As we continued southward from crossing back into Argentina at Paso Huahum, we took a commonly followed pavement route through the forests and peaks of Northern Argentine Patagonia to cross back at Futaleufu. This is a route well documented elsewhere with little need for update or corrections from what we had found, so I will refrain from a specific breakdown of the riding and logistics, but those that are interested in more detail can feel free to contact me for trail notes.
The only significant detours of note were into Lago Meliquina, a quiet community not far from San Martin with a peaceful atmosphere and nice bicycle-themed hostel for a bit of rest and relaxation, as well as a detour into National Parque Los Alerces. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in and cycling out of- this park and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and peace in the early morning and the small campground where we were camped but were frustrated to see overcrowded and overpriced camping generally, plenty of free-roaming cattle in the waterways and we were shocked to see yet more hoardes of holidaying vehicles arriving as we were leaving. The park has since tragically suffered a large bushfire which is currently attributed to arson.
Regarding traffic on this route, we were surprised at the sheer volumes on the supposedly quiet and idyllic Ruta de Los Siete Lagos from San Martin to Bariloche, particularly from Villa La Angostura to Bariloche which was some of the worst in our entire trip. The volumes are manageable but it is best to come aware of this and cycle early in the day. We investigated a ferry from Villa La Angostura to Bariloche but were informed two companies no longer offered this and a third would charge a full lake tour ticket (40,000ARP= 80 NZD pp) for the experience which was well above our budget. South of Bariloche this was more manageable and didn't cause us significant issues.
This trip was completed in Late 2023 as part of a 5 month long cycle tour through South America from Bolivia to Tierra del Fuego
