Practical Knowledge

A lot of you might have heard about the crises in Venezuela at the moment through the media. Although many blame Maduro for the fall of the economy in Venezuela the situation is in fact much more complicated than that. Also, it hasn't gotten much worse for the people over the last few months on account of Maduro alone, why then does Richard Branson want to interveine with his "Live Aid" all of a sudden?

After 9 days hiking and trekking near and around Bariloche, I took the bus south to El Bolson. The bus leaves the main terminal every hour or so and costs 250 argentine pesos. The bus ride takes approximatley 2h 15min. Arriving at the small town, I booked a hostel for one night, left my things there and took a look around. There are many camp sites to choose from and as the weather was sunny and hot, I thought it best to look for an ideal location before setting up camp.

This morning I took the bus with Andesmar from Osorno to Bariloche. The trip was supposed to take 5h 30min so that I would arrive in the town at 4pm giving me two hours to sort out my things and buy supplies for my trek. Instead it took us over 7h to get there. When I finally arrived in the town center the supermarkets and tourist offices had already closed up. A pleasant surprise was the hostel I booked in advance. It's a cosy building near the center and has a great view to Lago Nahuel Huapi.

Osorno is a city and central point to get around in the Region de Los Lagos. The prices for accommodation and groceries are immensly high but typical for this region of Chile. I'd compare them to prices in Europe. It will be hard to find a place to stay under 20$ but is worth it when travelling through the otherwise remote region. You'll find everything you need here and cheap mini-buses leave in every direction. They call Osorno the "City of 100km" because you can reach almost every distinct territory of Chile within 100km. Here is some advice for staying in the city.

For purpose of making budgeted travel easier, I noted the buses I took in the region of Los Lagos and Los Rios in Chile including the fares they charge in October and November 2018. There are always multiple options and some are quite a bit more expensive than others.

When travelling Chile or another country in South America for a longer period of time, it makes sense to get a local phone number, even if you just use it for 4G (whatsapp, instagram and the sorts). There are different providers you can choose from. I will only mention movistar in Chile on this blog post. If you are interested in other options, check out this useful link.

Putting together my gear for trekking longterm showed to be quite a challange. This meant having everything I need for the next 6 to 12 months packed in a 100l Backpack and having enough space for food and water when leaving civilization for a trip to a national park or a sole expedition. And at last I have to be able to carry the darn thing trough different terrain and vegitation.