HIKING IN EL HOYO: THE CUTEST LITTLE TOWN IN PATAGONIA
Hopping onto a plane to Buenos Aires with 3 nights booked and not a whole lot more planned, I couldn't have imagined El Hoyo, a little town in Patagonia would be one of my favourite little gems across the whole of South America.
I love spontaneously exploring a place off the beaten track, so after ticking El Chalten and hiking Fitz Roy off my list of must-dos in Patagonia, I headed to this quaint little town, two hours south of Bariloche.
Choosing to add El Hoyo onto my itinerary came about when I randomly found a hostel with a perfect score of 10. Could a hostel really be that good?!
Located on a ranch pretty much in the middle of nowhere with cows, a couple of the cutest cats and homemade bread every day, it sounded almost too idyllic.
On top of that, they have hammocks to chill, an amazing fully equipped kitchen, it's peaceful and quiet and sounded by mountains in Patagonia. What could be a better way to decompress after hiking 20-30km a day in El Chalten?!
Hostel luz clara el hoyo patagonia
Hostel Luz Clara
By far my favourite hostel of my travels in South America. Juan and Juli of Hostel Luz Clara were the nicest owners I have ever met, flexible in helping you organise any activities and providing a regular shuttle service to the supermarket and El Bolson. Originally booking 2 nights, I ended up staying 5 nights. (There's an affiliate link in there!)
Things to do in El Hoyo
So what exactly is there to do in and around El Hoyo?
Well, you're still in Patagonia. When in Patagonia, you hike!
Laguna Epuyen + Laguna Espejo
Okies... So I know I'm supposed to chill but I get so restless doing nothing for too long. Luckily Juan and Juli had a lot of ideas on how to keep me busy.
And the views are stunning!!
Hiking in El hoyo
After freezing my butt off in Southern Patagonia, it was refreshing to experience a wonderful summer in the north.
Hitchhike your way around
I'm not normally one to just jump into a car but when in Patagonia...
It's pretty normal to hitchhike it around. Buses aren't all that frequent and locals are often more than happy to let you hitch a ride.
Saying that, jumping into a random car, my heart pounded and I thought up every possible way I could protect myself from an attack, clenching my fists for the entire journey. Thankfully none of that was necessary and I got back to the hostel 3 hours earlier.
Visit some organic farms
Not far from El Bolson, there are a number of organic farms in the surrounding area and if you're there during the right season, it's great for a spot of fruit picking.
Definitely try the dulce de leche ice cream at Chacra Humus!
Chill out...
The hostel is so relaxing and refreshing, chilling on a comfy hammock for the afternoon was pretty much my favourite thing to do. Doing absolutely nothing.
So worth it!
How to get to El Hoyo
From El Chalten, there's a "wonderful" 22-hour bus journey. Well as good as almost 24 hours on a bus can get. There are a couple of bus companies, El Chalten Travel being one of them.
From El Bolson, the hostel was happy to pick me up from a coffee shop in town. And from Bariloche, there's a regular bus every hour or so.
Planning a trip or fancy a freebie? These are some websites and services I love:
Booking.com: For the best hotel deals! 🏝
World Nomads: Travel insurance on the go 🌎
Airbnb: For the best apartment deals!🏡
Affiliate links above!
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