The main tourist center of Rio Negro (Argentina), the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, or simply Bariloche, is located among the mountain ranges of the Southern Andes on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. It is a spa town with a long and strong tradition, founded in 1902 by German colonists. Perhaps this is one of the most visited places by tourists in the country, where you can visit at any time of the year, which only adds to its popularity. In winter, Bariloche turns into the most popular ski resort in Argentina, and in the summer offers a variety of hiking trails in the surrounding area, as well as hunting and fishing.
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| Bariloche Argentina |
It is no coincidence that this region is called Argentine Switzerland, the landscapes and, it is true, resemble alpine pastorals. Mountains, lakes, meadows, national parks - you will find all this around Bariloche, which will also delight you with its excellent tourist infrastructure that can satisfy the needs of even the most discerning travelers. The choice of hotels, chalets, campgrounds, restaurants and entertainment establishments here is unusually wide. The town itself has such a typical European look that it creates the full effect of falling somewhere in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. If you don't know that this is Argentina, you will never say that you are in South America. In Bariloche itself, it is worth seeing the Civic Center, the Chapel of San Eduardo, the Cathedral, the Julio Roca monument, the Municipality with the clock tower, the Patagonia Museum and the Sarmiento Library, walk along the shopping street Miter and be sure to visit the local Chocolate Museum. But you should not get too hung up on the city itself, because you will find all the most interesting outside of it. Bariloche serves as the gateway to the Lake District of Argentine Patagonia and the starting point for a variety of hiking trails in the picturesque surroundings and this is its main purpose.
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| Bariloche Argentina |
The most popular one-day route is undoubtedly the so-called Seven Lakes Road.... During this route, you will overcome more than 300 km., See all the main natural attractions of this marvelous land, get acquainted with the local flora of dense forests and enjoy the pristine beauty of seven fantastic lakes from various viewing platforms - el Lago Espejo, el Lago Correntoso, el Lago Escondido, los Lagos Villarino y Falkner, el Lago Hermoso, el Lago Machonico, and el Lago Lacar. Lost among the valleys and mountain ranges, the lakes amaze with crystal clear water, gurgling cascades and spectacular framing of snow-capped mountain peaks. The most picturesque and expressive route of Bariloche, as a rule, takes 12 hours, during which you will not only enjoy the unspoilt nature of these places, but also get to know two popular tourist centers of the neighboring province of Neuquen - Villa La Angostura and San Martin de los Andes.
El Circuito Grande is another popular all-day trail in this area . The Great Trail encompasses natural sites such as Lake Nahuel Huapi, the southern shore of Lake Traful and the Limai River. The highlight of this excursion will be a visit to the Enchanted Valley (el Valle Encantado) with its amazing stone figures and natural Amphitheater.
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| Bariloche Argentina |
To get the most complete picture of the nature of Bariloche, these two top excursions should be complemented by visits to such natural attractions as the Nahuel Huapi National Park, part of which belongs to the neighboring province of Neuquen. On an area of 750,000 hectares. you can see the thousand-year-old mixed forests of the typical trees of Patagonia - lenga, coyue, nyires, arrayanes. The undisputed decoration of the park is the huge glacial lake Nahuel Huapi, along which you can take a fascinating boat trip. The infrastructure in the park is presented at a decent level. On its territory you will find a large selection of hotels of different levels, bungalows, camping areas. In the park you can spend a few days trekking, navigation, rafting, canopying, rock climbing, fishing and horseback riding.
The three-headed mountain El Cerro Tronador with a rumbling glacier on Lake Gutierrez attracts attention with its unusual shape . It is not difficult to admire the panoramic views of the lake region from a bird's-eye view. To do this, you just need to take a ride on the funicular located 17 km away. from the city on the hill of El Cerro Campanario. A more comfortable option combining gastronomic and natural aspects will be offered to you by the revolving Patisserie, Confiteria Giratoria, located 10 km away. from the city on the hill El Cerro Otto. During your meal you can enjoy the views of the lakes of Nahuel Huapi, Moreno and Gutierrez, admire the expressive hills of Tronador, Catedral and Lopez. You can get to the pastry shop either on foot or by cable car.
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| Bariloche Argentina |
15 km. from the city there is another interesting natural attraction of these places - Mount Lev, famous for its caves and rock paintings. During such a three-hour walk, you will visit unusual caves, cypress forest and various observation platforms. Alternatively, take a catamaran ride to Victoria Island and hike through the myrtle forest.
120 km. South of Bariloche there is another interesting place - the famous hippie colony in the town of El Bolson. Today it is a serene, quiet village where you can forget about the hustle and bustle of modern life and indulge in sweet idleness.
How to get there
It is not surprising that transport links with such a popular and promoted tourist destination like Bariloche are well developed. Regular flights of LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas from Buenos Aires take you to the Lake District in just two hours, all flights arrive at Bariloche Airport . Bariloche also has direct flights to El Calafate and Ushuaia. You can also get here from the capital by comfortable buses, the choice of bus companies in this direction is very large, however, you will have to spend almost a day on the way.
From the Chilean side, a reasonable option would be to get here via Osorno . There are regular buses on the Osorno-Bariloche route that will take you from Chile to Argentina in just 4.5 hours.