About

foto huella

I’m Matej, a keen athlete, writer, and a backpacker from Slovakia. Having found Huella Andina by chance while browsing the internet, I decided to walk the way in January and February 2016. Winter in Europe and summer in South America, it seemed like a perfect choice to enjoy hiking, meet new people, get rid of some prejudice, and improve my Spanish skills.

Arriving to Patagonia, I found real wilderness and a freshness of air second to none. However, with an exception of two popular stages close to the cities Bariloche and Bolson, I did not meet a single foreigner on the way (actually I met very few hikers in general). What’s more, many things written in the trek guide provided by the Argentinian government just didn’t mirror the reality.

When I flew back to Europe (a long flight indeed 🙂) I thought why Huella Andina hasn’t attracted more foreigners. After all, I’ve walked other long trails and hiked in other mountains, which, in my opinion, haven’t come even close to the beauty and variety of this Argentinian trek. And yet they attracted thousands, or even millions, visitors every year, while I met just a few foreigners in the Argentinian mountains.

Maybe the reason is that there aren’t any real information available about Huella Andina in English, so foreigners simply do not know that this way exists, I thought while eating a special vegan meal on the board of Turkish Airlines.

And so I designed this website to promote the Huella Andina to people like you, and motivate some hikers to fly to Argentina and follow this amazing trail.

It’s a personal, non-profit project, not-affiliated to the government of Argentina, or any other legal bodies. All the content reflects my personal opinion and experience from walking the way, and it should be considered at such.

If you have any questions about the trail, walked the trail and want to share your experience to benefit the visitors of the website, or just want to say hello, please contact me at matejvaluch133[at]gmail[dot]com. Thank you! If you’d like to learn more about me and some of my activities, check my personal website. Thank you!

Buen viaje,

Matej