountains mirrored against it.
After we left El Chalten after a few wonderful days, we traveled by road through some barren wasteland but opening up to some beautiful glacial water. On our way to El Calafate we stopped at a small hotel that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stayed at during their time in South America. I had stopped here 12 years prior and a lot of the memorabilia is a kickback to the Old West of the United States and is an interesting stop…
El Calafate has grown since I was last here in 2011. While the streets remained the same, it seems like a lot more restaurants and bars have opened up to cater to all the people going through there. It just happened by chance that was not planned that I was there during New Years 2024 and was also there during New Years 2011 in the exact same hostel (coincidence coincidence). The town is still very beautiful with some nice buildings and also off the beaten trek streets where most of the people live.
The way to the main attraction of Perito Moreno glacier is some beautiful mountains and valleys…It just shows the contrasting landscapes of Patagonia…
The main attraction in this area is of course the Perito Moreno Glacier. As most of the largest glaciers in the world are located near the poles, this one makes it extremely attractive for people to visit. As I was here before, I noticed the retreat of the glacier as well as many small icebergs floating about. A walk along the boardwalk as well as a lovely boat ride in the lagoon will give you some amazing photos and a sense of how big this glacier is. It is always nice to see pieces of it fall off into the ocean with the loud boom and splash….The skies were very dark today which made for some amazing photos!!!
Now as we head back into Chile for 4 days (see Chilean Post), and then back into Argentina to Ushuaia which is the End of the World, we will now make our journey due North now after going South since June on our way to the Patagonian Wilderness of Argentina on our way to Rio……
Patagonia going up from Ushuaia on the Argentinian East looks a bit like a desolate desert in a lot of places until you hit the ocean. A lot of the scenery reminds me of my hometown El Paso with hills and desert shrubs. It is not until you get around the Colorado River headed up to BA that you reach the Pampas area and it starts turning into farmland with cows and more crop type vegetation….such as sunflowers!!!!
In the middle of Argentina there is a UNESCO site called the Valdes Peninsula. I did a full day trip around this wonderful place out of Puerto Madyrn in Argentina. Here you can find plenty of wildlife including Elephant Seals, Sea Lions, Magellenic Penguins and plenty of bird species such as gulls and Albatross. If you are lucky you may even see some Patagonian Armadillos scurrying around!!!
Buenos Aires was the first big city we have been in for a month with so many choices on what to do and what to see, it was a welcome sight.
As I had been here before I knew somewhat of what to do and went back to some old and new places.
The first stop was the Tigre River Delta (Parana Delta)which is about 45 minutes outside of Buenos Aires. Here the local people (and a lot of small guesthouses) sit on rivers and are kept up quite remarkably. Seeing people go about their everyday lives and water taxis. This delta area is among one of the bigger in the world at over 5000 kilometers and is one of the only major deltas in the world that does not empty into a sea.
We then headed into the old neighborhood of La Boca. I had been here years before and noticed the change of more gentrification from the old buildings that lined the streets. Of course this neighborhood is made famous by the Boca Juniors football team which is one if not the most popular team in Argentina with a huge fan base. I decided to go along the back roads to see what seemed to be an ever disappearing side of Boca which are the old houses.
Walking from Boca we stumbled upon a neighborhood that is popular for its cobble stoned streets called San Telmo. It looks like much of it has gone upscale with still some small quaint buildings in it. It was a far cry from Boca which had a lot more of a rustic and old feel to it. I imagine 40 years ago this would have been a much different neighborhood, but it is still popular for its cafe’s and bars especially in the old mercado.
Seeing as I have been in Recoleta Cemetery before and knew what to expect, I decided to shoot it in two ways. Black and White and also Color!!!! This cemetery made famous by Evita Peron being buried their along with other important people in Argentinean history, is one of my favorite cemeteries to photograph along with Pere Lechaise in Paris. After a nice day of rain and some moody clouds and sun, the photos which is Recoleta from my eye came out pretty good…
The Color Series
The Black and White Series
Another great neighborhood to hit for bars and cafes as well as street art is the Palermo neighborhood. This up and coming area boasts some of the better street art down alleys that you can find in Buenos Aires.
Finding more photographs in the city, I stopped by an old market called Flea Market Las Pulgas which had some very good street art around the outside of the building as well as antiques and wood making inside. It was very interesting to walk around and just take everything in.
As I head into Uruguay for a week and then back into the hot and humid part of Argenting in the Ibera Wetlands, it made me realize how vast and huge this country is from Tierra Del Fuego, all the way up north…..
Finally the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls was somewhat interesting as it was hard to get a good shot of the falls with a lot of blockage from trees…but this is one of the best waterfalls in the world and lived up to its expectations…
Finally to close off being in and out of Argentina six times on this trip, with borders will Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil, I got to see the famous Black Capuchin Monkeys that were on a jungle trail…
Argentina was everything it was built up to be. From Patagonia to the end of the world in Ushuaia, to Buenos Aires, and to Iguazu Falls, this country has everything and anything a person who travels would want. The food is great, the scenery is better, and the people are always available for a helping hand. Being here so many times in different trips has given me a perspective like no other and surely I should come back again…
One response to “Argentina- South to North from Patagonia to the End of the World in Ushuaia and up”
Very nice, Danny. Your mom wants you to come home for a spell.