GUIA PARA VISITAR BARILOCHE

Welcome to my guide to visiting Bariloche. I hope you find it useful!

The legendary Route 40 crosses South America from north to south, taking you thousands of kilometers from Bolivia to Rios Gallegos (something like the famous Route 66 in the United States).

As you chase a horizon that never seems to arrive, you come across a small town nestled on an immense lake, with imposing snow-capped mountains in the background.

Welcome to Bariloche.

The inhabitants struck me as a charming mix of Chileans, Indians, and Argentinians of European descent. Time seems to stand still here, and no one is in a hurry: neighbors greet each other as they walk their (huge) dogs, while bus drivers entertain tourists with anecdotes about the region.

GUIDE TO VISITING BARILOCHE: PRE-TRIP TIPS

As you will almost certainly arrive in Bariloche by bus, the first thing you need to do is buy a SUBE card from the kiosk at the station.

This is the classic rechargeable card for the bus to the city center (buses 20 or 21, 12 pesos), since CASH IS NOT ACCEPTED on buses... and you're going to be taking quite a few during your stay here.
In any case, there is no need to panic because they have a wonderful custom here: if you have run out of credit on your card, you can ask someone else on the bus to swipe it for you and then pay them in cash... although they will most likely not even charge you for it.

In line with the above, as of the date of this post (December 2016), Argentina has a huge problem with credit cards: many establishments do not accept them, and it is necessary to have a large amount of cash on hand.

To complicate matters further, many ATMs do not accept certain cards or simply run out of cash on the first try... and if you get lucky and the ATM works, they charge you a huge commission of 96 pesos (6 euros) 😬

Car rentals have some rather unusual clauses: when you sign the contract, you have to “declare” how many people will be traveling with you (not just who will be driving, but how many passengers there will be), and there is a mileage limit (400 km in my case), with a charge of 2 pesos for every km you exceed the limit.

Bariloche is extremely expensive. I call it the city of 100 pesos because, except for gum and coffee, everything costs 100 pesos.

That said... what to see? I planned a somewhat low-cost itinerary, but there are longer and more expensive activities available.

THE 7 LAKES ROUTE

I found this one indispensable, something you can't miss: a one-day route visiting seven lakes in Patagonia and passing through the main towns in the area: from the elegant Villa de la Angostura or San Martín de los Andes to the humble Junin.

Doing the math

What kind of guide to visiting Bariloche would this be if we didn't talk about money, right?

If we book a tour, the price ranges from €110 to €125 for a 9-hour trip.

Renting a car on your own will cost you around €80-90, plus gas (another €25) and maybe a little extra for the mileage mentioned above (€10 more).

Conclusion: even if you go alone in the car, it will cost you the same and you will enjoy it twice as much...

The Route

It's long. Not so much in terms of distance (~400 km) as in terms of time spent. We left at 7:30 a.m. and returned at 8:00 p.m.

The most standard itinerary goes from Bariloche northeast on Route 40 to Villa La Angostura first and then on to San Martín de los Andes, which is roughly halfway along the route.

This stretch of road runs along the immense Nahuel Huapi Lake. Lago Nahuel Huapi.

This Mapuche name is one of the few things that has survived the successive “invasions” of Welsh, Swiss, etc. in the area.

Halfway between La Angostura and San Martin, there is a secondary road to Villa Traful that was recommended to us, but you need to have plenty of time to take it, and on the way back you pass relatively close by.

You will pass countless viewpoints—each lake has a few.

One of my favorites is the one at Falkner Lake. Lago Falkner

A rudimentary beach as the backdrop for a wide variety of scenes of local life: from local fishermen wielding their fishing rods like whips...

...even Argentine tourists who take small folding chairs and some mate out of their cars and sit there watching life go by.

The stop at Lago Hermoso also has its charm. Lago Hermoso también tiene su encanto

You get there via a dirt road about 4 km long—there are almost no signs, just a remote hotel where the road starts—and it ends in a fitting way: a kind of pier that leads nowhere, which only exists so you can sit on it and enjoy the lake ☺️

San Martín de los Andes San Martín de los Andes reminded me a little of the city that appeared in the movie “The Truman Show”: a place so perfect and happy that it must be a set.

Colonial houses, a spectacular port on Lake Lacar, and a neighborhood atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else...

We stopped in the town's main square and enjoyed an unusual sight: a Christmas tree silhouetted against a clear blue summer sky, accompanied by a sun that was baking us at around 30 degrees... a different kind of Christmas 😎

From San Martín, the best option in my opinion is to pass Junín de los Andes until the intersection of National Route 40 and Provincial Route 23, and continue on the former until Provincial Route 234 and then all the way down... You will cross the Collon Curá River via a legendary bridge to continue along the Alicurá reservoir on National Route 237.

The desert landscape of Arizona, cut by the river and the immensity of the reservoir, will leave you speechless.

CIRCUITO CHICO

The main attraction in Bariloche is to travel along the road from the city center to Llao Llao National Park and return via the other side: 60 km that can be covered by bike (at km 18, where the bus stops, there is a bike rental shop) or by bus (the 20 bus leaving from Bariloche Civic Center drops you off at the entrance to the National Park).

In the park, the typical tree of this area grows: the myrtle.

There is a small forest of them along one of the trails, creating a rather peculiar effect between the cinnamon color of the myrtle and the ordinary green of the forest.

For me, these two visits are essential; from here, there are activities to keep you busy for another four or five days, with something for everyone.

CERRO CAMPANARIO

An unforgettable view of the region around Bariloche and a fun ride on the chairlift: this is what this small mountain has to offer.

Once you pay the 200 pesos and reach the top, this view awaits you.

There is also a café where, although they make terrible hot chocolate, the panoramic windows make you feel like you are floating above the mountains...

But the best is yet to come, which is the descent on the chairlift: you have the entire San Pedro peninsula in front of you.

Bus 20 stops right at the entrance and runs every 30 minutes; anyway, everyone here will pick you up if you hitchhike, so don't waste your time waiting.

COLONIA SUIZA

A visit that can be skipped.

Under the pretext that this town was founded by Swiss settlers, a craft market and food fair are held on Wednesdays and Sundays. You can also visit the local beer distillery (Berlina). I didn't really think it was a real town, but rather a tourist trap. Not worth visiting.

Of course, it has a spectacular beach on the lake; the water is so clean and clear that it looks like it's been photoshopped, and it has a couple of piers where children can play around as much as they want.

You can get there by taking bus number 10; as it runs every hour, you either have to catch it at the right time or hitchhike... On the way back, it leaves at quarter to the hour and drops you off at km 18, where you can take bus number 20 back to Bariloche.

VILLA LA ANGOSTURA Y PARQUE NACIONAL LOS ARRAYANES

Something similar to Colonia Suiza. This village has a picturesque main street (El Cruce) with Tyrolean-style houses and rose bushes everywhere, but perhaps it's too perfect, too touristy... I don't know, it lacks a certain authenticity...

It is 75 minutes from Bariloche and there are multiple buses daily for 90 pesos (from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. round trip).

About 3 km south of El Cruce is Los Arrayanes National Park (150 pesos). I was really looking forward to it, because after a long 12 km trail, a boat is supposed to take you back to Puerto Pañuelo, near Bariloche. It sounded great...

It has some impressive viewpoints.

But I found the trail a bit monotonous (I was expecting a giant forest of myrtle trees, but it seems they are only at the end), and to top it all off, the boat only takes you back to the park entrance and for an exorbitant price: 380 pesos. So halfway through, I got bored and turned back...

If you want to visit, make sure you arrive before 3:00 p.m. if you are returning by boat; if you plan to walk back, the departure deadline is 2:00 p.m...after that, they won't let you in.

Bariloche seems to have a lot to offer those who really love the mountains (Cerro Catedral or a volcano called El Tronador), but since that's not my case, I can't say anything about it...

And so it was my guide for visiting Bariloche ; it's time to continue venturing deeper into Patagonia , further and further south , towards El Bolsón...

Texto y fotos : Mike !