Around Bariloche: Promising days in the lake district of Argentina

Bariloche or Parque Pumalin? When planning my trip, I soon realized that despite the generous 28 days for Patagonia, not “everything” is possible and that we have to set priorities. One decision was particularly difficult for me, and that was whether to concentrate on the Carretera Austral or skip a piece of it and make a detour to Bariloche instead. In the end, I decided to go to Bariloche. “It looks like Switzerland there!” you might be thinking. But it was precisely this cliché that was decisive for me. I want to know: “How much Switzerland is really in Bariloche?”

The best breakfast in Patagonia

Apart from the fact that there is a Colonia Suiza (which we didn’t visit), there are refugios in the mountains (which definitely can’t keep up with my understanding of alpine huts in terms of hospitality), numerous hills are accessible with chairlifts and there are chocolates to buy, in my opinion there are no significant similarities between Bariloche and Switzerland. If we were in Switzerland, the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi would be built up. The wonderful continuous green shoreline was the first thing we noticed when we followed the narrow path from our accommodation – the Peninsula Petit Hotel – to the hotel’s own lake access with mini beach. Rich blues and greens in all nuances can be found on the colour palette that dominates the landscape around Bariloche. By the way, I didn’t regret my decision to choose Bariloche over Parque Pumalin for a second when I entered our small, fine hotel on the Llao-Lao Peninsula (about 20 minutes drive from Bariloche Downtown). I was really looking forward to relaxing in this wonderful oasis for three days and enjoying the fantastic nature all around. And best of all: Nowhere else in the whole of Patagonia have we found such a fine and daily changing breakfast buffet!

Bariloche Highlight: Llao Llao und Circuito Chico

Riding the Circuito Chico – whether by bike or car – is one of the most popular activities around Bariloche. The term “Circuito Chico” refers to the round trip of Ruta 77 around the Llao-Llao peninsula. We took advantage of the great location of our hotel right on this route for a sunrise ride around the Circuito Chico. Absolutely recommended, as there are hardly any other cars/bikes on the road at this time of day and you can stop as often as you like on the way and enjoy the great atmospheres. You can get an overview map with all hiking trails (the Bosque de Arrayanes and the Cerrito Llao Llao, among others, are recommended) at the parking garage of the Parque Municipal Llao-Llao, which is hidden between the trees on the left shortly after Puerto Panuelo together with a parking lot. If you feel hungry on the way, I recommend a stop at the Punto Panoramico – a very sympathetically run restaurant with a panoramic terrace.

Up to Cerro Campanario

The Cerro Campanario is praised in many places as the most beautiful panoramic mountain around Bariloche. Of course, we didn’t want to miss this and reached the still yawning empty parking lot in front of the chairlift shortly before 09:30 in the morning. Less than five minutes later, it was already teeming with dozens of bus tourists, whose guides were vying to bring their group up the mountain first. We narrowly escaped the crowd and got a place ahead of all the groups – luckily. It’s worth aiming for a time between 09:00 – 09:30. Later, you may have to wait in a longer queue. The tickets (roundtrip) cost 250 Argentine pesos per person and I think the panoramic view is definitely worth the price.

Fitness test Refugio Frey

Bariloche is a great hiking area with a wide variety of route options. From multi-day treks to beautiful day hikes, everyone will find a suitable tour here. We opted for the classic at Refugio Frey. The starting point for the hike is the winter sports resort of Villa Catedral, which we reached from our hotel by car in a good thirty minutes (alternatively, there are also public bus connections). The trail starts directly at the large parking lot in front of the cable cars and is well signposted. The easiest way to get to Refugio Frey is a long-distance hike with a length of a good 10 kilometers (per stage) and an altitude difference of about 750 meters (the details can be found in this GPS track).

The hiking trail is pleasantly varied and offers beautiful views of Bariloche and Lago Gutierrez in the first section. To my delight, this is followed by a beautiful section of the path in the forest. So our initial fear that it would be too “hot” for us on this sunny summer day was unnecessary. There was a pleasant breeze and about half of the 10 kilometers lead through wooded area. After a good 2.5 hours we reached the Refugio Frey and treated ourselves to a break there. Unfortunately, the planned pizza as a reward did not come to fruition, as the “hut warden” had just flown out. There are various mountain trails and climbing routes around the Refugio Frey, which ambitious mountaineers can easily occupy themselves with for a day or two (right next to the Refugio there is the possibility to camp). We, on the other hand, simply enjoyed the wonderful panorama and then hiked the same way back to Villa Catedral.

Caribbean flair in Los Arrayanes National Park

We combined the onward journey from Bariloche back to Chile with an excursion to the los Arrayanes National Park, which juts out into Lake Nahuel Huapi as a peninsula in front of Puerto Angostura. The majority of the mighty Arrayán trees are located at the southern tip of the peninsula. To see them, you can either hike the 12-kilometre-long hiking trail (or ride – bicycles are very popular on this route) or take a boat trip to the southern tip. In view of the great weather, we spontaneously decided to take a boat trip. Since we were close, we had to buy the tickets directly on the catamaran and paid 600 Argentine pesos per person plus 250 pesos park entrance (also per person) with a corresponding surcharge. If you are planning a similar trip, I recommend that you take the boat to the southern tip and then hike the 12 kilometers back to Puerto Angostura. This is the best way to benefit from the diverse landscape (from a sea and land perspective).

You can find more tips about Bariloche at Travelguide.ch

In terms of restaurants, we were lazy for once and ate all three evenings in our hotel, which has a fine changing menu of the day for 380 Argentine pesos on offer.