Thursday 10 November, 2016 : San Martín de los Andes – Valdivia
This was the itinerary as we left San Martín de los Andes early in the morning of Day 1
Day 1 of our trip saw us leaving San Martín de los Andes at about 08.00. Our plan was to follow the itinerary we had worked on (above). It will be interesting to see how well we stick to it. Silver the Jeep was cleaner than he has been for a long time, recently serviced and champing at the bit to be on the road again. We were off.
Leaving San Martín at 07.50
Our first stop was Junín de los Andes, where we filled the tank and set off on the road to Lake Tromen and the Mamuil Malal mountain pass. Junín calls itself the trout fishing capital of the world, and certainly fly fisherman from all parts of the world do come here to fish on the legendary Chimehuin river. (Martin actually prefers the nearby Malleo, but that’s another story).
Junin de los Andes – self-styled trout fishing capital of the world
We passed several roadside shrines while still in Argentina – the one in the picture below is one of many dedicated to the Gaucho Gil who, together with the Difunta Correa, are two semilegendary figures in Argentine folklore (see links for more info) with countless shrines dotted around the country.
Shrine to the Gauchito Gil, a legendary character in Argentine popular culture
As we neared the Chilean border the massive Lanín Volcano was ever present to our south, surrounded only by occasional wisps of cloud. We were lucky to get such a clear view as the peak is often obscured by clouds.
The Lanín Volcano kept us company all the way to the Chilean border
As we entered the Lanín National Park we saw hundreds of Auracaria trees, some mere saplings and some very old indeed. The road surface was rougher here, and although mettled was a bit bouncy. Not that we were in any great hurry.
Entering the Lanín National Park
Finally we crossed into Chilean territory, and hit a decent road surface again. Everything was suddenly much greener; it rains much more on this side of the Andes.
Crossing into Chilean territory
The officers at the Chilean customs post were working to rule and kept us waiting for about an hour and a half but we were soon through (the actual process was quick and very efficient on both sides).
Queue at the Chilean border
Although technically a ‘low pass’, we found that we still had a long and twisting descent as we entered Chile, but the roads were in excellent condition. As in many mountain passes between Argentina and Chile some Araucaria trees had been left in the middle of the roads when they were constructed.
Through the Chilean border
The Araucaria tree is a local species known as Pehuén by people in the region and internationally in English as the Monkey Puzzle Tree or Chilean Pine. Throughout our journey in both Argentina and Chile the sides of the road and the hillsides were also covered with gorgeous yellow broom bushes (Genisteae).
The yellow broom filled the landscape throughout the day
Before too long we found ourselves in the touristy town of Pucón, where we found a money exchange house and a welcome cup of coffee before continuing on through the town of Villarrica (a large lake and another huge volcano) to hit Route 5, the wonderful spinal motorway that is the Chilean contribution to the Pan-American Highway. Note the red petrol can on the roof of Silver the Jeep slap bang in the middle of the picture.
Quiet street in Pucón, where we stopped for morning coffee
After about an hour on Route 5 we branched west to Valdivia, and after another fifty miles or so found our Apart-Hotel. Cunningly concealed, and with an initially baffling set of keys, the ‘hotel’ was very spacious, with cooking facilities that we completely ignored as we went round the corner to stuff our faces at a glorious fixed price buffet, with free wine and coffee. We got back to the hotel at about 10.00 pm, tired but happy, and early to bed to prepare for day 2. Watch this space.
View from balcony in our Valdivia Apart Hotel.