Six weeks has passed quickly, leaving a collage of images of northern Argentina and Chile for us to enjoy. However, it’s definitely time we moved south as there is much of both countries still to see, so we boarded a flight from Mendoza.
SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE (still in Argentina)
Two hours after leaving a warm and sunny Mendoza, and with magnificent views of the Andes as we flew alongside the, we arrived in a noticably greyer and colder San Carlos de Bariloche.
Once again, as we planned to be here for a few days, we booked an apartment, giving us the opportunity to relax in one place and in a bit more space than in a hostel or hotel. We droppped bags, unpacked and bought provisions, then enjoyed the next few days exploring Bariloche and it’s immediate surroundings, having been advised by our host that the local buses were easy and plentiful.
Wrapped against the cold wind (luckily, no rain), day 1 found us on foot, walking along the lakeside and then up into the hills behind Bariloche, up Cerro Otto. This is the Catederal ski area, and out of ski season has various adventure activities, such as a giant swing over the edge (bizarre but true!) and a zipline. We decided against both, not wanting to embarass the hoards of organised youth groups who were there. Fabulous views of the lake and the Andes on the opposite shore delayed our hiking progress both up and down.
The next day was sunny, but cold to start, so we decided to use the local buses to visit Colonia Suiza, a small village established by Swiss ex-pats in 1899, with Swiss Chalet style houses and fronting on the edge of the lake. After a bit of help from tourist information we managed to navigate the buses and changes and arrived at Colonia Suiza without problem. Not dissimilar to La Cumbricita in some ways, this too had a bit of an “un-Argentinian” feel to it; it was a lot smaller, and it’s centre was definitely more akin to a German Christmas fair, but without Christmas being involved. Had it been grey and rainy, it would have definitely felt like Germany or Austria in December. The image was cemented by the Berliner Brewery, on the edge of the main centre. There were a couple of open-air food courts – wursts, goulash, crepes, so we indulged before climbing to a viewpoint over the lake. We discovered on the bus ride back that the village is very well spread out and we passed several more restaurants, a couple more breweries and a dinosaur experience park, before getting back into Bariloche.
Our final day in de Bariloche was again beautifully sunny and we headed to Llao Llao, again on a local bus – remarkably cheap. A one hour, 26km journey cost us £1.90 each. We were able to access three walks from the terminus, the first being to a local bird sanctuary, the second up onto Cerro Llao Llao for some stunning views and the third, down onto a small beach. Each walk very different, but definitely worth the mileage.
