When we decided to embark on our family adventure to South America, one thing we did not have clear (well there were quite a few if being honest!), was how we would enjoy a Christmas away from home. We are used to spending this time of the year in different places, given we have family in Ireland, Spain and Australia, However, while the actual place may be different, the constant is the family that we have around us to enjoy this time of the year. This Christmas would be very different.
We began thinking where we would like to spend “Navidad” 2023 not long after beginning our trip in September. Would it be on the beach in Brazil, or in wildest Patagonia, perhaps in the jungle of Bolivia or even the bright lights of Buenos Aires. As with a lot of things on our trip, the more we plan, the less it is likely to occur! As our route, dates and general itinerary continually changed, we stopped trying to predict where we would be and decided to just go with the flow.
The new approach led us to the incredible beauty of the Argentine Andes as Christmas week approached.
We enjoyed a wonderful few pre-Christmas days in San Carlos de Bariloche with friends we made on the Carretera Austral ferry in Chile. Gustavo and Mabel invited us into their home, fed us and filled us with the sort of warmth that we so desired this time of the year.
Next stop was Villa la Angostura. Again still with time to spare before Christmas, we met up with Cristian, Christine and their two young children, a German family overlanding in South America like ourselves. They had been through a very testing few months since arriving with their campervan. Their vehicle had given them endless problems, and they had spent more nights sleeping in mechanics workshops than in any other location. Yet their positivity, enthusiasm and good-nature was infectious and really put any minor problems we had into perspective.
Finally we made it to San Martin de los Andes, where we planned to spend a couple of days either side of Christmas. It did not have the glitz or glamour that we may have initially been looking for, but as we arrived in this stunning mountain town we knew we had made a good decision.
Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere is a little different to what we are all used to in Europe. There are very few Santa’s in sight, Christmas trees and lights are certainly not the norm, and turkeys are akin to the poor dodo. Oh and lots and lots of people head to the beach!
San Martin de los Andes was no different. The town sits on the edge of Lake Lacar, with a beautiful natural beach loacated wight in the middle of town. Thankfully for us the local council, in their good sense, allocated a large parking area for campervans right beside the lake. This afforded us the opportunity to get the best located accommodation spot in the Andes, at a total cost of zero pesos!
Click here to read the “Christmas On The Road (Part 2 of 2)” blog post
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