Van Life - ​​​​​​​The 2017 Roadies

**Awarding the top experiences of our 9,000km road trip around Chile and Argentina**

This was the most epic of roadtrips. For 7 weeks we zig zagged our way up from the very bottom of Argentina to the top of Chile. These two countries beg to be explored by campervan. The remoteness, the wild open spaces and endless activities in between is an unmissable experience of a lifetime. 

Statistics

• 7 weeks

• 8,951 km

• 8 border crossings between Chile and Argentina

• 5 overplayed playlists

• 2 weirdos rollin' about

The Most Favourite of Favourite Things

Patagonia! Sitting across both Argentina and Chile, this has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's untouched, it's pristine and you can go for hours and even days without seeing a soul. This is where I left my heart. 

Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Unexpected Encoutners

#1 Almost robbed by a looney at 5am thanks to a knock on the van door. Thinking it was the police telling us we couldn't park by the lake, we awoke to a crazy, off his head weirdo with two dogs - ranting at us in Espanol. He then articulated that he wanted our money. Sherpa promptly jumped into the front seat and drove off while Crazy pelted rocks at our van. El Calafate, Chile

#2 Encounter with some local Hells Angel-like bikies in El Chalafate, Chile

#3 Our travel bank account drained of $3,500 - ie all the money in the account. This is not the vans fault but it happened while on van-time. ING were amazing and put it all back. Good tip for travelling, use a separate account that you transfer money into little bits at a time - this saved us! Pucon, Chile

#4 Midnight visit from the 5:0, the po-po. Parked in the vineyards, in the middle of nowhere, we were ID checked while scrambling to put on some clothes - we think there was too much paperwork so they left us be, Colchogua Valley, Chile

#5 Accidentally got locked in a private vineyard assuming the stunning riverside was public land. Thank goodness for the local farmers working the Sunday shift - our van would not have handled ramming the gates to get out.  Aconcagua Valley, Chile

#6 Jehovah Witnesses knocking on the van while we were parked in the middle of nowhere, atempting to sell us God, Argentina

Top Wildlife Encounters

#1 Sea lions commandeering beach rock at Cobquecura Beach, Chile
#2 Guanaco's in Torres del Paine
#3 Whales in Ushuaia
#4 Condors in El Chalten
#5 Flamboyant Flamingoes, roadside, Patagonia, and in Uyuni Bolivia

#1 Sea Lions...very noisy, Cobquecura Beach, Chile

#2 Guanaco confused with Lisa's attempts at conversation, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

#3 Luckiest encounter of them all, Beagle Channel, Ushuaia, Argentina

#4 The mighty condor over the Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Argentina

# 5 Majestic pink flamingoes on the Salt Flats Tour, Bolivia. Photo credit @emadurk

Best Places we Slept

#1 Rio Baker (turquoise river) Caraterra Austral, Patagonia, Chile
#2 In the Vina Viu Manent vineyards, Colchogua Valley, Chile
#3 Camping at Lago Roca, outside Perito Moreno National Park, Argentina
#4 Sleeping with waterfalls, Parque Nahuel Haupi, Argentina
#5 Under the palm of Mano del Desierto sculpture, Chile
#6 Cactus Valley, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
#7 Star gazing outside Observatory Pangue, Elqui Valley, Chile
#8 Waking up with hot air balloons, Atacama Desert, Chile

#1 Mouthwash river #nofilter

#2 Ultimate combo of the Milky Way and vineyards

#3 Lago Roca rainbows

#4 Waterfalls for breakfast

#5 A buried giant?

#6 Lisa contemplating our 7 weeks above San Pedro de Atacama

#7 One step beyond - Elqui Valley, Chile

#8 Morning views don't come much more surreal - San Pedro Atacama, Chile

Most Random People Encounters

#1 Bumping into a Ray White colleague, Michelle on the remote W Trek, Patagonia, Chile
#2 Seeing Pierre, a  brilliant graphic designer from Ray White in a hostel in Santiago, Chile

Best Van Fails

#1 GETTING BOGGED Futaleufu, Chile. Underestimating the van clearance, we got ourselves bogged. After failing to tow ourselves out despite the help from a friendly 4WD, our only option was to dig. And dig we did - then we were on our way. 200km down the road, the van breaks down. Turns out when we tried to tow ourselves out we completely bent the structural frame under the van and ripped the radiator out from its place causing a coolant leaked.  The great thing about Chile is that everyone is so resourceful and helpful. We rolled the van (literally) into a town 7km away, found a mechanic who banged it all back together. Presto - new again! All for a measly $200.

#2 LOCKED THE KEY IN THE VAN, Elqui Valley, Chile. Let's not use the royal 'we' here - this was all Sherpa. Luckily the nearby restaurant were resourceful and helped us break in to the van so we could get on our way. It only cost us 4 pisco sours. 

#1 Um...whoops

#1 Digging ourselves out, and getting a workout rebuilding a road

#2 Learning how to break into a car

Favourite Border Crossings

#1 Patagonia National Park, Argentina to Chile: the most remote little hut is the border crossing. They don't have a computer - they take a piece of scrap paper, write down your details and you're on your way. 

#2 The Aconcagua Pass, Aconcagua Wine Region, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina: 28 switchbacks and a climb of 2,000+m. 

#3 Heading from Argentina to Pucon, Chile: absolutely spectacular scenery crossing this border - an active volcano and a monkey puzzle tree forest. 

#1 Quaintest border control imaginable, Patagonia National Park

#2 Chile to Argentina on route to Mendoza. 28 switchbacks...not all the containers make it down in one piece!

#3 The border crossing overlooked by a volcano - on-route from Argentina to Pucon, Chile

Most Memorable Meals

#1 Chorillana at Cerveceria, Rio Tranquil, Patagonia, Chile
#2 Long lunch at Vina Montes, Colchogua Valley, Chile
#3 Solar cooked lunch at Elqui Valley, Chile
#4 Degustation lunch at La Azul, Uco Valley, Argentina
#5 Empanadas from El Che, El Chalten, Chile
#6 Hot chocolate, La Chocolateria, El Chalten, Chile

#1 Created for local workers it's heaven on a plate, Rio Tranquilo, Chile

#2 Getting our fancy on at Vina Montes' new restaurant, Colchuga Valley, Chile

#3 Environmentally friendly method to bake a stew, a chook or a pie, Elqui Valley, Chile

#4 Exquisite alfresco dining at La Azul, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

Best Early Starts

“Nailing it before the bloody tourists arrive”

— Lisa aka. Lady client

#1 Calving of the ice at Perito Moreno, El Calafate, Argentina
#2 El Taito Geysers, Atacama Desert, Chile
#3 Los Torres at sunrise, Torres del Paine, Chile

#1 An early start carries many rewards, El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

#1 No crowds means you hear and feel the calving instead of just watching it, Puerto Moreno, Patagonia, Argentina

#2 Puff, up she goes! Geysers, Atacama, Chile

#3 An hours hike in the dark...worth every stumble. Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Prettiest Towns

#1 Futaleufu, Chile
#2 Pucon, Chile
#3 Valparaiso, Chile
#4 Lakeside surrounding Bariloche, Argentina

#2 Pucon in all its sunset glory, Chile

#3 Colour at every turn in Valparaiso, Chile

#4 Bariloche delivers pure tranquility, Argentina

Best Extreme Activities

#1 White water rafting (class 5), Futaleufu, Chile
#2 Volcano hike with glacial tobogganing, Pucon, Chile

#1 Rio Futaleufu...a rafting must, Futalufu, Chile

#2 So happy with herself, Pucon, Chile

#2 DON'T step backwards, Pucon, Chile

Most Jaw-Dropping Natural Attractions

#1 Perito Moreno Glacier, El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina
#2 Marble Caves, Rio Tranquilo, Patagonia, Chile

#1 Bam, they don't come more striking than Perito Moreno, El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

#2 Bloody marbleous, Rio Tranquilo, Patagonia, Chile

Best Hikes

#1 Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina
#2 Los Très Laguna’s, El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina
#3 5 day trek through Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
#4 Cerro Catedral, Bariloche, Argentina
#5 Lago Esmeralda, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina
#6 Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

#1 The Fitz Roy range is prime hiking bucket list stuff, El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina

#2 Starting to understand Patagonia's appeal yet? Los Très Laguna’s, El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina

#3 Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

#3 Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

#3 Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

#4 Ski resort - pine forests - desert, Bariloche has it all. Argentina

#5 Take me back to Ushuaia and our Lago Esmeralda hike, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

#5, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

#6 Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

#6 Bottom of the world means very few people. Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

Best Drives

#1 Lake District of Bariloche, Argentina
#2 Queulate National Park, Caraterra Austral, Patagonia, Chile
#3 Leaving Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
 

#1 Lake district wonder, Bariloche, Argentina

#2 Queulate National Park, unofficially known as the National Park of waterfalls, Caraterra Austral, Patagonia, Chile

#3 Wrapping up Torres del Paine tiger-style, Patagonia, Chile

Best Wine Regions

#1 Winner: Uco Valley, Argentina
#2 Runner up: Colchuga Valley, Chile

#1 Sherpa in his element, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

#1 Always visit vineyards around harvest! Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

This was the road trip of a lifetime. Do it!

The end.

Instagram: @thelisaphillips #somedaysherpa