Bariloche: Argentina’s Alpine Town
The view from the summit of Cerro Campanario
The border crossing journey between Puerto Montt and Bariloche has to be one of the most beautiful bus rides I have ever been on. We climbed over the Andes and back down, passing thick forest, towering rocks and shimmering water.
The border formalities themselves were thankfully painless, with no queues or bag checks - not even a passport stamp. We were a bit disappointed with the latter, but the Argentinian border guard assured me it was no longer a procedure to stamp passports. It is all done online. A shame for the stamp collection, and almost certainly a cause for future anxiety when we want to leave the country!
From the border, the bus made its way around the water to the southern shore of the magnificent Nahuel Huapi Lake, which is one of the largest in a region full of sapphire lakes, and where Bariloche sits surrounded by an awe-inspiring natural landscape.
The town has a very European, Alpine feel to it due to influential tradesmen of German descent who settled in the town in the late 19th century, bringing with them their architecture, culture, and even chocolate-making expertise. Now known as “Little Switzerland” it is, quite understandably, popular with visitors from all over the world and a major tourism attraction for the country.
Our first view of Bariloche from Cerro Campanario
After a morning of admin tasks - food shopping, changing currency, getting an Argentinian public transport card - we hopped on the bus to take us to the start of the relatively short hike up to Cerro Campanario.
This hill is one of Bariloche's most iconic landmarks and offers a panoramic view of the famously beautiful Patagonian landscape. We opted to hike up to the summit to get some air into our lungs after mostly being on a bus the previous day. It was a short but steep 45 minute path and it was totally worth the effort.
I wasn’t surprised to find out this lookout point was once named one of the "Top 10 Views in the World" by National Geographic. We bought a beer from the summit cafe and took our time admiring the sweeping vistas. From the serene waters of Nahuel Huapi Lake to mountains dusted with snow and covered in green forests, it was a truly awe-inspiring sight.
We savoured the views a little longer by opting for the chairlift back down to the base.
Graeme cycles Circuito Chico, Sarinda chooses Circuito Cheat-o
As we have established on this blog already, Graeme is a big cycling fan. So naturally, when we read about the Circuito Chico, a 27km cycling route in the area that takes in breath-taking scenery, it was top of the list of things he wanted to do. Unfortunately, we also read in most places that it is savage on the legs, with long and steep uphill sections in the route. Whilst Graeme barely bats an eyelid at that, I was worried… I’ve done some hard bike rides but it’s not something I enthusiastically sign up for! But then I discovered I could hire an e-bike for only £5 more. Game changer!
Now, some people reading this will judge me (I’m sure Graeme and the other riders I floated past on the uphills did), but, hear me out. I don’t have an ego when it comes to riding a bike - I only do it if I think it will be fun and I don’t consider struggling up steep inclines very fun! So, ever the supportive wife, I set off on another two-wheeled excursion… but this time with some power assistance.
The electric bike took some getting used to; I didn’t get on with the seemingly random power surges at first. But after a few kilometres and a comical slow motion fall (another grazed knee, great), I managed to pull myself together and make the most of the extra help I had available. Soon I was soaring down the road at speeds up to 35kmph, which felt obscenely fast to me but will make real cyclists laugh, I know!
The route itself took in some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the region, including a panoramic viewpoint where we were surrounded by sparkling lakes.
A little further up the road we made a stop for some refreshment at the brew pub, Cervecería Patagonia. What. A. Place. We enjoyed our beers and a pulled lamb empanada whilst looking out over snow capped mountains. I can’t think of a more refreshing beer I’ve ever tasted.
It was a really fun day out! It’s a shame I don’t always have the electric bike option. Maybe next time Graeme wants to do a long bike ride I’ll get a personal chauffeur…
Wow: Llao Llao National park
We ended our time in Bariloche with a visit to Llao Llao National Park, located within Nahuel Huapi National Park. It surrounds the village of Llao Llao on the peninsula of the same name, home to the famous Llao Llao Hotel, a golf course and pretty marina.
Here, we walked a short trail through forest to a lookout point over Lago Moreno. Although only about an hour each way, it was really impressive - we were both craning our necks the entire time to see the tops of the giant trees! About three quarters of the way to the viewpoint we found a small, secluded space on the lakeshore that we could safely climb down to. We sat here and had our lunch, looking out over the mountains.
Once at the viewpoint we briefly considered extending the walk by several hours up towards the village of Villa Tacul. But we eventually decided against this, as I had something else in mind for the afternoon…
There’s a birthday brewing!
After a morning in nature, I had a little surprise up my sleeve for Graeme. You see, it was 2 days before his birthday. But we knew by then we would be spending the majority of his actual birthday on an 18 hour bus. Whilst we had plans to celebrate properly at our next destination, Mendoza, I thought a little pre-celebration was in order.
Some context: I love birthdays. Particularly my own, but I get excited for other people at the thought of them celebrating their birthday in whatever way makes them happy. I know great beer is one of the things that makes Graeme happy, so I put together a little DIY tour of breweries in the area so we could sample some local beers.
A fact about Bariloche that I didn’t know until we arrived is that it is a hub for craft breweries in Argentina, and the industry has flourished in recent years with numerous microbreweries and bars popping up. The fusion of traditional European brewing styles with Argentine raw ingredients has led to the creation of unique and delicious brews that draw serious beer-drinkers from around the world.
A little research pulled up over 20 breweries in the area we could visit… which I narrowed down to five for the sake of our health! They all very conveniently fell on our bus route home from Llao Llao National park that day - the perfect post-walk refreshment.
In homage to my Dad - who has, on more than one occasion, requested that we rate beers he has bought and writes down our scores on scraps of paper - we came up with a sophisticated rating system for each brewery so we could rank them all at the end. (Standings at the end of the post for those dying to know).
We retrospectively marked our visit to Cervecería Patagonia, and then got to it. Our route took us along the main road back into town, hopping on and off the public bus to enjoy beers at Berlina Km12, Kuntsmann, and Manush, then walking between the central locations of Bachmann and Wesley.
The overall winner was actually the very first brewery we visited on the previous day - Cervecería Patagonia. The beers scored pretty high for both of us, but it was the setting that stole the show. The big taproom has a garden that backs out onto mountain and lake views. It’s probably the best beer drinking view we’ve ever had!
In terms of beers, Graeme rated Kuntsmann’s Gran Torobayo highest of the ones he tried, whereas I gave my highest mark to Berlina’s Oktoberfest. And we also had plenty of empanadas along the way to keep us going, but they didn’t make the rating system!
* * *
After a very good nights sleep thanks to the beers, we awoke the following day to find our run of good weather in Patagonia had come to an end. The previously serene waters of Nahuel Huapi looked like a raging sea as we pottered round the town’s famous chocolate shops looking for a sweet treat that morning. Luckily we had planned a day to rest before the long journey to Mendoza.
There was just enough time to continue the pre-birthday celebrations that night with a great meal out. I don’t blame Graeme for ordering steak at his first opportunity in Argentina, but I couldn’t resist one more Patagonian Lamb dish before heading north to wine country.
* * *
Brewery ratings:
Patagonia 8.2/10
Beers: Vera IPA, Pilsner
Berlina 7/10
Beers: Frier IPA, Oktoberfest
Kuntsmann 7.8/10
Beers: Gran Torobayo, Bock
Manush 6.2/10
Beers: APA, Honey
Bachmann 7.5/10
Beers: Honey, Ambar
Wesley 7.2/10
Beers: NEIPA, Golden Ale
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