Tucked in the heart of Argentina’s Lake District, Bariloche has a breathtaking natural setting. With the pretty Nahuel Huapi Lake at its doorstep and the majestic Andes Mountains in the distance, its setting is hard to beat. Whether you want to hike in the mountains or walk along the lake shore, Bariloche provides the perfect home base for exploring the wonders of Patagonia’s Lake District.
Bariloche
Settled by Swiss and German immigrants in the late 1800s, the Europeans introduced many things to the region, including alpine-style chalets, chocolate, and beer. Those influences can still be seen in the city’s downtown today, giving Bariloche a much different look than the rest of Argentina. While there aren’t a lot of specific attractions in the city, it is still a pleasant place to wander. From the lake views to the touristy streets, it’s not hard to fall in love with Bariloche.
Formally named San Carlos de Bariloche, the city is more often referred to as Bariloche.
Adding to the European alpine feel, Mitre Bartolome street is busy with chocolate shops, mountain equipment stores and fondue restaurants. Even though it is the main tourist thoroughfare, Bariloche is one of those cities that strikes the perfect balance between having enough services for tourists without losing its unique self.
Costanera de Bariloche
Built on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake, the city makes good use of this picturesque setting. The long Costanera (promenade) allows you to walk beside the lake and enjoy the spectacular views of this stunning landscape. You will likely want to bring a sweater for your walk, though. The lake is only at 893 m (2,930 ft) elevation, but its location at the northern end of Patagonia means the wind is relentless.
Another way to experience the lake is by taking a boat tour on Lago Nahuel Huapi. The most popular one is to Isla Victoria.
When you’re on the Costanera, you will no doubt find a few Chemamüll statues. Often referred to as totems, the name means “wooden people” in the Mapuche language, Mapudungun. The statues were crafted by the Mapuche people, who used them as tombstones so the souls of deceased loved ones could reunite with their ancestors.
The lake’s name, Nahuel Huapi, also comes from the Mapudungun language and translates in English to Island of the Puma.
Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi Cathedral
Located just above the lake, the Cathedral’s tall stone walls give it a foreboding look, softened only by the flower beds at its base. Even though the church was built in the 1940s, its history goes back to the Jesuit missions in Chiloe, Chile. Nothing from that time remains in Bariloche, but we’ll take you to Chiloe soon.
Inside the church, the stone walls remain undecorated apart from the colourful stained glass. It is a refreshing change from the gilded gold ornamnets in most South American cathedrals.
In addition to the typical Bible stories and stations of the cross, some of the stained glass scenes are disturbing. Even though they were created in the 1940s, the images reflect the perspective of 17th and 18th century European missionaries and depict the Machupe people as violent savages.
Trees in the Lake District
We saw a few interesting trees in Bariloche, the most unusual one being the monkey puzzle tree. They are endemic to Patagonia, and after leaving Bariloche, we continued to see them in the region. The tree is interesting because its male and female cones are on separate trees. The female cones are large, round and green. The male cones look more like typical pine cones, so it is easy to tell them apart
Also in the city, we saw the most bizarre-looking lodgepole pine with a chaotic arrangement of branches and trunks. Unfortunately, though, these trees are invasive and are pushing out the native species. In the 1920s and 30s, the burgeoning forestry industry planted lodgepole pines and mountain ash all over the mountains. Many were brought from our home province of Alberta in Canada, but they don’t grow like this one in Alberta.
The worst offender is the Douglas Fir, brought from British Columbia, Canada. It thrives in the Lake District, growing better here than anywhere else in the world. As a result, it has taken over the mountainsides and valleys. Lately, locals are attempting to reverse its effects by cutting down many of these foreign trees, giving the natural flora more space.
Patagonia – The Land of Giants
Patagonia is a region covering most of the southern end of South America in both Argentina and Chile, with Bariloche considered its northern border in Argentina. Until the late 1800s, though, Bariloche was located on disputed land. In fact, most of Argentina’s portion of Patagonia was coveted by both countries. A treaty was finally signed in 1881 that solidified the border that we know today.
There are a few different theories on the origin of Patagonia’s name, but most credit it to explorer Ferdinand Magellan. When the explorer first set foot on this land, the indigenous Tehuelche people (also called Aonikenk) were already living in the southern part of the continent. They are said to have stood up to 6′ 4″ (1.9m) tall and wore large moccasins made from guanaco hides, which left large footprints. Spanish men at the time were 8-10 inches shorter (20-25cm). The story says that their height and possibly their footprints made Magellan and his crew think they were giants.
But where does the name come from? The most common theory is that Patagonia comes from the book, El Primaleón, which was very popular at the time. One of the characters is a giant named Patagón. Another belief is that the name was derived from the Portuguese word pata, meaning paw or foot. Together, these two make sense, and either or both could have led Magellan to call this newfound land Patagonia. Whatever the reason, it caught on, and this part of South America has been named Patagonia ever since.
In addition to Bariloche and the Lake District, we’ll take you to other amazing places in Patagonia. Coming soon are posts from El Chalten, El Calafate in Argentina, as well as Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, Puerto Varas and Chiloé in Chile.
Lake District Parks
Located in Nahuel Huapi National Park, the main reason to visit Bariloche is not for the city itself, but instead to explore the surrounding parks. We’ll explore some of those in more detail in upcoming posts, including hikes to Cerro Cathedral and Cerro Llao Llao, as well as the popular Siete Lagos road trip.
When to visit Bariloche
The warmest weather in Bariloche is the Austral summer (December to February), but this is also peak season, so it will probably be very busy. If you want to ski, visit between June and October. Shoulder seasons are less busy, but you may incur a lot of rain. If you love chocolate, visit at the end of March or early April for the Chocolate Festival.
Getting to Bariloche
Since it is quite far from other major centres in Argentina, most reach Bariloche by plane from Buenos Aires, El Calafate, Mendoza and other Argentine cities. There are buses from these cities too, but most trips extend over several days.
Bariloche is located in the lower half of the map below. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker to find a link to our post from that region.
Where to stay in Bariloche
Downtown Bariloche is a lively place that is overflowing with hotels and apartments for all budgets, although prices are higher here than in other parts of the country. The centre is very walkable, but remember, from the lakeshore, most streets climb up hill. This may affect which hotel suits you better.
If you have a car, there are many hotels and resorts outside the city with wonderful lake views. Look for them on the road to Cerro Otto.
Where to eat in Bariloche
You will not go hungry in Bariloche. The city centre is bursting with restaurants, most of which are near Mitre Street. As you move away from downtown, you can find a few that offer nice lake views. There are also a few high-end restaurants on the road to Cerro Otto, but you would need a car or taxi to reach them.
Day Trip to Colonia Suiza
If you have plenty of extra time when in Bariloche, you may want to visit Colonia Suiza. Built on the site of the first European village in Argentina’s Lake District, today it is a kitschy tourist attraction. In the 19th century, a Swiss family, who had already immigrated to Chile, moved west to establish a homestead on the shore of Morena Este Lake. Other Swiss families followed, and the village of Colonia Suiza was formed. They were mainly sustenance farmers, growing barley, oats, rye and berries.
Today, a few of those early settler homes can be seen in the village. There are even a few remaining descendants of those first Swiss immigrants who still call Colonia Suiza home.
One of the cutest buildings in the village is the little Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church. Although it was built in 1958, it has an older style that maintains the Swiss alpine theme.
The remainder of the village consists of new buildings that are trying to keep the Swiss heritage alive. Unfortunately, most of the steep-roofed wooden homes were built solely for the tourism industry and house trinket and artisan stores, bakeries, coffee shops, chocolate vendors and parrillas. Most people seem to love it, though, because the village was packed with tourists.
Among the restaurants were a few grills or Parrillas. They are very popular throughout Argentina, but in Patagonia, they are a little different. Because the landscape is better suited to sheep, instead of seeing beef hanging from most parrillas, in Patagonia you’ll see lambs, which made me a little sad.
As we were walking between the shops, Richard heard loud quacking sounds above. He expected to see ducks flying overhead. Instead, he was surprised to see two black-faced ibis with long beaks, sitting on a roof. Their odd look is made even stranger when you hear their very loud, duck-like call. We continued to see these wonderful birds throughout Patagonia, and often, we heard their loud quacks before we could spot them.
Playa Colonia Suiza
Although it seemed that most people visit Colonia Suiza to see the Swiss buildings, some come to lie on the stony beach. We, however, preferred the view of Moreno Este Lake and Colonia Suiza Beach from above.
You can rent kayaks and paddleboards, and since there is not much wind, it is a nice place to paddle. In windy Patagonia, that is a rare occurrence, but a few kilometres away, there is a beach with less wind. It is even named Playa Sin Viento (Windless Beach).
In addition to the ibis, we were happy to see another local Patagonian bird. Swimming in the lake was a family of very pretty ashy-headed geese.
How to get to Colonia Suiza
If you have a car, it is an easy 24 km drive from Bariloche. Parking can be a problem, though, so you may have to park far from the centre. If you drive, stop at Mirador Lunto Panoramico on the way.
If you don’t have a car, you can reach it by public transit. Bus 10 travels from downtown Bariloche to Colonia Suiza, but only a few buses go all the way to the town, so check the schedule here first.
While there are a few small hotels and guesthouses in Colonia Suiza, we think you will run out of things to do very quickly. In our opinion, it is better to visit on a day trip from Bariloche. Keep in mind that it is very touristy, so we don’t recommend it being at the top of your list.
To read more of our adventures in Argentina, click here.
Coming Next – Hiking to Refugio Frey and Cerro Llao Llao
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