Bariloche - Hiking Paradise and Chocolate Capital

I stopped researching my destinations in advance. It works much better, easier, and simpler on the ground. Besides: if you have no expectations, they can only be exceeded ;).

The city is located on the shores of the huge Lake Nahuel Huapi with the same name National Park forms the starting point for further travel destinations in Argentina south or north. The lake is surrounded by many mountains, which are considered a skiing paradise in winter. Perhaps that is why the houses here appear in the wooden hut style of Switzerland. I even found a cheese fondue restaurant and there are many outdoor shops. Many Argentinians from Buenos Aires escape into nature here to relax, but they also say that it is the "Switzerland" of Argentina - so very expensive. I was surprised because for me it is 20 to 40% cheaper here than in Chile. I did not expect the price difference to be so enormous, although there is currently also very strong inflation of the peso in Argentina.

So you can treat yourself well and enjoy Argentine cuisine. Among other things, it is heavily influenced by Italian cuisine, so there is a kind of giant ravioli, called Sorrentinos. Unfortunately, mine were only so-so, but that was also because of the restaurant.

And of course the famous barbecue parties, so on Friday I enjoyed a delicious steak sandwich at the hostel.

You haven't been to Bariloche if you haven't bought any chocolate or ice cream. The pedestrian zone is full of chocolaterias, where you can watch chocolate production live. After I had walked through once, I was stuffed because you can taste everywhere. So exactly the right thing for a chocolate lover like me.

The first day I strolled around the city a bit, had a good Brazilian coffee and got lost a bit in the city, so the return to the hostel was not that easy. Sad when you can't cope without the internet: D. In the evening, I met a Belgian guy who spontaneously invited me on a road trip.

So the next day we set off by car along the famous Ruta 40 from the lakes to the city of San Martin de Los Andes and back. You can repeat this famous trip called "Siete Lagos" (seven lakes) on the opposite side in Chile with seven other lakes.

The route was wonderful and there was a lot to see. Also, the time flew by through many nice conversations and the many stops at the viewpoints meant that you didn't get a sore bottom.

My highlight was masses of purple lupines on the roadside that accompanied us all the way.

In the evening, we could even look at the stars, but since the moon was full, we unfortunately could not see much more than Orion and the Southern Cross. It was a super exciting experience, but somehow I imagined something different for a road trip. I enjoy the time hiking more intensively.

Said and done: the next day I took the bus to the starting point of the national park. (in Argentina, you charge a plastic card with money in advance so that you can avoid long queues in front of the buses, clever.) You could also hike through it again and sleep in different refugios, but I liked my hostel so much that I decided to do day hikes. First, we went over Lake Guitierrez through native forest to Refugio Frey. The path was sometimes quite steep and it even hailed along the way.

Once at the top, you had a view of a lagoon and the surrounding mountains were partly covered in snow. I was not prepared for that because temperatures in the valley were 24 degrees. But luckily the Argentinians always offer you a hot mate tea, you just have to be okay with drinking with 20 people from the same straw. (Greetings to Matze: I now like mate tea, maybe you will win your bet after all :D)

The return journey led over a pass with a wonderful view of Lake Guiterrez to the small ski resort Villa Catedral. I really felt like I was in Switzerland here, even though I had never been there. At the end of the day, I was pretty exhausted, I had actually walked 29 km!

(To be continued)

Frieda (Dec 15)