Southwards! Bariloche and Lago Traful

After our incredible wildlife experiences it was hard to get on another bus, but with two months to go and plenty more to see we had to keep heading south to Bariloche in the Lakes District. We'd heard a lot of good things about the area and how beautiful it was, so our expectations were high.

Bariloche itself is nice enough, like the Argentinian version of Queenstown (though not quite so beautiful, but we might be slightly biased!) It's a nice enough town, but the real reason to come here is to get into the Nahuel Huapi National Park.

We found a nice hostel to be based at for a while, Las Barrancas, and when we asked for ideas the owners suggested we head over to a little campground on the edge of Lago Traful. As we could get there by bus and it was reputed to be truly beautiful, we duly found out which days the bus runs (Sat - Tues only) and set off.  A lovely lady on the bus told us that it was one of the most beautiful places in the world that she had ever been to.

It was a little breezy when we arrived, but the wild lupins and dramatic landscape was gorgeous

The moon and high cloud put a stop to Ben's plan to do some long exposure star shots . . .

. . . but we managed to entertain ourselves.

The next day we walked into Villa Traful, the little village on the lake . . .

. . . very picturesque and quiet, just a few people going out fishing.

We hiked up through masses of broom (not gorse!) to see some waterfalls.

The campground was very simple but in the most gorgeous location. We were the only people there for the first night, but even with two other groups we still had plenty of space. It was a very relaxing three days.

Our great Tarptent Stratospire 2 in action.
The new solid wall inner was much warmer and much better at keeping the dust out.

The last of the winter snow on the high peaks

Early morning contemplation.
'Why didn't we bring something yummier than muesli for breakfast?'

Lago Traful - clear as glass

Picture postcard perfect.
Actually none of the postcards we saw looked this good!

The colour of the lake is extraordinary

Eventually our time was up and we were ready to head back to civilisation for hot showers and a real bed (and to get out of the dust!). Time to plan the next excursion, which is supposed to involve a bit more hiking.