Perito Moreno glacier, Argentina

In love with travelling

Our 2016 cycle through Chile & Argentina

Hello, dear ones.

This journal is our Big Trip: a bicycle ride through Patagonia in 2016, from Chile into Argentina, along the Carretera Austral and the emptier roads south.

Christmas 2014

We are Igor and Galya. We are not hardened cyclists. We wanted a cheaper, slower way to see a continent that was new to us, and other people’s blogs made the idea feel possible. Patagonia won because of the landscapes, the quiet roads, the camping, and because it felt kinder for beginners than Central America.

What follows is what actually happened on the way — the lost bag, the rain on Ruta 40, El Bolsón, Bariloche, Esquel.

Welcome to the journal.

  • Reunion with the lost bag

    Hi all! As you have already guessed from the title, our ill-fated lost bag has finally returned to us, just on the 9th day after arrival, after 3 trips to the airport, numerous calls to LAN and filling in the baggage reclaim form on LAN site (the most ridiculous form we’ve ever seen) – but…

  • Getting to know Argentina. First day in Bariloche

    Hi dear all! Finally we have time and place to send you a belated report about our journey progress. All is well with us, we have reached a lovely town El Bolson, slightly darkened by the sun, having pedalled approximately 130 kilometres (not including 45 kilometres which we cycled in the Bariloche vicinity). I posted…

  • Message from Esquel

    Hello everyone from a nice little town of Esquel. For more than 10 days we were on the road, being not really too far, but at a distance from some benefits of the civilised world, not having a possibility to use Internet or charge our devices. Now we are taking a rest from the camping…

  • Rain

    Today we have cycled about 30 kilometres along Ruta 40, having left El Bolson. We plan to spend the night in a small place called Epuyen (Argentinians pronounce it as “Epushen”). Epuyen is a village on the lake with the same name, and we read that there are campings there, so we shouldn’t have any…

  • Chinchulines, or Go veg!

    On one night in Esquel we decided to go for a dinner. We didn’t feel like going far and we walked into the first restaurant we came across on the way. Its name was La Espanola and it looked very cosy. As it was mentioned on the sign, they cooked Parillada – grilled meat dishes.…

  • Rafting in Futaleufu.

    Hola, everyone! We are finally back! The road trip is over, a very (and I mean VERY) dusty car, slightly more damaged by small stones that it had been before departure, was returned to the rent a car agency yesterday, and we are having rest in Esquel and thinking how to go further south. The…