Patagonia (Argentina) - Part 4: Bariloche

26 April 2025

Most people either start or end their Patagonia tour in Bariloche. We ended ours, with an unforgettable 30 hour bus ride from El Chalten. The trip included a 500km detour via RN 40, which ran northwards to the east of El Chalten, and which was the only passable highway through Patagonia at the time we were there.

San Carlos de Bariloche, to give the town its full name, lies at the southern shore of Nahuel Huapi Lake not far from the border of Chile. It’s in what’s called the Lake District of Patagonia and if El Chalten is known as the hiking capital of Argentina, Bariloche is certainly famous for its winter skiing. The town is located next to Cerro Catedral, the largest winter sports resort in South America. The whole area around Bariloche offers many bright blue lakes, mountain views and colourful forests, perfect for hiking and camping.

We took a bus from the centre of town to Cerro Otto, a  cable car which carries passengers to the summit (1405m), with spectacular and all-encompassing views of Lago Nahuel Huapi from the top. Besides several walking trails (including a steep one right beneath the cable car), there's a slew of twee activities, such as a short funicular ride and maze. Another staple activity while in Bariloche, is to travel by bus along the very scenic Seven Lakes Road on RN 40  towards San Martin de Los Andes. Some lakes even have their own beaches for you to relax and admire the views.

Bariloche does however have other claims to fame and one of them is that which drew us here in the first place. There is a heavy German and Swiss influence in the area. The first German settlers arrived in the 1880’s from Chile and two further immigration waves - between the two World Wars and after 1945 – meant that at one stage, there were over  600 families of German origin living in the town.

A German Footprint Walking Tour brought us around the last vestiges of the German legacy around the old, historical centre, including a school (still open today and where German is still taught) and a neighbourhood used by Nazi fugitives who settled here after the war. Especially well known here is the story of Erich Priebke, an SS officer, who lived freely in the city for almost  50 years until his identity and whereabouts were uncovered by an American ABC journalist in the 90’s. He went on to live to 100). 

The Swiss influence is less evident and certainly less controversial. Colonia Suiza was formerly a Swiss colony and today is a quaint village, with boutique shops and a market full of goods and various food stands. The surrounding mountains and lakes do lend a Swiss alpine feel to the place and it is totally understandable why the Swiss settlers pitched their tents here.

Not long into a stroll around Bariloche we could already guess the town’s other main claim to fame - chocolate! Along Mitre Avenue, also known as the Avenue of Chocolate Dreams, we passed by chocolate factories one after another with delicious-looking pralines and pastries tempting us from the glass windows.