Cordoba, Argentina

Another overnight bus landed us in Cordoba, the second most populous city of Argentina, university central and hailed by many (including the Lonely Planet bible) as the adventure sport capital of Latin America.

We saw none of this as we arrived to a ghost town on the morning of Easter Sunday. With not much else to do with ourselves, we decided to walk around the centro area in relative calm and see what was on offer, including Plaza San Martin and Parque Sarmiento.

The following day we got down to business working out what adventure activities were on offer. We had heard previously that Cordoba offered the cheapest skydiving in South America. While it was cheap, it was still more expensive than what was tabled in Mendoza, and we struggled to find justification for the AR700 price tag. After further deliberation we found that many of activites on offer could be done cheaper in Salta (our next destination). As a result we selected to book into a full day rock climbing tour (not available in Salta?).

Our destination the next morning was beyond Carlos Paz, approximately 2 hours west of Cordoba. We travelled by car with 3 local experts who would show us the ropes (pun intended) for the day, after a quick maté session, and some banter about anomolies in English/Spanish translations, we set off for a short 1.5 hour hike to our climbing spot for the day. As we arrived our guide Matius set up the gear (including a first aid kit consisting of empanadas), and explained the routes to us - one more difficult than the other. We managed to squeeze in three climbs each, conquering both routes (from memory a 5B and 6?). Following this we left the gear behind and trekked quickly up to vantage point overlooking the valley with condors flying overhead, providing spectacular views back towards Cordoba. We quickly collected the climbing ear and hurried back to the car where the remainder of our party had completed their trek around the mountains. An excellent day, with great company - well worth the price of admission.

Following some advice from Matius and the Atomic Ant, the next day we went searching for an indoor gokarting centre, approximately 10 blocks from our hostel. Unfortunately the centre was closed (or had gone into liquidation?). As a result we settled for the less adventurous activity of ten-pin bowling. Nicks superior ball skills made him the eventual and clear winner.

We headed off to Salta that evening to hopefully complete our adventure sports fix on a more backpacker friendly budget - horse riding, white water rafting and zip lining!