Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (Los Glaciares National Park)
Area Lago Viedma
Santa Cruz Province, ARGENTINA
Distance: 75.8km Time: 34 hours
Total Ascent: 2695m Total Descent: 2803m
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Pedro Navarro (Guide), Patrizia Schäffnerl, Valentina Sobol (Porter)
The Huemul Circuit is not a casual stroll but a full immersion into the raw weather, vast ice and big skies of southern Patagonia.From the moment our small team left El Chaltén and Monte Fitz Roy faded behind us, daily life was replaced by a rhythm of boggy lenga forest, wind‑buffeted passes, creek crossings and evenings spent drying gear beside lakes.
Guided by Pedro, with our porter, Valentina, carrying a very heavy pack and an endless supply of good humour, we circled Cerro Huemul above Lago Viedma, twice crossed the Río Túnel by Tyrolean traverses, and crunched over glacial ice while storms and sun took turns sweeping the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.This report aims to capture an experience that tested creaky knees and comfort zones, but rewarded us with a guanaco on a perfect backdrop, rare orchids, and the quiet satisfaction of finishing one of South America’s toughest and most beautiful treks.
27/11/2025 – 29/11/2025Bariloche – Refugio Emilio Frey – Laguna Toncek – Laguna Jakob Rucaco – Refugio San Martin – Tambo Báez
Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi
(Nahuel Huapi National Park)
Rio Negro Province
Patagonia Lakes District
ARGENTINA
Distance: 46.6km Time: 21.5hours
Total Ascent: 1692m Total Descent: 1848m
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
A much-anticipated start after multiple delays.
Getting to the start of the walk was an adventure in itself. We were lined up to board our international flight from Sydney to Buenos Aires when the line came to a standstill. The staff were looking stony-faced as they were given the news. There was no announcement, but they came over to the line and started speaking to individuals. We soon learned that our plane had been “struck by lightning” and the flight was cancelled. Great start to our trip! We were offered overnight accommodation if we didn’t live in Sydney and a meal voucher. A few hours later, I received an email saying our flight had been rescheduled for the following day, 27 hours late. We were transferred by bus to the Holiday Inn Sydney Airport, where they were keen to give us free food. Dinner and breakfast were included as well as the shuttle back to the airport. We settled in for the afternoon.
We did take off at the new time the following day, but I had to adjust our travel plans, accommodations and our flight into Bariloche for the following day. The new flight time, unfortunately, had us waiting for seven hours in Santiago for the connection. We arrived in Buenos Aires close to 10:00pm, and I had organised accommodation close to the airport. Our flight the following day was at 3:15pm, but we had to check out of our accommodation at 10:00am, so we just headed for the airport. We checked our bags in, and soon after, I received an email saying the flight was delayed another six hours! So we had an 11-hour wait at the airport!
We eventually arrived in Bariloche close to midnight and fell asleep as soon as we hit the pillow.
