Bariloche is a beautiful town in Argentina’s Patagonia region. This place has something to offer for all seasons – Hiking, Biking, Kayaking, Whitewater rafting in Summer or Skiing, Snow Shoeing etc. in Winter. I would imagine with all the mountain ranges in the region, fall season would be extremely beautiful with all the distinct colors. There are numerous lakes which you can add on as an excursion or rent your own car and drive to each one of those lakes with amazing views. Bariloche is also famous for its Chocolates – lots of chocolates sold in shops lining Calle Mitre, the main street. It was Christmas week, and the streets were filled with lights, Christmas decorations, local artists performing in the town square or on Mitre Street.
Lake Excursion to Victoria Island and Arrayanes Forest
Victoria Island is an isolated piece of land surrounded by the waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi. It’s a popular tourist attraction in Bariloche that has many things to see and do. The Arrayanes Forest, located on Victoria Island, is an area where many people go to enjoy its natural beauty and appreciate the way it preserves its history.
This excursion starts with either pickup from your hotel (additional cost) or you can get to Puerto Pañuelo and board a boat from there. I took a taxi to reach there which turned out to be expensive ($6000 ARS for 4 people) but while coming back took a local bus (#20) which turned out to be cheap ($400 ARS for 4 people). To take a bus though you will need a SUBE card, which we did not have. So, we just requested someone to swipe their card for us and we paid them cash. If you want to spend some time exploring off-the-beaten path places in Bariloche! The views are spectacular, especially during sunset or sunrise. The island itself has plenty of trails for walking around or hiking up mountain sides as well as beaches for swimming in clear waters (or drinking beer under palm trees).
The Road of Seven Lakes Day trip
The Road of the Seven Lakes is the popular name given to the scenic portion of road between the towns of San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura. There’s a popular excursion which you can book via a local agent in Bariloche (San Martín de los Andes by the 7 Lakes Route) or you can rent a car and do this on your own as it fits you and your family.
The excursion is mostly a bus drive from Bariloche, and it stops at each of the scenic viewpoint and lakes eventually taking a break in the beautiful town of San Martin, where the tour drops you to have lunch (not included in the excursion) and roam around the awesome town before boarding the bus and getting back to Bariloche. It felt great to just roam around the small town. Adding slideshow of pictures from the trip – see below.
In San Martin we ate at La Nueva Barra restaurant. The food was good, and the location was excellent. So, if you are ever in San Martin do try this restaurant.
Nahuel Huapi – Half day Kayaking trip
We booked a private excursion for us with a company, Feeling Patagonia. I will leave their contact details below. Andy was our private guide. He was very warm, could speak English well and really took good care of all of us. We hopped on to the van and drove for around 30-40 minutes where he took us to an area of Nahuel Huapi lake which was not packed with tourists. He gave us a detailed overview of how to navigate the Kayak, turn left/right and how to use the paddles. The trip was amazing, all of us loved it.
Andy was kind enough to go over in detail the maté culture in Argentina, the significance of it for the local people. He also had some to share with us, but he gave us a new straw and our own maté utensil to taste it. We learnt something new and interesting that day.
Circuito Chico Tour + trekking Cerrito Llao Llao (said as Shao Shao)
This was one of our favorite tours Martin from Andes Outdoors contacted us and kept us abreast of the pickup time and the details we needed to know about this tour.
Our guide Tomas Guia picked us up at our hotel in his personal SUV. We drove to our first stop, Cerro Camanario. Here you have an option to hike up (approximately 1.3 miles out and back) or you can take a chairlift. We took the chairlift option. The cost is $1200 ARS per person. The view from up top is breathtaking. See for yourself. We spent around 30-40 mins at the top and then came down via the same chairlift (remember to hold on to your chairlift tickets, you will need it while coming down).
Our next stop was to Cerro Llao Llao. This is a must-do hike in Bariloche. You will have the best panoramic views of Lake Moreno and Lake Nahuel Huapi, with the snow-capped peaks of the hills in the background. The trail is a beautiful forest path that begins at the entrance of the Municipal Park, it is well marked and well maintained. It has a fair amount of ascent to the Viewpoint but once you reach the top the views are amazing.
Once we were at the top – we rested for a bit, ate our picnic lunch (veg sandwiches and water) that Tomas brought for us and then we headed back down. We then made a couple of stops and then Tomas dropped us back at our hotel. On our drive back we caught a glimpse of Cerro Tronador, which you will see in the pictures below. We learnt that day that it is one of the highly recommended destinations. It was a tiring day indeed, but we had a lot of fun!
Food Recommendations
Here are some recommendations:
- Mexicano Café
- Manush Centro – Brewpub
- Restaurante Huang Ji Zhong Chang Kuan
- Food Court Area on Mitre (Main Street)
- La Casita Restaurante Bariloche
- Rapanui (for Waffle & Ice cream and other sweet treats)
- Mamuschka (for awesome chocolates)
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