BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA: THE ULTIMATE PATAGONIA DESTINATION GUIDE

Bariloche, Argentina is the entrance to Northern Patagonia and is considered one of the Andean Lake District’s top locations. You’ll quickly see why as you make your to the banks of the Lago Nahuel Huapi and get your first glimpse of the surrounding mountain peaks in all directions.

Skiers and snowboarders tend to dominate this place in the winter. We opted to visit in the spring, which meant we got to enjoy the town without the crowds (in particular – the high school students who descend here for their year-end school partying celebrations) and had the surrounding nature all to ourselves. 

Spend a little bit of time strolling through the town and soak up the laid back vibes. Pop into one of the many chocolate shops this quaint town is known for. If you need any last minute camping and outdoor gear before heading further south – Bariloche is the place to get this done. You will find that the further south through the region you travel, the more expensive things become. I certainly wouldn’t wait to get that last minute fleece you are eyeing. 

Bariloche has lots of great bars and restaurants to check out. I had one of the best steaks of my life here. Make sure you pop into El Boliche de Alberto, order a medium rare Bife de Lomo (Filet Mignon), bring a friend to share it with and enjoy. Trust me – you will not be disappointed. I would fly back to have that steak right now if I could.

Bariloche and the surrounding area has tons of adventure-filled activities for you. No worries if you haven’t already booked your activities – whether you are into trekking, horseback riding, or even fishing, there is an abundance of tour operators ready to get you sorted. Just pop into one of the shops, have a look at what’s of offer and enjoy. 

Here’s a look at some of the top adventure activities in Bariloche, Argentina. 

THINGS TO DO IN BARILOCHE

HIKE TO CERRO LLAO LLAO

You will definitly want to spend a morning or afternoon hiking to the highest point in Bariloche’s Llao Llao Municipal Park. When comparing Llao Llao with other hiking destinations in Patagonia, it is really just a large hill. For us it was an opportunity to get to know our travel buddies a bit more and for our guide to assess the group’s overall ability before setting off on our more physically demanding challenges ahead. Either way, it’s a great way to stretch your legs and see first hand why the region is so stunning.

This scenic hike only takes a couple hours’ round-trip, heads through a nicely maintained forest trail and when at the viewpoint gives amazing views of Cerro Lopez, Cerro Capilla, Lago Moreno, Lago Nahuel Huapi and Brazo Tristeza.

Keep following the trail to the right and you can’t miss the vista point. Bring a bottle of water, pack some snacks and get your camera ready. If this is the start of your Ultimate Patagonia Advenure, it will be a nice taster to what you will experience as you venture further through the region. 

The forty-five minute journey on Bus 20 (at time of publishing) is pretty frequent and takes you from the center of town to Hotel Llao Llao. Yes – that beautiful hotel nestled under the mountains that you have probably seen a million times in photos.

WHITE WATER RAFT ON THE MANSO RIVER

If you want to kick your Patagonia adrenaline game up a notch, try your hand at white water rafting. There are a few options in the region, but I reccomend making your way out to the Manso River in the Nahuel Huapi National Park for some kick ass white water rafting. We chose to book our outing with Extremo Sur – who picked us up from our hotel in town and drove us out to our starting point.

They will kit you out with all the gear you need and will conduct a safety briefing before heading out the rapids. The water was calm at first, which gave us an opportunity to learn all the commands before we hit the category III and IV rapids. Each of the rapids had it’s own name like “Screaming Turn Left,” “Ozone Hole” and “Scrambled Egg.” Gives your a good idea of what you are in for eh?

Your guide is there to help you navigate the river and coach you and your group through this stunning stretch of (freezing cold) water. I only got ejected from the raft once – scary for sure but I just let the current take me until I could swim back to the raft.

No need to worry if you don’t get soaked or catapulted into the river, there are calm stretches of water where you can hop out and swim along the side of the raft. FYI – put your big boy and girl pants on – it’s freezing. For a look at the rapids and the gorgeous scenery, be sure to check out the video below.

Rafting on the turquoise water through the deep Andrean gorges in the idyllic Argentinean Patagonia ais just as beautiful as it sounds. Extremo Sur offers a few different rafting options. These include rafting to the Chilean border or further along the southern Manso. We chose to stop at the border where we made our way to a private ranch on the border to have lunch before heading back to town.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON BEST THNGS TO DO IN BARILOCHE

Over the course of the couple days we opted to stay in Bariloche, we stayed at the no-frills Soft Bariloche Hoteles. This 3-Star ski-lodge-esque accommodation was no-frills, had everything we needed and was perfectly located within walking distance of the various shops and restaurants.

Bariloche, Argentina served as our launching point to more adventures in Southern Patagonia. If you enjoyed Bariloche and have the time to explore more of the North, do yourself a favour and check out what else is on offer in the lesser explored region of Northern Patagonia from Bariloche to Pucon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATAGONIA OR OTHER PLACES VENTURED IN THE REGION BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PATAGONIA  DESTINATION GUIDE.

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