Bariloche Travel Guide: What to Do, Where to Stay, and Travel Tips
The moment I stepped foot in San Carlos de Bariloche, commonly known as Bariloche, I knew I was going to love this place.
I had only heard of this mountainous town at the top of Patagonia a month prior, when I overheard other travellers talking about how much they’d loved it. After spending 6 weeks in South America in cities, deserts, beach towns and salt flats, the only thing I was missing was the mountains. I booked a relatively last minute flight from Santiago for only AUD$190/USD$126 and was on my way, along with my damaged passport (my purple shampoo leaked in my bag, never a dull moment in my travels!).
Luckily the border patrol people in Bariloche mustn’t be used to seeing New Zealand passports as they didn’t bat an eyelid at the purple passport pages. It was a tiny airport, so the bag pick up was quick and I was off in my airport transfer within no time.
I was very confused when I was dropped off at my hostel. It was a very highly rated hostel on Hostelworld, and the pictures were stunning. However, what I was looking at right now looked like an eyesore hospital building from the ‘70s. I walked into the foyer and the concierge must have seen my large backpack and confused face and told me to go up to the top floor.
Once I found my way down the long corridor and entered the hostel reception, I breathed a sigh of relief that I had not been catfished and it looked even more incredible in real life. As the hostel worker showed me around, all doubts of forking up AUD$46 a night when there were plenty of cheaper hostels around vanished.
Over the next five days, Bariloche cemented itself as one of my favourite destinations in South America, if not the world.
Here is what I did, where I stayed, and what I ate over not just this trip, but also when I came back 5 weeks later when passing through with Tim. Well, I thought I was passing through, but the snow and the Chilean border had other ideas! We spent 3 days longer than expected what had turned out to be a winter wonderland (in May!).
Where I stayed:
Hospedaje Penthouse 1004
Cost per night: AUD$46/USD$30 inc. breakfast (dorm bed only)
Room type: 6 bed mixed dorm, shared bathroom
Website: https://penthouse1004.com/
As I mentioned, this was an amazing hostel. I actually think it was the best hostel I have ever stayed in. Beautiful views out all the windows (even the bathroom window!), well stocked kitchen, breakfast included and social with likeminded adventurers.
Where I ate:
Carnero
What we ate: Tokyo flank steak with greens, ajitsuke egg and glazed carrots, and the rib eye with creamy smashed potatoes and broccoli
What we drank: Glass of house malbec and an Andes beer (x2)
What we spent: AUD$96/USD$63
If you are indulging in a steak whilst in Bariloche (which, unless you are meat-free, this is a must), then I HIGHLY recommend this place. It’s a similar price to most other steakhouses in the town, but with a more intimate ambiance. It was one of the best steaks we had both had – Tim has a lot more of a steak snob than myself, and treats himself often, and even he was raving about it for days. Even the free starter bread for the table was incredible – a warm, slightly toasted herbed focaccia with a tasty spread with pieces of pork (I don’t know how it tasted soooo good!) and pickled red onions.
La Cantina de Oveja
What I ate: First time: A cheeseburger empanada and a spicy curry empanada
Second time: Lamb empanada and a bacon, plum and cheese empanada
What I drank: Glass of house Malbec (both times)
What I spent: AUD$11.60/USD$7.60
I was recommended this place from a guy at my hostel, and after looking at the photos on Google Maps, I had to go. It is a beautiful restaurant that gives Swiss ski-chalet vibes, but at a fraction of the Swiss cost. They serve the classic empanadas, but also have an “adventurous” range that includes the ones I had. It was so good, I went twice!
La Fonda del Tio
What we ate: Napolitana Milanesa & Suprema de Pollo Milenesa (half each)
What I drank: ¼ Jug of house white wine (1.5 glasses)
What I spent: AUD$21/USD$13.80
If you want to try the traditional Argentinian dish of Milanesa, this is your place to go. Or maybe it isn’t, because no Milanesa you have after that will be able to compare. Their portion sizes are HUGE, you can easily share a full portion between two. We got two half portions and shared them. Even after that we were so full we could barely move, and an Uber home was in order!
Tip: make sure you get there right on opening at 8pm to avoid a line.
La Fabrica - Cervecería Wesley
What I drank: A pint of sour beer (no idea the name, sorry!)
What we spent: AUD$5.70/USD$3.75
This brewery is tucked away off the main highway. We came here after doing the walk up Campanirio Hill – it’s about a minute drive away or a 30-minute walk along the highway, which we did. The brewery is in an idyllic setting, with peacocks roaming, a firepit soaring, and autumn leaves falling.
Even though I am not a huge beer fan, I do like a sour beer which is very hard to find in Argentina – so I was excited they offered one on tap, even though I feel like drinking a pink beer in a brewery is a little sacrilegious!
Mamushka
What I ate: Chocolate samples – LOTS of them.
What I spent: Free! But because I didn’t want to be a freeloader I did buy about AUD$6/USD$4 worth of chocolate.
You won’t be hard pressed to find a Mamushka in Bariloche and it’s surrounds – they are everywhere! There are so many chocolate shops to choose from, but this was my favourite due to the generous tastings they provided.
What I Did:
Hike
Hiking is the main drawcard to Bariloche in the summer and autumn months (well, for most!). I managed to fit in a few hikes, however I hardly made a dent in my hike wish-list thanks to the May snowfall!
I did manage to complete the below hikes, which you can read more about:
Campanario Hill (if you don’t want to hike, you can also get to the viewpoint via chairlift!)
Kayak
https://www.facebook.com/cuadrantesur.kayak/?locale=es_LA
My friend I’d made at the hostel and I booked this kayaking adventure to mix it up a bit from all the hiking. We got picked up from just across the road from our hostel and driven out to Gutierrez Lake. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I did not expect to be dressed up like I was on an expedition trip with National Geographic!
There was a small group of six of us, two very knowledgeable guides and a photographer to capture the fun. Halfway through the tour we stopped at a small, secluded beach for an afternoon tea of tea, coffee and mate (a traditional Argentinian caffeinated drink that tastes similar to green tea) and medialunas (a sweet croissant).
Due to the wind that had picked up during our tour, the way back was a lot harder to navigate against the increasingly rough waters. The instructors were telling us to turn left, my left foot was pressed as hard as it could to turn the kayak left, and all I could think was I do NOT want to flip into this icy cold water! We managed to stay right-side up, but it was a pretty dramatic finish to our otherwise peaceful tour!
This tour cost AUD$49/USD$32.60, and worth every penny.
These photos were all taken from my hostel - more information on where this amazing place was below!
Hotel EcoSki by bund
Cost per night: AUD$63/USD$41.50 inc. breakfast
Room type: Double room, private bathroom
Website: https://ecoski.com.ar/
This hotel was a great location, and good value for money. The rooms were small and I found them a bit too warm, but it’s perfect if you are just staying a night or two like we did. The breakfast spread was pretty decent as well, with croissants, toast, eggs and lots of fresh fruit and cereals.
Luma Boutique
Cost per night: AUD$44/USD$29 inc. breakfast
Room type: Double room, private bathroom
Website: https://www.booking.com/hotel/ar/residencial-eluney-san-carlos-de-bariloche
This hotel was found in a bit of a rush – we had just been turned around at the Chilean border as the road had closed due to the snow, so back to Bariloche we went! We had both run out of data so when we returned to the bus station we jumped on the free wifi and booked this spot. We got such a great deal on Booking.com - $44 was a steal for this spot! It’s nothing fancy, they’ve just given an old hotel a fresh paint job and added some nice mirrors, but really it had everything we needed just for a night. There weren’t many amenities though – no iron, hair dryer, only a tiny sachet of shampoo – so probably not ideal for a longer stay.
Hospedaje Penthouse 1004
Hotel EcoSki by bund
Luma Boutique Hotel
(image off booking.com)
Carnero
La Fabrica - Cerveceria Wesley
La Cantina de Oveja
7 Lakes Drive
The 7 lakes drive is top of every Barioche must-do list. This 320km picturesque drive takes you up to San Martin de los Andes, passing through stunning lakes - Espejo, Correntoso, Escondido, Villarino , Falkner , Machónico and Lacar.
I met two other girls at my hostel that morning over breakfast, who invited me to join them and two of their other friends they’d met in the days prior. The five of us made our way over to Hertz – the most popular car rental company in Bariloche. They may be a big name-brand and in other countries I’d opt for cheaper options, but here in Argentina they have a monopoly on the market and they generally have the best rates.
It was PACKED in the Hertz office – but we got our car reasonably fast, driving away in about an hour. This drive is absolutely beautiful, and there are so many stop offs along the way. Because we just had a day (and by the time we had left Bariloche, it was more like 8 hours) we didn’t stop off too often, just sticking to some of the side-of-the-road view points and a stop in for Argentina’s best Empanadas (see above), multiple chocolate tastings and a stroll around San Martin.
I did this drive again in May with Tim, but there had been an early season dumping of snow, so it was a completely different experience! Due to the grey foggy skies we couldn’t see much of the lakes and surrounding mountains, but it was amazing nonetheless.
If (and when!) I come back to Bariloche in summer months, I would love to do this route over a couple of days and explore more of the hikes, waterfalls and viewpoints along the way.
Massage
https://www.flot.ar/en/home-english/
When Tim and I got stuck here due to the Chilean border closing, there wasn’t too much to do. The trails were mostly all closed or knee deep in snow, and it was too early for the mountains to be open for skiing/snowboarding. We found a little advertisement in our hotel offering 10% off (this was at Luma Boutique, but lots of hotels have these flyers we learnt from the owner).
This day spa offers Float Tanks, Infrared Saunas and Massages all for great prices. My massage cost AUD$33/USD$22 for 50 minutes. Sometimes when you pay so little for massages overseas you can be in dingy rooms with street noise outside, but the ambience here was relaxing and peaceful.
This would also be perfect to wind down after a few days of hiking!
On my bucket list for next time...
Circuito Chico on E-bike
Circuito Chico is a scenic 27km loop around past lakes, woods and mountains. Cycling this route takes about 4 to 6 hours, and there are plenty of breweries, viewpoints and eateries to stop off at along the way.
Mount Lopez hike
I had been tossing up whether to hike Refugio Frey or Mount Lopez, as I only had time for one hike. Frey won that time, and unfortunately when I came back to Bariloche 6 weeks later the trail to Refugio Lopez was deep in snow (and I am not a fan of snow hiking after the John Gardner Pass on the O-Trek!). This hike is meant to be tough but beautiful, so it will definitely be the first hike I do whenever I make it back here.
4 Refugios multi-day hike
This 46km hike takes you to Refugio Frey, Jakob, Laguna Negra and Lopez – all in the Nahuel Huapi National Park. It’s meant to be quite hard, so perhaps one I can aim towards once I have built up my skill level some more!
Top tips:
When to go: The best months for enjoying the outdoors is December to March. When I came back in late April, it was cold and rainy. So Tim and I hired a car and drove up to the sun in Mendoza for week, and returned in early May hoping it would be sunnier. Instead, we were greeted with heavy snowfall lasting days, blocking most of the trails and some of the roads including part of Circuito Chico.
Getting around: The bus network here is extensive and makes it easy to get to all the popular hikes and tourist spots. The downside is, these buses can get extremely busy, especially in summer! All buses accept payment by Sube card only, which you can pick up from a Kiosk (or use your Sube from Buenos Aires if you had been there first). Bus fares are relatively cheap, at time of writing a one-way ticket was less than AUD$1.
There is also Uber here, which is handy as well especially if needing to get to the bus terminal which is out of the town centre.
The town itself is walkable, albeit some steep inclines!
If you are hiring a car (which I recommend for at least one day to drive the 7 Lakes route), Hertz is generally the cheapest in town. We paid AUD$42/USD$28 for a one day car, which split between 5 of us was next to nothing. Petrol was cheap as well (compared to Australia at least) – it only cost us an additional AUD$42/USD$28 to drive 320km.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to Argentina's ever-fluctuating currency, please check prices before planning your travels. These prices were correct as at April 2024. For more on Argentina's money situation, click here.
Hopefully after reading this post you can see why I love Bariloche so much, and have inspired you to visit!
