San Carlos de Bariloche
Monday–Thursday March 1–4, 2010
We flew from San Francisco to Buenos Aires, and the next day on to San Carlos de Bariloche in the north of Patagonia—6,500 nautical miles/12,000 kilometers. There was a big earthquake in Chile on February 27, and we were unsure what to expect.
In Buenos Aires we stayed in the nice Palermo district and spent the day walking around the parks nearby. We had spent much time in Buenos Aires in 2007.
Bariloche is a city of 140,000 on Lago Nahuel Huapi, a lake a little bit larger than Lake Tahoe. The area is in Argentina’s largest national park, too.
Bariloche has a Swiss and German influence from immigrants. Chocolate, St Bernard dogs and microbreweries are common.
Over the next few days we took walks in the forest along the lake shore, and rented a car to drive the “Circuito chico” and the next day, part way around the lake to Villa La Angostura.
Here is a view from a walk along the lake shore near the Llao Llao hotel.
It is late summer, and there is still snow on some of the mountain peaks.
Not far from Bariloche, on the way to Villa La Angostura, the forests give way to steppe. No fences, telephone poles or people, but it is beautiful.
The photograph below was taken not far from the one above, on the way back. The mountains really plunge right down into the lake.
San Carlos de Bariloche is an alpine city on a large lake in Argentine Patagonia. We’re here because it is the gateway to a lake crossing to Chile.
Next—three boats and three buses to reach Puerto Varas, Chile.
