From Erfurt to Santiago de Chile (35h)

Welcome!
What have we (Micha & I) been up to since January 12th, when we left Erfurt? Well, not that much travelling, but rather reading, learning from more experienced globetrotters and trying toLäs mer
Santiago & the Popemobile

Can you imagine Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, or the Castellana in Madrid, closed to traffic every Sunday from 9:00- 14:00? Well, that´s what Santiago does, it closes the Costanera Norte for cyclists,Läs mer
Valparaiso here we come!

We look forward to milder temperatures & the urban artsy city of Valparaiso!
Valparaiso du coole socke

Up and down, and up and down. Cerro arriba, cerro abajo. Walking endless roads, stairs or with the lift - chose your favourite way to get to the top!
We stayed in the Cerro Alegre, and the districtLäs mer
We´re heading (sort of) south!

After a couple of cosmopolitan days, we´ve decided to go south. Our next stop, where we are renting a (small) car is Puerto Montt.
Getting to the bus station was incredibly fast & cheap – hurrayLäs mer
Isla Grande de Chiloé – Castro

As we arrived in Puerto Montt, we decided to drive directly somewhere else (sorry Puerto Montt!). We have done some research on the “Lagos” area, where roads are in good condition and decided toLäs mer
Planning

For those who haven´t thought about it, it´s summer in Chile. Until now, it doesn´t translate automatically in extremely high temperatures. Although they are extremely high the moment the sunLäs mer
National Park Chiloé

Driving there in the early afternoon we found Cata and Pato in an intersection! It turns out they hadn´t made it that far! We drove another hour together.
Unfortunately, we arrived pretty late andLäs mer
On our way to Puerto Varas (Lake region)

We left late as we insisted on making a couple of calls beforehand, making use of the last minutes of decent internet in this school/camping site. Our rent-a-car has had so much patience to answer allLäs mer
Roaming around LLanquihue Lake

Wilkommen in Deutschland…or mini-old-fashioned Germany, because in this region – Colonos/ siedlers. There are "Deutsche Vereine" (associations), a German school in every town and even in theLäs mer
Cochamo

After some nice cooking on a fire stove last night, we headed in the morning towards "La Junta", a 12 km hike through the forest and valley between granite walls.
It actually reminded us a little ofLäs mer
Habemus Camioneta & Camping takeover

We have a camioneta! It´s a(n) (un)practical 4x4 pick-up. Gravel roads, no problem from now on!
Today we were planning on enjoying the sunshine and lake views from our camping, and while working aLäs mer
The Organisation Chaos.

We were so excited that we managed to book the Ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. Four days, 3 or four nights (we´re not sure). Slow travelling, they call it… we had some problems to bookLäs mer
Llanquihue

Micha got invited to join the German local club for a walk. So far so good, but apparently in German it sounds hilarious: “… mit der Boerschenschaft aus der Zone marchieren.” He politelyLäs mer
Frontera

So here´s some information that could be also included in the Lonely Planet guide: this Chile-Argentina crossing closes at 19:00 in summer. We made it by the skin of our teeth – 18:55. PureLäs mer
Lago Nahuel Huapi

If the lake region in Chile was beautiful, in Argentina is nothing less than absolutely breath-taking. After sleeping in Villa la Angostura, our 3-hour drive was simply a delight for our sight.
El Bolsón

Backpackers paradise. Hippie paradise. Trekking paradise.
We wanted to go the next day to the Junta. However, the high temperatures (over 30°C) and charming riverside with some shade stopped us.Läs mer
Para bailar la Pampa…(or Route 40)

Travel itinerary:
Kilometres: 830
Start time: 10.30
Beginning Pampa: 11.30
Stops: 2, in Esquel and in picturesque Rio Mayo.
Border crossing: 20.30
Arrived Coyhaique: 22.30
Micha is exhausted, and soLäs mer
Villa Cerro Castillo

What an amazing valley! I think we are extending our stay.
Absolutely adore the map we got at the tourist information office. No street names (no need!), and a completely distorted sense ofLäs mer
Rescuing Traditions - Festival

Unexpectedly a trip highlight.
Morning plan: sheep shearing.
At 14:00 traditional food tasting, which we didn´t take a bite, apparently in some situations 8 mins is way too late.
Parade in theLäs mer
Catedral de Marmol

Never underestimate 100km drive in Patagonia, especially if any of these words are somehow associated: “ripio” & “carretera secundaria”. One tip for the ladies: wear a sport bra.
The boatLäs mer
Cerro Castillo – trekking Emergencia

After 3 hours of steep trekking and some very light rock climbing, we chilled at the mountain top waiting for the cerro top to show. Unfortunately, never happened! The hike was still amazing, and theLäs mer
Para bailar la Pampa 2

Strictly speaking, this isn´t Pampa region anymore. But the monotony, and presence of nothing (just landscape) resembled our previous Pampa journey, also along the “Ruta 40”.
JourneyLäs mer
El Chaltén

We suspect that our car battery has died. Is this Karma? We have been lazy enough to drive to the town centre to grab a couple of empanadas for our 3-day trek and as we wanted to leave to drop our carLäs mer
Thx for the first impression! Think of you guys
Uy uy uy! Such a start!!! :D