Things to Do in Bariloche

The road of the seven lakes (Siete Lagos) is a spectacular 108 km (about 65-mile) drive in Argentina’s lake-dotted Patagonian lakes region. Route 234 runs from Villa La Angostura up to San Martín de Los Andes, not far from the undisputed capital and largest city of the region, Bariloche.

The seven lakes drive passes looming mountains, majestic lakes, waterfalls, turn-offs with emerald lagoons, beech forests, and even condor nesting areas. The seven lakes, going from Villa Lo Angostura, on the north shore of branched Lake Nahuel Huapi (Bariloche is on the south side) are the following: Nahuel Huapi, Espejo, Correntoso, Villarino, Falkner, Machónico and Lácar. Lago Escondido (which means hidden lake) is not technically on the route, but you can take a peek at it between Villarino and Correntoso all the same.

On this drive, you’ll also pass the Argentine national parks of Nahuel Huapi and Lanín, both of which are worth a visit. The best views are in autumn (in April and May) with the beech forests turning red and yellow.

Villa La Angostura is a small town nearby well-touristed Bariloche, which also has the closest airport. Villa La Angostura is built on the north shores of lake Nahuel Huapi, and is the preferred Patagonian destination of wealthy Argentines as well as international travelers.

The area is great for cycling, fishing, horseback riding and hikes, such as the one to emerald-green Laguna Verde, around which there is a walking trail. The best views from near the town are from Mirador Belvedere, which is about 4 km away. From here, you can get a good view of lakes Correntoso and Nahuel Huapi. The road to the mirador (look out point) is also the starting point for walks to two waterfalls, 50-meter high Cascada Inacayal, and 35-meter high Cascada Río Bonito. Visit one or both on the same day.

Villa La Angostura is also the perfect jumping-off point to Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes, which is home to an undisturbed arrayán (Chilean myrtle) forest, and some of the trees are estimated to be 650 years old. Arrayanes have a reddish, peeling bark, grow close to water, and their trunks are cool to the touch.

Catamaran rides on the lake give the great views of the trees, which bloom white in the summer (January and February) You can walk or cycle the 12 km to the end of the trail as well.

Villa La Angostura is also the traditional starting point of the Seven Lakes (Siete Lagos) drive, which can take from one to three days, depending on park visits and lingering walks by the lakes. In the winter (June through September), the winter sports center and ski fields at nearby Cerro Bayo brings skiiers and other snow lovers to Villa la Angostura as well, for its 12 km of ski runs, including one uninterrupted descent of 6 km (more than 3 miles). 

Nahuel Huapi National Park, which surrounds the lake of the same name, and within which San Carlos de Bariloche is located, is an expansive park of nearly 1.8 million acres, and Argentina’s oldest national park.

The park actually contains another park, Parque nacional Los Arrayanes, which is where the much-visited Quetrihué peninsula is. This peninsula is home to a large tract of 300-650 year old red-to-light-brown-barked Arrayan trees.

The larger park covers a large range of altitude, from 700 to 3400 meters, and contains four distinct ecosystems, from high Andean peaks (above 1600 meters), including the imposing Cerro Tronador, Andean forests, Valdivian rainforests and (mostly treeless) windblown Patagonian steppe.

With four different ecosystems, there is a great variety of different types of vegetation, including several types of Patagonian beech. Small mammals, from the monito del monte (a lemur-faced marsupial, whose name means “little mountain monkey"), foxes and two tiny species of deer are seen near the arrayanes, while slim-necked guanacos (relatives to the llama) graze on the steppe. Five hundred kilometers (300 miles) of trails crisscross the park, which range from the easy 3-hour hike to the Castaño Overo Valley to multi-day hikes, from different access points within the park

Cerro Catedral is a major attraction in the Bariloche area. It’s 20 km southwest of the city, and is a 2388-meter (7,800-foot) high peak from which you can see the contours of the valley, and the snow-capped volcanoes in the distance, on both the Chilean and Argentine side. There are abundant wildflowers in summer, and you get a view over one of the area’s major winter sports centers as well.

Most visitors take the Cablecarril and Silla Lynch, (two different gondolas/lifts) which also have a great view, and stop at the Confitería (café) for a coffee or hot chocolate to enjoy the view.

From here you can continue hiking along the ridge, to Refugio Frey, for a day hike or to spend the night. The area is very popular with rock climbers, and the mountain takes its names from the rocky spires that look like those of a Gothic Cathedral.

Visitors can also hike up the mountain, starting from the ski camp base. It’s a ten-kilometer, relatively easy hike and is usually possible from December to April, weather permitting.

Isla Victoria is a small island located in Nahuel Huapi lake, which is part of the park by the same name. The lake is one of the main defining features of this part of Patagonia, with the city of Bariloche on the south shore, and smaller town of Villa La Angostura on the north side.

Victoria Island is located in the middle of the northernmost branch of the lake and is accessed from Puerto Pañuelo, a 30-minute drive from Bariloche. There are a couple of sailings daily, some of which continue to Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes, specificially, to the Quetrihué peninsula, which is home to the rare protected arrayán (Chilean myrtle) forest, with slender, cinnamon-barked trees which grow in a dense grove, and some examples of which are up to 650 years old.

Isla Victoria has varied foliage, including the arctic beech, and some easy hiking trails, and if you spend time wandering, you can find some solitary beaches on which to sit and contemplate the lake, or take a chillly dip. Many visitors do this trip as a half-day tour, though you could spend longer on the island. The weather can be cool, especially if you opt to sit outside on the boat, so plan accordingly.

Cerro Tronador is the standout attraction among many day-trip and hiking options in Bariloche. It is named for the thunderous sound the volcano made before it went extinct, but the name (Thundering Mountain) is still apt, for the rumbling icefalls as giant pieces of ice shed from the glacier, which are audible at a safe distance. The main attraction is the Ventisquero Negro (also called El Manso), which means black glacier, and it’s easy to see why. It is mainly covered in darkish soil and moraine, and small pieces that have broken off float in a milky lake at its foot.

The glacier is the source of one of the nearby rivers, called Río Manso (tame river), which you can also see, and there are waterfalls, including the impressive Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), where several waterfalls come together.

Cerro Tronador looms over the hamlet of Pampa Linda, you arrive at after driving along U-shaped,  pale blue Mascardi lake. Visitors can hike up to the glacier at Refugio Otto Meiling (where you can also spend the night) and keep going until the road ends at the Garganta del Diablo falls. You can also do this part by bike. In either case, you’ll want to be careful not to get too close to the falls’ edge.