A Gourmet Adventure in Argentina
Lucy Slater, Destination Expert.
My guide Alex drove me to a secluded bay on Lake Huapi. From there we began a 60 minute hike up the tree-lined side of the pinnacle. After 20 minutes, we came to an opening in the trees. We weren’t even a third of the way up but already the view was staggering. Looking at the sky, you could see birds of prey riding the warm thermals in the midday sun.
Sunglasses on, I continued up the hill, chatting to Alex, an ex porteno (resident of BA), who had escaped city life about 12 yrs ago to set up his own tourism company with some friends in Bariloche where he now lives with his wife and children. The last part of our climb involved scaling a steep part of the rock face. Having conquered our mini-mountain, I paused to reflect on the distance we’d covered – and then Alex told me how I’d be getting down…I’d be abseiling.
Once I’d lowered myself over the edge my fears subsided and I really enjoyed the 50m descent to the next level. The reward was a beautifully laid lunch table, complete with white tablecloth, large wine glasses and silver cutlery. The chef came over to introduce herself and poured me a glass of Patagonian Malbec. Alex joined me after his descent and we enjoyed a glass of wine, which soon calmed my adrenalin rush!
Lucy is a destination expert for Central + South America. To book a holiday to Argentina, or find out more about the country, please call her on +44 (0)20 7384 2332.
