Argentinian Patagonia: part 2 aka The Lake District

The holidays around Carnavale meant that we could not find a flight to head north, so a 24-hour bus ride was the alternative to transport us to Bariloche (full name is San Carlos de Bariloche) – 1440 km to the north of El Chaltén. The first bus was what is called a “cama” which has wider seats and 160degree recline. This was comfortable as we settled in to sleep. We didn’t know however how the highway became quite rutted a few hours which made for a rough ride -although the drivers, to their credit, go very slowly through such sections. A change of bus at 8am had on a regular intercity bus, tighter seats and only slightly reclining.

Bariloche & the Lake District

Bariloche has a population just shy of 150,000 and is considered the chocolate capital of Patagonia (maybe Argentina). The area is considered the Switzerland of Argentina and was indeed populated by early immigrants from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. It is also purported to have been a haven for Nazis around WW2, but this is highly controversial and the evidence is murky. The Swiss influence however is inescapable in the architecture, the food (cheese fondue, goulash, chocolate are menu regulars), the beer (origin of Patagonia cerveza), and ski resorts. Oh, and the names of streets and towns. The city sits on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the National Park of the same name. We arrived on a very warm evening and one of our first tasks was to swap out all our cool-weather clothes from the south for shorts, tshirts, and sandals. We were now in daytime temperatures in the mid-30s.

view from the balcony of our apartment

a variety of pics from the central city…

Cerro Catedral

A local bus took us a ski resort about 1 hour away, where we took the chairlift and then climbed for about an hour to a ridge. From there, we had views all the way back to the city, north across the lake & islands, and west to Mt. Tronador, an extinct volcano on the border with Chile. There is an option to do some hut-to-hut hiking here.

Ruta Escénica de Los Siete Lagos

This is one of, if not THE most popular scenic drives in the country. From Bariloche, it’s almost 200km each way, with the option for multiple gravel road side trips to additional lakes. This a popular vacation destination as the main route is bounded by 2 towns (Villa La Angostura & San Martin de Los Andes); there are lots of cabins, campgrounds, and all manner of water activities. Drinking in the scenery felt like home and included a swim on a very hot Sunday.

Circuito Chico

About 10km from Bariloche is a 25-km route that provides access to multiple beaches, hiking trails, cabins & fancy resorts, artisans, boat docks for lake cruises, the home of Patagonia brewery as well as newer micro-breweries, and is a haven for backpackers. It is also a popular cycling route, without shoulders and challenging hills. We explored an e-bike tour but are glad we didn’t do it – it’s high season still and the traffic would make for a very stressful experience. In fact, we saw only a handful of cyclists the whole day. Our “activities” included lunch at Gilbert’s (microbrewery), a longer-than-intended forest hike, a post-hike visit to the spectacular setting of Patagonia brewery, shopping at a local artisan (chocolate, of course), and taking in the sunset at Punta Panorámica before picking up some empanadas on our way ‘home.’

Lunch at Gilbert’s: boar stew, goulash with späetzle, beer & wine