The extra days in Bariloche were well worth it. I really enjoyed my time there. Plus the hostel was great. It was by far the best stay I’ve had thus far. Not only was it a great hostel (La Bolsa del Deporte for anyone who is thinking of coming into the area) but the vibe was absolutely amazing. During my entire stay in Bariloche I have never seen the city at night. Mainly because each night after a hike or day trip, I came back to the hostel cooked dinner with friends I made there and chilled out for as long as I could keep my eyes open. It was the first place that I really connected with people there and not have the feeling of passing travelers. My last night there I was persuaded to practically stay up the entire night chatting instead of getting a bit of sleep before my 6am bus down south.

Ruta 40
the trip down south, I took the infamous ruta 40 instead of heading to the Atlantic shore and following the paved roads down south. This is the road the legendary Che Guevara took on his journey. This road extends all the way down southern Argentina. Judging from its current unpaved condition not many changes have been made since Ché himself embarked on his trip. Its fairly desolate with the Andes in the distant view. I am kind of glad I took the journey on it now as plans are on the way to pave it, which will surely change the landscape and the level of traffic through the region.

Perito Moreno
After 10 hours of this back-breaking journey we stopped in this little village for the night. nothing really much to say but for the fact that it was nice to sleep in a bed. The morning after joined in an organized trip to the Cuevas de los Manos (caves of the hands). Caves with prehistoric paintings over.It was really interesting to see. The paintings tell the story of inhabitants of this region and their hunting practices.

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The tour dropped us off along the way further south where I took down to El Chaltén via Ruta 40 once again.