I don’t even know how to begin putting the beauty of Bariloche into words. As simply as I can put it, this Patagonian town stole my heart and I’m already aching to go back.
San Carlos de Bariloche was the first destination on our itinerary. When my mom told me she was coming and I started looking into possible travel routes, Bariloche was always the one certainty. I’d seen pictures, written about and read blogs about it, but man oh man, no pictures do it justice.
Flying from Buenos Aires, I took a quick nap on the plane, and woke up to the beautiful sight of snow-capped mountains – this was the moment I knew I would love Bariloche. Landing at the airport, with no buildings save the terminal and hangers in sight, there was just open nature surrounded by mountains. And then in the taxi, the first glimpse of the glimmering Nahuel Huapi Lake. That was all I needed to feel such a calm in my being – especially after a few insanely busy weeks.
My mom and I had decided to book accommodation through Airbnb for our stay here. We wanted a more personal touch which is exactly what we got. Our wonderful host, Lucas, sent a cab to the airport to pick us up, and as we drove through the city and along the lake we got our first overview of beautiful Bariloche. There is the city centre but the city (if you can call it that when it reaches the outskirts) stretches along the lake, tucked between the mountains and the lakeshore. We were staying roughly 10km outside of the centre, in a wonderfully cosy wood cabin in a quiet neighbourhood. We were met by Catalina who showed us where everything was and gave great advice about where to eat, shop and sightsee. Rather, she chatted away to me in Spanish while I tried to remember everything and mom stood by, a little lost! This would prove a theme for the rest of our 5 days here, since English is not common at all this far South, leaving me to put my Spanish to the test in order to translate for my mom.
After doing a little unpacking and patting ourselves on the back for a good accommodation choice, we took a stroll to the nearby shops to stock up on food for the week. Knowing that our next two destinations would be in hotels, it was good to be able to live more independently for a few days, and to be able to cook our own food. Plus, it was such a treat for me to be able to spend time cooking with my mom, enjoying our first evening with a good bowl of pasta and an even better bottle of Malbec, lazing under blankets to protect against the chilly winter air.
For our first full day in Bariloche we had an excursion organised. Since we were staying out of town, we had to catch the bus to get to the downtown tour operator’s office for 8:30am. After a chilly early morning wait at the bus stop, followed by an additional taxi ride and panicked walk to find the office (because I tried to rely on my gold-fish memory rather than writing down the actual number of the office), we were ready to start the tour of Bariloche’s short circuit. This famous route took us back past where we were staying, around the lake’s edge to the famous Llao Llao hotel and back. This is a very popular route to cycle, although we opted for the easier tour bus route (given our shaky cycle in Mendoza later in the trip, this was a good decision!).
The first stop was Cerro Campanario, one of a number of hills that you can ascend for great views and a coffee or meal. Here we took a chairlift, or teleférico, up to the top of the hill. The first part of the journey up we were busy wrapping ourselves up, getting out gloves and beanies and cameras, and then I strained my neck to see the view behind me and was absolutely blown away. Cerro Campanario has hands-down the best views over Bariloche and the Lake District. The view from the top was simply indescribable. 360 degree views of deep blue lakes lined by green forests coating the bottom halves of spectacular mountains dusted in snow. We stood in the crisp (read: icy) clear air, and surprisingly silence, punctuated occasionally by tourists expressing their awe, and the sound of the whizzing teleférico, and just marvelled at the sight. Absolutely breathtaking.
Going back down the hill, this time facing the right way to get our last fix of the views, we hopped back on the bus and continued along the circuit. We made another stop at a viewing point looking out over Nahuel Huapi Lake and Llao Llao hotel. And here was the first St. Bernard. To give some context, Bariloche has a rich Swiss and German influence. And one of the iconic Swiss tokens is the presence of St Bernard dogs, complete with the brandy barrel. Naturally, they’re used as a tourist trap. One that we fell for. At the lookout point was the most enormous and most beautiful dog ever. My mom took one look at my excited face and offered to pay for the picture. We managed to negotiate a cheaper and smaller photograph and then posed with the adorable BFG with the lake and mountains in the background. I must say, when the man got the dog to put his gigantic paw on my shoulder, with his head next to mine, I was somewhat freaked out by the sheer size – it was kind of like cuddling a bear. But man oh man, one of my Bariloche highlights. And my favourite souvenir of the trip, since the photo turned out so well.
From here we went on to the Llao Llao peninsula and a viewing point looking at Mount Tronador, home to Bariloche’s black glacier, and the only mountain to have snow year round. More spectacular views here (spectacular view everywhere!) The circuit continued on back to the starting point, with flashes of crystal clear lakes and lush vegetation along the way, and an amusing guide providing information about our surroundings.
We had also booked a visit to Cerro Catedral, Bariloche’s main ski resort, and one of the biggest and most well-known in Argentina. While the ski season was coming to an end, about 20% of the slopes were still open, and I was surprised to see it was still pretty busy, especially considering it’s been quite a bad year for snow. We had decided against skiing on the trip since we had just five days, I’ve never been skiing before and would have needed lessons, and the last time mom went skiing she tore a tendon. Taking the ski lift up to the slopes and getting to play in the snow was the next best thing, and pretty exciting for someone who hasn’t seen all that much snow in her life. Of course, once we reached the top, seeing everyone on the slopes made me really regret not booking a few extra days here to give it a whirl, especially since its much cheaper here than in Europe. But we settled for lunch in the snow followed by an ice cold Quilmes beer on the slopes, watching the beginners practice on the slope in front of us. Naturally I dreamt that night I was whizzing down the slopes on a snowboard. Next time.
This is definitely one place I’d love to come back to in the heart of winter. There is a whole ski town here, with loads of accommodation and restaurants, shops, bars and clubs, log cabins, ski hire, endless slopes and chairlifts and stunning views. I can imagine how magical it would be covered in snow. Who needs Austria?
Our jam-packed first day ended in the old city centre where we took in the characteristic architecture: a mixture of stone and wood. To my absolute delight the main square was home to more St Bernards, including two adorable puppies. I may be a cat person, but these gentle giants are my absolute downfall, and we ended up coming back here three times during the trip so that I could melt a little bit each time at the cutest, fluffy puppies. After I finally managed to tear myself away, we walked down the main road where mom fell prey to the premium quality leather goods and treated herself to a pair of boots. And of course we stopped off at a chocolate store – it is, of course, what Bariloche is famous for. Overwhelmed by all the chocolate in Rapa Nui, one of the many chocolate shops, we opted instead for ice cream, since mom hadn’t yet tasted Argentina’s delicious ice creams (best ice cream in the world – best flavours, best texture, best everything).
To round off the experience, our last stop of the day was El Boliche de Alberto, Bariloche’s most famous steakhouse. It was, of course, everything that I had read about it. Top quality, juicy slabs of steak, an extensive wine list, and the most generous side plates of chips ever served. I’m actually drooling just thinking about that perfectly cooked bife de chorizo. If you’re a meat lover, this place should be on your bucket list. After rolling out of the restaurant, we saw our bus coming round the corner and had to sprint for the bus stop, only to realise it was not the right bus. The run was not so good for full stomachs, neither was the walk from the bus stop to our cabin (in reality probably only 200m, but it felt much longer in the cold, with full bellies and a great desire to lie in front of the heater with a cup of tea).
Needless to say, Bariloche was off to a flying start!
Nix Travels 