On most of my long trips, like this one to Peru, Chile and Argentina, I plan my route far ahead of time. I usually spend 4 or more days in each area. It’s takes a day to get oriented, get a map, get money, find a grocery store, wash clothes, etc.
I also check out what the best options are for getting to the local sights and I book any day tours I want to take. During this process I identify what else I might be interested in doing and then I plan my days accordingly.
In a large metropolitan area there may be many things to see and do. In smaller places there might only be one major sight that I came to see. Here are the highlights in a couple of the places I’ve been to so far.
Pucon, Chile – Villarica Volcano and surrounding lakes. It’s a small city where you can relax in a hot pool or do many outdoor activities like hiking, biking, swimming or skiing in the winter.
Puerto Varas, Chile – Orsorno Volcana, Petrohué Waterfalls. It’s also a smaller city with a long scenic walk along the waterfront and great views of the surrounding mountains and volcanos. I took two different day tours, one to Orsorno volcano & Petrohué, an amazing trip. Another to the Chiloe Island which involved a lot of driving for what you actually saw.
Puerto Montt, Chile – A larger city than Puerto Varas but it is only 30 mins away by bus. Best to stay in Puerto Varas and take the cheap local bus to Puerto Montt for a day or half day visit just to see the waterfront and a more traditional city center.
San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina – A much larger area than expected. Taking the bus across the Andes from Orsorno, Chile to Bariloche is a trip worth taking because of the amazing mountain scenery. Allow for a possible longer trip than expected due to crossing the border.
Again this is an area full of lakes, mountains and spectacular views everywhere. Lots of hiking options and day tours. I only did the boat tour to Victoria Island but it was well worth it. I came back with sensory overload from an over the top awe inspiring day.
Puerto Madryn, Argentina – The bus ride from Bariloche to Puerto Madryn is a long overnight trip with many miles of barren scrub brush or shrubland. Along with many portions of the road being re-paved, our bus was 3 hours late.
We thought the wind was bad in Bariloche but it was even worse in Puerto Madryn. In spite of that we had one hugely enjoyable day visiting the Magellanic penguins in Punta Tombo and a day walking along the long and beautiful beaches here. There are a lot of sea and land animals to see in the area depending on when you visit. Even though the wind can be annoying at times the area has a lot to offer and I highly recommend it.
