One of the top destination spots in Argentina is Patagonia and for good reason; it is wild and offers so many outdoor activities. Upon leaving Mendoza, we took another long bus ride to San Carlos de Bariloche in the province of Rio Negro to start our Patagonia adventure.

 Bariloche is known for its European influence, specifically German, evident in the local architecture and culture. Many people come from Buenos Aires and Europe to ski in the winter and trek in the summer. It’s a haven for backpackers.

We arrived in Bariloche on a Sunday and tried to book a bus to our next destination , El Chalten, only to find the first available bus wasn’t leaving town until the following Sunday. We had planned on spending a few days in the area, but not a week. After reviewing our options, we opted to stay and as it turned out, what was poor planning on our part, ended up being a positive outcome overall. We hiked and biked more than we had originally planned and had plenty of rest days in between, or as we like to call them at our age, “recovery days”!

 We read a lot of travel blogs before coming to Bariloche gathering both great and sketchy advise. We hope our experiences can help if you are planning on coming to the area.

You have to get a bus pass or SUBE unless you plan on renting a car or driver; both are extremely expensive. Most people opt for the bus as the infrastructure in Bariloche is quite efficient, yet more buses on the road would be helpful. We were in Bariloche in November, the shoulder season, and it was already quite busy with both Argentinians from Buenos Aires and European backpackers.

Getting a bus pass should be simple but we had some challenges. After talking to a few locals, we discovered that we had to get the physical card from the Mininstry of Tourism, then take said card to a “kiosk” or convenience store to load it with money. Once loaded, we could ride anywhere, including all of Argentina.

Unfortunately, we tried to purchase our pass on a Sunday when most businesses are closed. It’s the day of worship and family time - something I remember as a kid and deep down wish we still valued. After finding the Ministry doors closed, we decided to try the next day.

We got up early Monday morning to begin our day of errands, starting with purchasing the SUBE. After successfully securing it from the Ministry, we tried to find a store to load some money on it but to no avail. Everything was closed as Argentina was playing their first scheduled game against Belgium in the World Cup.

Yup. You read that right. Literally all the stores were closed during the game. To say the least, we were in shock and a little annoyed. That being said, I’m pretty sure Brent, along with many diehard Toronto Maple Leaf fans, would appreciate time off work in the event that the Toronto Maple Leafs ever make the Stanley Cup again. Anything for community for engagement!

Unfortunately Argentina was defeated and the sadness was palpable in the streets, but eventually, we found a lady who helped us load the card.

So with our loaded card in hand, we were off on our adventures. First let me tell you there are no shortages of outdoor activities in Bariloche and we settled on three for the week. The first was to tackle the Circuito Chico, an exciting 27 km bike ride through the hills of Patagonia. Remember the word hill as I’ll eventually come back to it.

Another small piece of advise if you land in Bariloche is to stay in the city center so you’re close to the shops, restaurants and transportation. The buses get full very quickly as everyone, locals and tourists, use them to get around. So if at all possible try to catch your bus at an earlier stop on the route or don’t be surprised if you end up standing until your final destination.

We caught the #20 bus that took us along Lago Nahuel Huapi. We got seats on the right hand side of the bus to take advantage of the scenery leaving town.

After about 40 minutes, we got off at kilometer 18, and walked across the street to Chicos Bike Rentals. After a 5 minute safety talk, we took off on our rental bikes with helmet and map in hand.

Honestly, I was so excited about this ride as we hadn’t been on our bikes since August. We were looking forward to spending an afternoon biking the mountains and stopping for lunch along the way. Now is the part that I refer back to the “hills” of Patagonia. Little did I realize how steep the inclines were and the only reprieve for the next 3 hours were the long decents!

To my disappointment, I had to walk the bike up the hills around the halfway point. It was a strategy I used to save my extremely sore ass and thighs. And forget stopping in at one of the local breweries to have lunch and a beer. There was no way I would have ever got my sorry ass back on that rental after a beer! I’d be on the ground having a nap!

At the end of the day, we finished the damn Chico and according to Brent we only walked about 10% of route. I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.

 After a day of recouperating, we hopped on another #20 that took us to Llao Llao, the starting point for a 12 km hike through the Arrayanes Forest. I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t these two getting a little old for these long haul activities. Well the answer is probably yes but we didn’t come all this way to sit in a hotel room. We’re pretty active people and we want to keep challenging ourselves, within reason.

 The Arrayanes Forest is located in the Quetrihue Peninsula that stretches into the Nahuel Huapi Lake. There are two ways to hike it. The first is to start in Ville Androguese and hope you make the boat that will take you back to Llao Llao, where you will then take a bus back to Bariloche. The second option is the one we did and highly recommend.

We took a catamaran from the marina in Llao Llao to the Peninsula where we began our hike to Villa Andgueso. There are a couple reasons we did it this way. First, the boat ride was an opportunity to just sit and relax for an hour while taking in the absolutely beautiful scenery along the way. The boat tickets aren’t cheap and they have to be booked in advance. We actually booked them the day before during our cycling trip but I’m pretty sure you can book them online.

The second reason we opted for this route was because we didn’t want to stress ourselves about making the boat back to Llao Llao. The boats don’t come often and if you miss it, you’re hiking another 12 km back into town or sleeping under the stars.

 So after a relaxing boat ride to the dock, we disembarked and began our 12 km hike through the forest. It really was quite beautiful especially the lagoon located shortly into the hike. It’s a pretty easy hike although a bit tricky at the end. We even had time for our romantic lunch.

 At the end of the 12 km we found ourself at the beach where all of the locals hang out. We stopped for an early dinner before walking another 3 km into town to catch our bus back to Bariloche. We bought these coach tickets in advance at the Terminal in Bariloche. Again, you can purchase them online, but as mentioned in previous blogs, we try to pay only in Pesos while in Argentina.

With a day left in Bariloche, we decided to skip the challenging hike to Refugio via Villa Cerro Catedral, and instead opted for Cerro Campanario. Campanario is an “easy” hike and according to National Geographic, has “one of the eight most impressive panoramic views in the world'“. Although you can take a chairlift to the top, we took the trail that meandered to the summit that sits 1000 meters high. Although the hike is considered “easy”, it was a bit challenging for my thighs given the workout they had from all the cycling and hiking throughout the week.

Although a bit tough for me, it was so worth it as the views from the top are outstanding and not to be missed. From the top you can see the city of Bariloche, the surrounding lakes, Victoria Island, the San Pedro Peninsula and the snow-capped Andes. This was a great way to end our stay in Bariloche. And yes, we opted to take the chairlift back down!

We highly recommend spending time in Bariloche and don’t cut the stay short. Honestly, 5 to 7 days are optimal.

If you want to see more on our Bariloche antics - check out our YouTube video below!

Visiting Bariloche

Enjoy and thanks for supporting us on our travel adventures!