Just the tip (South America)

[AnotherUTFan 9723]

I've got a flight that arrives in Santiago early Sunday morning Nov 17 and a return departing Buenos Aires just short of 3 weeks later on Dec 6. I have a buddy who will be meeting me in Chile a few days after I arrive and we'll travel together the entire trip; in fact he's staying after I leave and will then travel on to El Salvador to spend the holidays with his family there. 

Our intention is to get straight to Patagonia and meet up there, get to Santiago on the Sat the 23rd and then on to Buenos Aires on Nov 30 for the remainder of the trip.

Really looking for recommendations on Patagonia the most. Im not a hiker, I have a breathing issue that makes it difficult for me. My 1st inclination is to fly straight down to Punta Arenas where I can dip my toes in the straight of Magellan, visit a museum with a replica of his ship and the HSM Beagle, among others, then hang out with some Emperor Penguins on a nearby island. From there I'd work up to Puerto Natales to meet my friend, then we could do a day tour of Torres Del Paine before heading back North.

That said, I have a close friend who spent time around Puerto Montt and the lake district and raves about it. He also spent 2 weeks on Easter Island, but I don't have time for that. A lot of people also say its better to visit Patagonia from the Argentina side? Curious the experiences here on Surly.

We plan to spit our time in Santiago between Santiago and the Valparaiso area. We have another mutual close friend who's from Santiago and he's putting us in touch with his friends and family there, so I think we'll just go along with whatever they recommend for the most part; if they are friends of Dars', they are friends of mine. We do have tickets to see Iron Maiden on Thurs the 28th, which we scheduled the trip around. We may catch them again in Buenos Aires on Dec 2nd. 

We were thinking of flying into Montevideo, Uraguay on Sat the 30th, spending an afternoon & evening there, then taking the ferry back to Buenos Aires the following day. Both River Plate and Boca Juniors have match's in Buenos Aires that day though (Sun Dec 1), so it may be tough to get back in time to catch one or both. Otherwise I don't know if we'll have time to fit in the day trip to Montevideo. Looking for other recommendations in Buenos Aires. Obviously we need to make it out to the beaches at least one day. 

Thanks for any tips! 

 

[tx 3 putt 76859]

Santiago food scene 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I go with friends when they visit family in Neuquen / Cipoletti area, damn nice people all through there. It’s a huge o/g hub. Lot of vineyards in the area. I’d look for a fishing guide, lakes around that whole area is great. The weather is going to be great 
 

You better like beef, they have a lot of it. With red wine 

[tx 3 putt 76859]

If you’re out hitting breweries and such, talk up people, ask for suggestions 

most vineyard tours are offered in English too. Ask for suggestions 

[Brisketexan 105039]

The 7 lakes region around Lake Nahuel Huapi in Argentina is fucking amazing.
We stayed in Villa Langostura, one of the prettiest places I ever ever been. Fly in and out of Bariloche - a bigger town, big ski destination in the winter.
Had thanksgiving dinner at El Boliche Viejo nearby…all the meats, including Patagonian lamb.
You can go out on the lake, I think you can float the Rio Limay. If you like fly fishing…Jesus. It’s incredible. We fished a little river, saw functionally no other people, trout all day.
Argentine Patagonia is fucking amazing.