Argentinian Patagonia: A Small Piece of Heaven
We flew into Bariloche to kick off our one-month Patagonia road trip. Although we spent much of our time and energy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, in Argentina we enjoyed a peaceful, almost meditative time and didn’t have to travel far to see some wonderful places. This was also the last leg of our two-month trip in Argentina, a country in which we felt at home. We visited only the northern section of Argentinian Patagonia, crossing into Chile before continuing farther south. We’ll have to save the ever-popular El Chalten for a future trip!
Bariloche – The touristic capital of Patagonia
The tourist capital of Patagonia, Bariloche is in what is called the lake region. It sits in an area of abundant natural beauty right on Lake Nahuel Huapi and the park of the same name. Bariloche has a main street where there are plenty of chocolate, alfajores, leather, souvenir shops and of course tourists. From Bariloche you can take one-day excursions with beautiful views, the most popular and the one we did is the “small circuit.” There are longer options, the best known being the 7 Lakes Route, which passes through the town of Villa La Angostura. The area is attractive in all seasons: in the summer you can swim in lakes and rivers; in the fall you can enjoy the beautiful colors; there are various ski resorts for the winter. In Bariloche it is always high season.
If you are there, pay a visit to Cervecería y Restaurante Gilbert where you will find a cozy cabin atmosphere with few but good beer selections. Most people go to Patagonia Brewing very nearby. It is an overated, overcrowded brewery with ‘just ok’ beer.
El Bolson – The door to a laid-back Patagonia
To go to Bolson you take route 40, a paved road in relatively good condition. We stayed in Bolson for a few days at the beginning of our trip, and a couple more at the end. There are many hikes very close to the town, organic gardens, dessert factories, breweries, etc. Although we only did a couple of hikes, these were very beautiful.
Rio Azul Pasarela. On our trip through Patagonia we found many small bridges, generally pedestrian suspension bridges, sometimes also used by vehicles. These pasarelas, as they are called in the region, not only connect the banks of the rivers but also provide a broad perspective on the surrounding landscapes. The pasarela over the Rio Azul is located 16 km from Bolson, north of Lago Puelo National Park. It is the gateway to two hikes: Cascada Motoco and Mirador del Rio Blanco.
Motoco Waterfall. After passing the pasarela, we walked along a very nice path with many wild blackberries and native vegetation until we reached a tall waterfall. It was an easy hike to do with our daughter in the backpack.
Río Blanco. On the way back from the waterfall we took another path of approximately 1.5 km to the Blanco River. The river was so pure that it looked light blue. It was a calm river where we could enjoy the peace and quiet of the place. There is also a viewpoint where you can see the river coming down from the high mountain, offering a different perspective. Our daughter walked the entire trail back, it was the first time she walked more than 1 km on her own!
Lago Puelo National Park. This is a beautiful place where there is a blue lake of the same name. We hiked the Pitranto trail, named in honor of the now-endangered tree originating from Chile and Argentina. The trail is 3 km along a path of large trees, ferns, and moss. From there you can take the walk to the Mirador de los Lagos where you have beautiful views of Lake Puelo and the mountains around it.
Alfajores Los Retamos. Although this is not a walk, on our return trip we stopped at this farm to buy some alfajores. They have won the award for best triple alfajor (a pastry consisting of 3 layers of dough, filled with raspberry jam and caramel, and dipped in chocolate). The most delicious we tried in Argentina. Not to be missed if you visit the region!
Los Alerces National Park: A paradise of turquoise waters
On our walk in Lake Puelo we met a charming couple, who recommended that we take the route that crosses Los Alerces National Park on our trip to Esquel (the main road avoids the park). This was a great recommendation! There are three main lakes in the park: Lago Rivadavia, Lago Menendez and Lago Futaleufquen. All three are visible from the road. On our trip south we made a short stop at the Pasarela Rio Arrayanes, and we liked it so much that we decided to return and spend more time in this area on our way north.
Sendero Lahuan Solitario. To get here, you cross the Arayanes Pasarela, then walk along an interpretive trail where you learn about the Alerce tree, which is native to Chile and Argentina and can reach over 50 meters in height. The trail borders the Arayanes River, with its deep blue waters, which in its 5 km connects Lago Verde with Lago Futaleufquen. Along the trail you reach the Chucao port, from where you have visibility to the Torrecillas Glacier. The return path is not very well marked, so we took the wrong path and had to go through flooded places but we made it! A beautiful walk in Los Alerces park!
Los Pozones Viewpoint, Futaleufu Dam and Los Troncos Bay: These are located in the southern area of the park, which we visited on our return trip while staying in the town of Los Cipreses near the border with Chile. The adjacent Futaleufu hydroelectric complex uses the glacial waters of Lake Amutu Quimey to produce energy for the Puerto Madryn sector on the Atlantic coast. We stopped at the Los Pozones viewpoint for a beautiful view of the Futaleufu River, and the Los Troncos Bay, a small beach adorned with lots of pretty driftwood.
Villa Lago Rivadavia: Towards the end of our road trip we stayed in this little village for a few nights. The Alerces National Park has just a few lodging places within the park, most of which are camping facilities. Villa Lago Rivadavia is just 6km north of the park, making it suitable as a base even if the drive to certain hikes will take a little while. The village itself is small, with houses spread far from each other. Our host received us with a bizarre story of how her other cabin had burned down by some prostesters which made me peek out of the windows every night to make sure we wouldn’t have this experience during our stay. That aside, the place (Cabañas Cerro La Momia) had a really nice and cozy restaurant, and with the high season over we had the luxury of having an almost personal chef for ourselves! This was a great stay after a long time on the road.
Esquel: The world capital of barking
After crossing the wonderful Los Alerces park on our way south, we arrived at Esquel. Unlike Bolson, Esquel is a large town on a valley. The main attraction of the town is the proximity to Los Alerces Park, and since we had already visited it, we used our stay in Esquel to run some errands: send mail, wash clothes, go to the park, etc. We didn’t find the town interesting enough to stay there for more than two nights. Speaking of nights: Part of Esquel is on a small mountain and the city is interconnected by a system of dogs that gets activated after midnight. At some point when dogs sense that you are just about to drift off to sleep they all bark at the same time in their diverse dog voices and from the small mountain the sound spreads throughout the town, echoing and multiplying in an impressive way. Perhaps its residents have already gotten used to the sound!
After Esquel we crossed to the beautiful town of Futaleufú in Chile, where we continued our road trip adventure.
