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When we decided to go to Bariloche, I didn’t do a whole lot of research. I heard from friends that it was a really nice place to go, definitely a must in Argentina, and that it had a Swiss feel to it. As Hielke and I really wanted to visit Patagonia, Bariloche seemed like a good start, as it is located in the North of Patagonia. A fun fact regarding Bariloche is that our Dutch-Argentinean queen is from this region. So when you are Dutch, expect to talk about Maxima a lot when you visit Bariloche! We stayed in Bariloche for four nights and found it the perfect introduction into Patagonia.

In the Argentinean part of Patagonia you will find the little mountain village El Chaltén. I was recommended to visit this place because it is really easy to do hikes from here. El Chaltén is not located on a high altitude and it has a lot of hikes surrounding Mount Fitzroy which can be done in a day. For a hiker with little experience, like myself, El Chaltén seemed like a good place to get to know hiking and Patagonia. In El Chaltén I definitely learned that hiking does not need to be too strenuous or off-the-grid, but that you can put in a bit of effort and be rewarded for that.

Valparaíso has been a city that I had wanted to visit for a while, as it is located on a hill, with colorful houses, street art and with views of the ocean. Unfortunately, South America currently is not the easiest place to visit as there is a lot of political unrest in many countries. Ecuador and Chile recently had a lot of riots and protests and the countries are currently awaiting if new riots break out. After doing a lot of research we decided to visit Valparaíso despite of the recent incidents. The Dutch government says that you can visit Chile, but that you have to avoid the protests. We did avoid Santiago, as new riots often start in the capital city. Luckily during our time in Valparaíso we did not experience any issues and I was glad I got to visit this incredibly colorful city!