San Carlos de Bariloche is a city in the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno Lake and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing as well as its lakes.It sits on the southern shore of the lake after which the park is named.
Austrians, Germans, and Italians settles the area about 1895. Most of the materials for Bariloche went via the seaport of Puerto Montt in Chile. In 1896 Perito Moreno wrote that it took three days to reach Puerto Montt from Bariloche while to reach the Atlantic coast of Argentina took "one month or more".
In 1909 there were 1,250 inhabitants. When the railway arrived in 1934 the town could be suppiled from Argentina. Today it is a major population enre, which to my eyes has grown out of control and with little regard to urban planning. In short, the town is a mess
Various tourist circuits in Bariloche include sites like Mount Tronador, Puerto Pañuelo, Puerto Blest, Los Alerces Cascade and Small Circuit. We drove the "small circuit" and found the return half charming (the out half along the lake could have been happily skipped. With ribbon development you cannot actually see the lake)
We were happy to be staying well beyond Bariloche at Villa
Angostura.
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| On the road north to Bariloche. | Stop for a drink |
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| The small circuit from Bariloche round the lakes | The small circuit from Bariloche round the lakes |
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| The small circuit from Bariloche round the lakes | The small circuit from Bariloche round the lakes |
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| The small circuit from Bariloche round the lakes |