We left El Chalten at sunrise and the beguiling Mount Fitz Roy was standing proud bathed in orange, in complete contrast to the various shades of blue in the previous days. It is a stunning mountain of many colours.

The Patagonian landscape continued for the next couple of days to have the vast skies and the semi arid yellow and green colours of its vegetation apart from periodic patches of brighter green of the poplar and eucalyptus trees that surround the estancias. The estancias are often the size of a small country and for the most part have sparse herds of sheep, which compete with the guanacos and rheas for pasture.

To the North of Santa Cruz Province are the Cueva de las Manos, an ancient place some 9,000 years old where the local population decorated the cliff walls and caves with silhouettes of hands and also the guanaco and other animals they hunted. The cliff wall overlooks the Cañón de Rio Pinturas, a particularly beautiful place.  The height from the cliff made a perfect vantage point to capture guanacos when they descended into the canyon for water, hence it was a special place for the indigenous population. The colours of the paintings were a mixture of reds, yellows, whites and blacks and the hands were made by blowing the paint on the hand to create a negative outline. The paintings have a similar significance to other ancient cave paintings in France and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before it’s listing it was vandalised by modern graffiti, but now the site is very professionally managed and the paintings are well protected behind fences that align the walkway.

Above the canyon are an abundance of birdlife including both the enormous Andean Condor and Eagles. We bush camped in the next valley, where there was a dried up salt flat, which together with the clear night sky and bright star scape made an impressive location to camp.

As our journey progressed up North the land got greener which enabled small herds of beef cattle to prosper, but nowhere near the scale of the herds in the Pampas.

Once we left Chibut Province the landscape dramatically changed and we knew we had arrived in the Argentinian Lake District, a stunningly beautiful location, with verdant green trees hugging the mountainside and numerous picturesque lakes to reflect the mountains and vegetation. With the start of autumn a number of the trees have begun to turn colour, adding hews of reds and oranges to the greens of the trees, making it a bit like New England in the fall. Our first location outside Patagonia, was the market town of El Bolson, with its artisan beers and craft stalls, many of which reflect the bohemian and alternative culture that has sprung up in the town after many were priced out of Bariloche.

The drive to Bariloche took the best part of three days and when we arrived it felt like we were in a different country, such is the vastness of Patagonia and its big landscapes.

Date: 27/03/2018 to 29/03/2018