I heard the lakes District of Argentina and Chile was beautiful, but my experience here went well beyond my expectations.
I spent my first day checking out the center of the city. Bariloche wasn’t that large, so it was easy to walk to all the places of interest in the city. If you’re a chocolate fan you need to visit this city. The main street called Mitre is lined with chocolate shops and of course restaurants, bars, and cafes. A stop at the visitor center provided a wealth of information for all the activities in the area which could easily fill weeks of your time. The city appears to be revamping the waterfront area where you can take in the sun as it sets behind the mountains.
In the late afternoon I went to Cerro Campanario, one of the closest and easiest to get to viewpoints from the city. There was a chairlift to the top, but I decided to hike, since I heard it would only take 30 minutes. The mountainside was steep, so it was certainly a good workout. This was my first view of the countryside from the top of the mountain; it was breathtaking!
The following day I followed the recommendation of people from the hostel and I took a 45 minute bus ride out of the city and rented a bike to ride the Circuito Chico. This 27km (16.8 miles) loop takes you around to several great viewpoints and points of interest in this part of Bariloche. The morning was slightly chilly, but after a short ride I warmed up and was thankful I didn’t bring a jacket that I’d need to store for the rest of the day.
The first stop was the beautiful Llao Llao Hotel. From my vantage point I didn’t get a great picture that would do it justice, but to show you what the area looked like here’s a photo I found online.
My ride continued and there was very little traffic, so it was easy to take in all the beautiful scenery and not worry about cars in the road. More photos from many of the other viewpoints are in my Google Photos link at the end of this post.
Along the circuit I had come across the trail head for Cerro Lopez. This was also one of the recommended hikes, so the following day I took two buses that would take me close to the trail head. With it being the low season there were not many people. The biggest excitement, besides the cows (video on my Google Photos link) was a rescue team to help a women who appeared to have sprained her ankle. The hike took just over 2 hours to the top and offered many wonderful views, but with a slight haze it wasn’t as clear as the day before, so mountains in the distance weren’t as visible.
My final hike in Bariloche was Cerro Catedral. I met an Australian couple who were interested in the hike, so we went together. The weather was perfect, blue skies, and not too warm. We took a bus to the ski area where the trail starts. While the trail was longer (about 3 hours up), much of it was hiking into the valley on a trail with little elevation gain. Only the last hour of the hike was steep as we ascended to Refugio Frey.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bariloche. There was so much more in this area I wish I would have had time to explore. It could also be a great winter get away with a large ski area just a short drive from the center of the city. Hopefully my travels will take me back here again.
Photos & Videos: Bariloche, Argentina
Photos & Videos: Bariloche, Argentina
Michael's Journey 