Trading in skyscrapers for mountains: Bariloche, Argentina

Even though I love living in the city of Buenos Aires, sometimes the constant traffic, non-stop social life, and university classes wear a person out.  So needless to say, I was really looking forward to a trip far away (about 22 hours by bus away) to the mountain-surrounded-town Bariloche.  We didn't have class on Argentina's independence day, May 25th. My friend Sam and I decided it would be a good week to go on a trip since we would only miss three days of classes instead of the usual four.  We arrived in Bariloche around 1:15 on Sunday the 22nd or May and stayed for a week.

Down by Lake Nahuel Huapi on our first day in Bariloche

On our first full day, Sam and I jumped on a bus to a bike rental shop.  The buses in Bariloche cost much more than in BA. To the bike rental it was 12 pesos per person there and back! Usually in Buenos Aires one way is 1.25 max. Anyways, that day we biked 25 K, stopping for great views at Lago Escondido, Punto Panaramico, and Hotel Llao Llao. We also stopped for fresh mountain water at a spring fed stream and Gilbert's Brewery for some beer samples.

The path to Lago Escondido (Hidden Lake)

Lago Escondido

View at Punto Panaramico

Beer from Gilbert Brewery

Through out our trip we had two rainy, colder days. The first one was conveniently the day after the bike ride. Sam and I decided to reward our exercise from the day before by checking out the chocolate and ice cream shops downtown.  Bariloche is known for it's chocolate, among other things.  Personally though, I was really impressed with the ice cream. So far it's been the best I've had in South America

Mamuschka, one of our favorite chocolate shops

On second day the clouds took over, I went with Tessa, another girl who goes to University of Belgrano and just happened to be traveling solo and staying at the same hostel as us (small world, right?) for a hike through Bosque de Arrayanes. It was a cold hike, but even with a cloud covered sky it was really awesome to see. 

Can you see the mountain?

Our third day there I went with Sam and our new friends Lina and Lauren to Cerro Campanario. At the top there is a magnificent 360 degree view of the area.  The hike up only takes about 30-45 minutes, but it is a STEEP trail. The chairlift that takes you up and down for about $50 pesos was tempting, but we decided to tough it out and stick to the trail.

There's a smaller town about 2 hours outside of Bariloche called, El Bolson.  The town has a very well know artisan fair on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays and is also the home to some home-brewed artisan beers.  Sam and I planned to explore there on Thursday and a couple other girls from the hostel came with as well.

Tessa and I with our Artisan beer

We got to El Bolson a little early and we had time to do a short hike while the fair was getting set up. We stopped at the information office, got a map, and went to hike Cerro Amigo. 

View of El Bolson from Cerro Amigo

We booked our tickets there through the ViaBariloche bus company.  We went through the same company on the way back, but almost had to stand for the 2 hour journey since ticket for seats go quick!

On our last full day Sam, Lina, Lauren and I went on a super-flat hike to Cascada de los duendes.  Along the way we met some stray-dog-friends (of course) who walked with us there and stopped with us for lunch at Lago Gutierrez. They left soon after the food was gone though..

Sam and our "loyal" dog friend at Lake Gutierrez

We were fortunate enough to book a FANTASTIC hostel, Hostel 41 Below. The staff there is amaizng and know everything there is to know about Bariloche. They helped us with the bike rental and patiently explained bus routes and hiking options through out the whole week. They were all really friendly and we didn't mind hanging out watching movies or talking with them at night or on those rainier days.

Hostel 41 Below- aka the greatest hostel

Our trip came to an end too soon and it was time to leave for the big city. We got back to BA a couple hours later than expected because along the way our bus broke down for about an hour and we had to take a small detour due to a protest in the street.  This caused us to miss class....rats. Luckily we have enough school work leading up to finals that it's making up for getting a few days off from class...  Finals are done on the 24th, just in time for my sister and brother-in-law's arrival! And then the day after they leave, I fly out to Lima for a trip that includes Peru, Bolivia, and a few stops in Argentina too. It's going to be a busy and exciting last couple of months!