San Carlos de Bariloche in PatagoniaSan Carlos de Bariloche in Patagonia

Following our stay in Puerto Madryn, we went by bus to San Carlos de Bariloche.We booked into our accommodation for 5 nights, and this seems to be a duration per location which could work quite well for us. Let’s see but anything shorter feels rushed and it’s pretty much not worthwhile to unpack the backpacks.

We heard only positives about Bariloche and in short its a beautiful place in a picturesque landscape. I don’t like comparing places with other but I can’t help it this time. It feels like being in Central Otago. Big, nice lakes surrounded by snow-capped mountains with lots of summer (Mountainbike, Hiking, paragliding, …) and winter sport activities on offer. Anyway, a beautiful place with lots to offer.

We started our visit with a walk along the shoreline into town. Our location was about 6 Kms from ‘Centro’ so we quickly decided to rent a car again. Much cheaper and also including insurance here, so that was much easier. But first we went out for dinner into our first Argentinien Steak House (Parilla). I know it is hard to believe that it took me that long but there you go. We picked a highly recommended place in town and the food was outstanding. It says something that I nearly couldn’t finish my steak, that would have been a first. Huge portions, absolutely perfectly cooked, and the whole meal including a few drinks cost us $80!

Anyway, off to explore the area the next day with a couple of easy hikes along the lakes and to a waterfall. One thing quite different over here is the quality of the paths and hikes though. In a lot of cases you have to walk alongside the road on dusty and unprepared ‘paths’. Not a lot of signs as well and most are Spanish only. Not complaining too much but room for improvement (again, especially if you compare to QT or Wanaka). Made it to some great viewpoints and picnic spots though.

The next day we completed the Circuito Chico – a small round trip near Bariloche. This time we had some good and longer hikes and found some great spots again for picnic and to rest up and relax. The area is famous for catching big trout and I had a good lookout for them but couldn’t find any. The fly-fishing guides demand an arm and a leg for a half or full day tour, so this had to be parked (next time Jim).

After a few late nights, we decided to head back and have dinner at a more accustomed time. Here most restaurants open at 7pm and still look at you bewildered if you want to eat that early. With kids that is getting complicated. And we also had to start in earnest to hone our Doppelkopf (have a look on Google :)) skills to be ready for Oma and my sisters in a few weeks time. The kids are really getting the hang of it.

We then spend a lazy day in town exploring but also sampled some of the chocolate which the area is famous for as well. The last day we finally managed to take the Gondola to Cerro Otto (for some reason it didn’t operate the days before). It is in walking distance from our accommodation and we had a great time. Beautiful 360 degree views over Bariloche and over to the Andes, and we saw our fist Condor. This was on the bucket list and I didn’t expect to see one so early – great surprise. Once at the top, there are some nice hikes as well and then we had a rest in the restaurant. Similar to the Berlin Fernsehturm, the restaurant is constantly, slowly turning around so that you can enjoy the full 360 view.

That’s it for us in Bariloche though. Off to the bus station tomorrow to take our 19 hour bus to Santiago de Chile. It will take us across the Andes which we are really looking forward to but on the other hand have to see how the kids go this time. We bought some motion sickness pills, fingers crossed they work!