Bariloche, Argentina

Diary:

San Carlos de Bariloche is a gorgeous town in the Patagonia region of Argentina, on the south side of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Visiting in the peak of summer, as we were, we found the town inundated with Argentinian and Chilean holidaymakers. It didn't take us any time at all to understand the popularity of the town. It's location on the edge of the beautiful lake is perfect. The principle architecture of the town is Swiss and German, the heritage of the original settlers. And not only does it have the largest café culture we've yet encountered, it is renown as a center for handmade chocolate manufacture! Argentina seems to just be getting better and better for us!

I can proudly state the only thing we did in Bariloche was to relax and enjoy the fine food and ambience of the town, and nearby Llao Llao, the location of the magnificent Llao Llao hotel. The scenery all around the town was truly uplifitng, reminiscent of the Canadian and Swiss alps.

Since we were planning to sail through the Chilean fjords from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales in a few day's time, we held back on doing any of the expensive lake tours of Nahuel Huapi that were a popular activity in Bariloche. After 4 days of utter relaxation and excessive sugar and caffeine, it was time to move on again - and head back to Chile.

Photos: (click on images to see full size)