My next big stop was El Chaltén to do some proper trekking. To get there I had to cross the border via Chile Chico, which took longer than I hoped. For those of you attempting it, I'll explain below.
The day after the glacier trek was a complete washout, making me glad I took advantage of the weather for the marble caves when I could. The bus did not leave Puerto Río Tranquilo until 4 p.m. so I had the whole day to plan. Unfortunately, the internet had other ideas and it didn't work for anyone in the town that day.
I bundled onto the "bus"—more of a stretch 4×4. Our bags were strapped to the roof rack and I met my buddies for the next few days. I immediately learnt that the border closes on the Chilean side at 8 p.m. (it closes on the Argentinian side at 9:30 p.m., so don't cross late or you'll be stuck in no-man's land—more below).
My next big stop was El Chaltén to do some proper trekking. To get there I had to cross the border via Chile Chico, which took longer than I hoped.
There was a four-hour ride to Chile Chico on the most deserted and perilous roads I've seen so far. The Carretera Austral becomes much smaller, bumpier and less maintained the further south. We turned off to a smaller road that wound its way along the south of Lago General Carrera, mostly along steep clifftops which are dangerously close to the edge. If it wasn't such a grey, misty day, I'm sure the views would have been beautiful and terrifying. We came across a truck stuck in the road. I have no idea how the driver got this far, but it was saved by a digger.
Arriving in Chile Chico, we were dropped off outside the bus company's offices after the border had closed. We managed to find a hostel and I got my second private room. I think the colours are better here.
I met Ricardo and Roberto—from Venezuela, who lived in the US—and we agreed to cross early. I realised I had left my water bottle on the bus but was reunited with it at the office due to my Spanish-speaking friends and pure coincidence.
The Border Crossing
The crossing to Los Antiguos is not straightforward. The Argentinian side has levied a heavy fee on buses crossing the border, so there is no official public transport that takes you across. On the Chilean side there is an unofficial "minibus", so we jumped in the van and were driven the 3 km to the border. At this point we had to exit, go through passport control, and then continue walking until the van met us again. We were then driven a further 3 km into no-man's land and it had to stop before it reached Argentina. It was then a further 3 km walk to the Argentinian border, but with beautiful views.
We saw few cars and a few people walking, but no one was picking up hitchhikers. We were stamped in at Argentina and then it was another 3 km walk to the bus terminal, which is handily on the opposite side of town. Be warned that if you are taking this route, you might have to walk 12 km with all your bags. It's unlikely, as you should get picked up on the Chilean side, but this is unofficial.
If you are travelling in the opposite direction, you will most likely have to walk from Los Antiguos to the border post. You might be able to grab a taxi, then you will have to walk the 6 km through no-man's land. You might be lucky and see the van at the 3 km mark—look for the Chile/Argentina signs as in the photos above. The bus for Puerto Río Tranquilo leaves in the morning. I'm afraid I don't know the time, but I think it's before 10 a.m.
At the bus station we were told the bus left at 8 p.m. to arrive in El Chaltén for 6 a.m., so we had a day to kill. Leaving our bags at the offices, we wandered around Los Antiguos, which seemed deserted, windy and had a lot of cherry trees—but sadly no cherries.
We found a great empanada place and decided to stock up there for the journey ahead.
Arriving back at the bus station, we met everyone who had been on the bus the previous day and pretty much had four seats each as we headed off to El Chaltén.
Currently Reading – Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
