Things to Do in Central And South America

The Hill of the Cross, or Cerro de la Cruz, is a 30-minute walk that, upon arrival, treats its guests to expansive views of Antigua and the Volcan de Agua. While this walk is not easy, it is worth it. For those who prefer to skip the hike, cabs can whisk people to the top as well.

Located on the north side of the city, it offers the best views of Antigua. And an enormous stone cross.

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.

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.

The Centro Cívico was built in the late 1930s, to reflect the architecture of the early German and Swiss settlers (from Berne) in a style referred to as “Bariloche-Alpine.” It serves as a central reference point, and a nearby sheltered area houses the helpful, multilingual tourist office.

The plaza that lies between the civic center and Lake Nahuel Huapi is a scene of ongoing activity and contrast. There are the tourist-happy vendors, complete with photo-ops with barrel-toting Saint Bernards, and more than its share of postcard vendors. At the same time, there’s a continual rotation of graffiti on the statue of General Roca, a controversial figure in Argentine military history.

Connected to the Centro Cívico is a tall stone tower with a steeply-pitched roof, which serves as the clock tower (Torre Reloj), and which strikes noon every day. Also on the plaza, to the north east, is the Museo de La Patagonia Perito Moreno (Perito Moreno Patagonian Museum), which brings together ethno-historical and natural displays, the former about the original (indigenous) inhabitants of the area, such as the Mapuche, Tehuelche and Fuegian peoples.

The natural history part of the museum contains a taxidermied collection of animals endemic to the area and farther afield. The third part of the museum follows Bariloche’s development from its founding in 1903. Next to the Patagonian Museum is the Biblioteca Sarmiento, a library and cultural center. One block north is the building that houses the administration of the national parks.

Situated in a sleek, chic modernist house in Santa Teresa, Rio’s bohemian quarter, the Chacara do Ceu Museum houses part of the vast art collection of the late Brazilian industrialist and aesthete, Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya. Over the course of his 74-year lifespan, Castro Maya amassed over 22,000 works of art, a large portion of which is displayed at the museum (the others are showcased at the affiliated Museu do Açude, Castro Maya’s other house).

The Chacara do Ceu itself is a work of art, built amidst lush gardens in 1954 with a 360-degree panoramic view of Rio and the surrounding area. The name of the house and museum means “Country House of the Sky,” and the views of both the city and the artworks are heavenly.

The museum features the works of Brazilian and international painters, sculptors, and engravers--from contemporary artist Candido Portinari to French Impressionist master Henri Matisse. Sadly, a Matisse, a Picasso, a Dalí, and a Monet were stolen from the museum in 2006 and never recovered. Still, the remaining items in the collection more than make up for the lost pieces, and the insanely low admission price ensures that art is accessible to the Brazilian public, to whom Castro Maya bequeathed his collection upon his death in 1968.