Bariloche — The Swiss Alps in Argentina
Chosed by Germans as a safe guard of the Great WWI and WWII, Bariloche is one of those places were you can't figure it out if you are on North Europe or in South America.
Surrounded by pine trees, and next to a huge lake named Nahuel Huapi, the city of San Carlos de Bariloche arised with beautiful buildings, great views and very warm people.
If you are planing on visiting Argentina, you have to book a plane to Bariloche, rent a car and visit all the surroundings lakes and natural atractions.
Here are some of the best ones:
Car rental for Circuito Chico:
A Classic, IT begins in the center of the city and advances bordering the southern margin of Nahuel Huapi Lake through Bustillo Avenue, in the course of the tour you can see different beaches and areas of access to the lake, at the km 17.5 you arrive at the base of Cerro Campanario, which boasts one of the most beautiful views in the world. It has a chairlift complex and a cafe at its summit, you can choose to take the chairlift or make the trek. From there you can see the Nahuel Huapi,and Perito Moreno lakes, the El Trébol lagoon, the San Pedro peninsulas and LlaoLlao, Isla Victoria, the Cerros, Otto, López, Goye and Catedral, and the city in the distance.
Following the route at the height of km 20 is the Club Regatas Bariloche. There is the peninsula of San Pedro and Puerto Bueno, where you can enjoy a viewpoint and a grotto. If you are lucky and they are training the rowing team could be there.
After touring the peninsula, if you decide to enter this road, or continue the journey to Villa LlaoLlao, at km 23. It is worth stopping there. You will find an exceptional viewpoint and other great attractions, the majestic Hotel LlaoLlao with its parks and its golf course, and all its impressive natural setting, the San Eduardo chapel, whose architecture is integrated with the surrounding nature. Very close to that place is Puerto Pañuelo, starting point of the lake excursions to Victoria Island, Arrayanes Forest and Puerto Blest. Keep on GOING the best is to come, continue to one of the most beautiful and exclusive areas, on the left side is the municipal park LlaoLlao, where you can make a quiet walk through the forest with very low level of difficulty.
Then, the circuit goes into the LlaoLlao peninsula. In km 30 a road that leads to Villa Tacul, over the LlaoLlao bay, is born. Following the route, heading to Lago Escondido, you can visit the Tourist Information house, so you do not miss any of the attractions that this circuit has to offer.
Leaving behind the peninsula, at km 33, the road crosses the Angostura stream bridge. From this place there is a detour that allows to continue towards the area of Bahía López, where the rocky walls of the López and Capilla hills are imposed. Continuing along the Circuito Chico, when you arrive at km 40, you will find another panoramic point, at 945 masl, with an excellent view of Lake Moreno and the LlaoLlao peninsula. Continuing along the margin of Lake Moreno, at the height of km 42, is the bridge that connects its eastern and western parts. There you can turn to the left to visit Colonia Suiza, where you can visit their farms and campsites, and savor a rich curanto.
ROUTE: Approximately 60 km.
DURATION: Half Day
Car rental for Cerro Catedral
Just 19kms from the center of the city of Bariloche, you can access Cerro Catedral, a great tourist attraction in the four seasons of the year.
In winter it becomes the largest ski center in Latin America with 40 lifts and 2500 acres. Skiable terrain. Next to an incredible scenario surrounded by lakes and mountains, it is an ideal excursion for all ages.
Activities to do in winter: Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, excursions in ATV, snowshoeing, tubing, multiple cafes and restaurants.
In spring summer and autumn, you can do trekking, mountain biking, climbing, gondola rides to panoramic points. It has a varied gastronomic proposal.
ROUTE: Approximately 19 km.
DURATION: Half Day / All day.
Car rental for Cerro Otto
The entrance to the road is only 2 km from the town center, in west direction along the Pioneros avenue. It is an attraction that we recommend both in Winter and Summer.
The winter snow is ideal to enjoy with children in a place near the city center. It is recommended for this route the carrying of chains in case of having to use themin case a climatic change or by the conditions of the gravel road. About 15 minutes along the way, you can reach Piedras Blancas, a small winter activity center that allows you to do a bit of skiing as well as to slide on special tracks with sledges.
Appropriate clothing and good shoes are recommended.
During the summer it has trails to ride a bike and a park to do canopy.
If you continue you will reach the rotating cafe, which allows beautiful views of the city. It can also be accessed through the gondolas located at km 5.2 of the Pioneros avenue.
ROUTE: Approximately 10 km or 20 minutes.
DURATION: Half Day.
Car rental for Cerro Leones
Located in the neighboring town of Dina Huapi, 15 kilometers east from Bariloche, Cerro Leones Park is formed by the remains of an ancient volcano. It is a rocky bastion, with ancient caves where the first settlers of the region left their traces of rock art, more than eight thousand years ago. The trip to the summit is a journey of 800 meters. A series of caves and eaves that can be visited through ascending trails, with small bridges and footbridges that are used to reach the place. In some caverns you can find vestiges of the rock art of the original ancient tribes.
Towards the east is the most important cavern, 30 meters wide and 130 meters long. The main attraction consists of a cave with a natural lagoon inside, which is born from a spring, and which is accessed through a narrow passage way. The ascent to the summit implies a slight physical effort, which rewards us with a captivating view that it offers us.
All visits are done in the company of guides that provide historical, cultural and geological information along the route.
ROUTE: 15 km.
DURATION: Half day
Car rental for Cerro Challhuaco
Cerro Challhuaco — Patagonia Argentina
It is only 18 km away in the direction of Sudeste. Where the Neumeyer refuge was located are the domes, a space especially created in the middle of the heated forest and set according to the mountain spirit, where you can enjoy regional flavors. This walk is suitable for all ages and enjoy as a family, with friends or as a couple.
Going through the trails of the valley you can observe the forest’s wild life, among which the carpenter bird stands out, you can access panoramic viewpoints and a frozen lagoon where an endemic amphibian species lives (Challhua-co frog).
Space Neumeyer also has tracks specially designed to make fun descents in plastic sledges (culipatines). The different routes are perfectly marked so as not to get lost, and each of them has a different attraction.
ROUTE: 20 km.
DURATION: Half day.
Recommended vehicle
Car rental for Paseo al Bolsón
El bolson — Quemquemtreu — Cerro Piltriquitron — Patagonia Argentina
El Bolsón is a town in the southwest of the province of Río Negro. Located in a fertile valley crossed by the Quemquemtreu River, at the foot of Cerro Piltriquitron, it has a marked identity that invites you to get in touch with its people and delight in its traditional products.
The city is located 129 kilometers from Bariloche and can be reached by National Route 40, going south. The first kilometers are made through the coasts of lakes Gutiérrez, Mascardi and Guillelmo, until crossing the bridge over the Villegas river. This beautiful section of the road crosses extensive pines plantations.
ROUTE: 130 km.
DURATION: All day.
You can stay there or return in the day
Car rental for travel across los Siete Lagos (seven lakes)
It is called Camino de los Siete Lagos a section of National Route 40 in the province of Neuquén, Argentina.
The section joins the towns of San Martin de los Andes and Villa La Angostura and owes its name to seven lakes during its route.
It has a length of approximately 107 km where you can appreciate the typical characteristics of the Patagonian Andes region: extensive forests, snowy hills and lakes. This road crosses two national parks: the Lanín and the Nahuel Huapi.
The lakes that give name to the road, in order from San Martin de los Andes to Villa la Angostura, are: Lácar, Machónico, Falkner, Villarino, Lago Escondido, Correntoso and Espejo.
ROUTE: 180 km.
DURATION: All day.
You can stay there or return in the day
Distances:
Bariloche-Villa la Angostura 80 km.
Villa la Angostura — San Martín de los Andes 100 km.
Car rental for travel to San Martín de los Andes
San martin de los andes — lago Lacar — Pesca con mosca — Caza de ciervo colorado — Jabali — Villa Lago Lologes
It is a city, in the southwest of the province of Neuquén, located on the east coast of Lake Lácar, it is a very important tourist town in the province. It can be reached by traveling the Seven Lakes road.
The center of San Martin is very picturesque for its very careful architecture and the maintenance of its green spaces. It presents very good gastronomic variants and shops of top brands for shopping.
In the summer, adventure sports are the most popular, you can practice kayaking, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, canoeing, paragliding, canopy and rappel among others.
Fly fishing and hunting of Stag and Wild Boar are great attractions. In winter you can ski or snowboard on Cerro Chapelco.
Villa Lago Lolog is a small town that is distant from the center of San Martin about 12 km or 25 minutes, it presents on the road several private real estate developments of great category. Once there, the attraction during the summer is the Casa Blanca Parador, located on a beautiful beach, a place that gives children the chance to play in the water because the deep zone is very distant from the coast.
