Still at starting point – in a mountain valley just outside San Martin de los Andes
Occasions continue to inform against me. After conversations with family, friends and neighbours and a visit to Vialidad I have decided the roads are not quite safe enough so have delayed my departure/start by one day. The plan now is to leave for Chos Malal tomorrow (Friday) morning, when the sun gets its hat on.
“To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785” is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1785 – hoc dixit Wikipedia.
As Mick and Keef, vaguely paraphrasing Burns, wrote and sang: ‘You can’t always get what you want’. But no sweat, I’m in a cosy cabin with wine, food, a good Internet connection and my recently loaded Kindle (thanks, Mimi) together with a spectacular view from my window; these have effectively vanquished the prospect of a first day’s drive of 487 km to Chos Malal along snowy mountain roads northwards.
Room with a view – steps up to my little cabin.
So, no blog today, just an explanation. Fingers crossed and Deo volente I’ll be listening to Canned Heat as I drive away tomorrow morning.
Here’s hoping the roads will be a little better tomorrow …
No, not a Canned Heat homage, but a return to my wildlife travels around Argentina. For the record, since 1969, I have always started my trips with a quick burst of the great travel song (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexOuH8GS-Y).
Three years ago, I planned a month-long trip through north-central Argentina. I had previously visited the north-east (see here) and the north-west (unblogged) and this new trip would plug the gap between the two. Formosa was the only Argentine province I had not previously visited, and I was greatly attracted by a region in the Argentine Chaco known as ‘El Impenetrable’, no translation needed.
Purple and green at the top are my prime locations. The blue cross is my start and end point.
But this trip was not to be, and attempts to resuscitate it failed, twice. Occasions –mainly Covid19 related– informed against me. It was expensive. The rental cost of a 4WD SUV for a month was outrageous and there was a limit to how much useful travelling stuff I could bring with me to my starting point, originally Resistencia. Yes, I had an ageing Jeep Cherokee down in Patagonia but it was in its twenty-third year and not reliable enough for a 12-15,000 km journey. And Jeep spare parts, when you could get them, were costly and notoriously slow to arrive, even in a city, and I wasn’t intending to be spending much time in cities.
Time, then, for some fresh calculations, which changed the basic premise: now I simply had to get a decent SUV, carry everything I needed in or on it, and live in it and from it as I would. I could carry a tent, cooking equipment, a cooler box, a folding chair, etc. Argentina is strong on camping sites, mostly with shower and barbecue facilities, and many are free so that would offset the cost of the gas. And I would have no other flights or surface transport costs at all.
The Toyota SW4 (left) meets and replaces Silver, the Jeep Cherokee Sport
I sold the Chero and bought a Toyota SW4, basically a Hilux with an enclosed back, seven seats and spares available everywhere. In some countries they call it the Fortuner. It was the ideal vehicle. I tried a couple of short (2,000 km) trips in it and it was a dream to drive; high on the road and screaming safety. I slept in it one night, just in the front passenger seat, seat-back reclined. It was a lot better than my economy flight, and I hope to implement a much more comfortable emergency sleeping position. It has a great music system too, and I’ve been stockpiling podcasts and playlists for a while now.
So, the plan looked good on paper, and the revised estimates (allowing for a few hotels and restaurant meals here and there) seemed just about doable without digging into savings. There would be some preparations to the SW4 and in the general planning, but there would have been anyway. I revised the itineraries and finetuned things a bit to allow me to stop by and say hello to more friends along the way. I extended the duration of the trip too, from four weeks to eight, to allow me to revisit Iberá (where new ecolodges have opened) and parts of Misiones (always a great place to visit).
One of many coffees to be consumed
I’m planning to leave San Martín de los Andes on 18 August, heading north at first up the great National Highway RN 40. It’ll be great to be off on a proper trip again, one where the aim is the travelling itself, as much as any particular destination. My focus, as is my wont, will be on birds and other wildlife, but I shall be visiting many people too and enjoying local customs, food and drink. It’s going to be good, and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope to blog the journey, day by day, both on Facebook and also on my own blog [at www.eayrs.com/blog]. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to upload every day given the parlous state of mobile signals and the Internet in provincial Argentina and the remoteness of some of the places I’m visiting, but I’ll upload when I can.
So, if interested, feel free to comment, here or on the blog, and if you live along my route and fancy meeting up for a beer or coffee do get in touch. And watch this space.
From 18 August to 15 October I am planning a trip through north-central Argentina. The purpose is to enjoy the people, culture and food and drink of the area, and to see and photograph some of the birds and wildlife of these regions
Overview of the trip
This combination of maps and itinerary give the general plan of where I intend to go. However, I do not intend to be a slave to it so it should be seen as a best intentions rather than set in stone. In particular, I’d be happy to make contact with anyone living on route if they want to get in touch with me.
Itinerary
Stage 1: I start in San Martin de los Andes and drive up to Formosa
Thu 18 Aug………… San Martín – Chos Malal
Fri 19 Aug………….. Chos Malal – Malargue
Sat 20 Aug…………. Malargue – San Luis
Sun 21 Aug…………. San Luis – Villa Carlos Paz
Mon 22 Aug……….. Day in Cordoba Hills
Tue 23 Aug………… Villa Carlos Paz – La Para
Wed 24 Aug……….. La Para – Gobernador Crespo
Thu 25 Aug………… Gobernador Crespo – Resistencia
Fri 26 Aug………….. Resistencia – Formosa
Sat 27 Aug…………. spare day in Formosa?
Stage 2: this is the bulk of the trip, visiting Formosa, the Chaco and Iberá
Sun 28 Aug…………. Meet Ariel – where?
Mon 29 Aug……….. Reserva Guaycolec.
Tue 30 Aug………… Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo y Laguna Blanca
Wed 31 Aug……….. AICA Misión Tacaglé
Thu 1 Sep………….. Bañado La Estrella (Fortín Soledad)
Fri 2 Sep……………. Bañado La Estrella (Vertedero)
Sat 3 Sep…………… Reserva Natural Formosa
Sun 4 Sep………….. Laguna Yema y regreso a Resistencia Chaco
Mon 5 Sep…………. Resistencia to Mercedes
Tue 6 Sep………….. Mercedes to Carlos Pelligrini
Wed 7 Sep…………. Carlos Pelligrini & environs
Thu 8 Sep………….. Carlos Pelligrini & environs
Fri 9 Sep……………. Carlos Pelligrini & environs
Sat 10 Sep………….. Carlos Pelligrini to Mercedes
Sun 11 Sep…………. Mercedes to Mburucuyá
Mon 12 Sep……….. Mburucuya Park.
Tue 13 Sep…………. Mburucuyá to Loreto
Wed 14 Sep……….. Loreto – Ituzaingo
Thu 15 Sep…………. Ituzaingo / Cambyretá & area
Fri 16 Sep………….. Ituzaingo / Cambyretá & area
Sat 17 Sep………….. Ituzaingo / Cambyretá & area
Sun 18 Sep…………. Ituzaingo – Colonia Benitez
Mon 19 Sep……….. In or near Colonia Benitez – two reserves …
Tue 20 Sep…………. Colonia Benitez – Quitilipi – Pampa del Indio
Wed 21 Sep……….. Pampa del Indio – Pampa de Infierno
Thu 22 Sep…………. Pampa de Infierno – Tantanacuy
Fri 23 Sep………….. Tantanacuy & excursions
Sat 24 Sep………….. Tantanacuy & excursions
Sun 25 Sep…………. Tantanacuy & excursions
Mon 26 Sep……….. Tantanacuy & excursions
Tue 27 Sep…………. Tantanacuy & excursions
Wed 28 Sep……….. Tatanacuy to Parque National El Impenetrable
Thu 29 Sep…………. Parque National El Impenetrable
Fri 30 Sep………….. Parque National El Impenetrable
Sat 1 Oct…………… Parque National El Impenetrable – Reserva Colonia Benitez
Sun 2 Oct…………… Colonia Benitez to Posadas
Stage 3: a few days in Misiones
Mon 3 Oct…………. Posadas to San Pedro
Tue 4 Oct…………… San Pedro to B. Irigoyen
Wed 5 Oct…………. B. Irigoyen – Karadya
Thu 6 Oct…………… At Karadya
Fri 7 Oct……………. Karadya – SS Selva – Ecoparque Urugua-I
Sat 8 Oct…………… Iguazu
Sun 9 Oct…………… Iguazu – Posadas
Stage 5: the long drive home.
Mon 10 October……… Posadas – Bonpland
Tue 11 October…….. Bonpland – Gualeguaychu
Wed 12 October….. Gualeguaychu – Ceibas
Thu 13 October……. Ceibas
Fri 14 October….. Ceibas – Trenque Lauquen
Sat 15 October……. Trenque Lauquen – PN Lilué Calel
Sun 16 October…….. PN Lilué Calal – Plottier
Mon 17 15 October……. Plottier – San Martín de los Andes
And that’s it. If you live along my route and would like to meet up do get in touch. I’m sure we can work something out.
