Hiking Guide: Refugio Frey, Bariloche

Often touted as “the best hike in Bariloche”, this full day hike is definitely one to add to your itinerary if you want a moderately challenging hike with epic views. If you are short on time, I would recommend prioritising either Campanario Hill or Cerro Llao Llao (or both!) as they provide more expansive views of the surrounding mountains, lakes and forests. Refugio Frey offers outstanding views of it’s own, but not the same birds eye view over the national parks.

The trail is 19km with 825m elevation gain, and takes about 7 hours to complete. You can also stay at the refugio at the top and break the hike into two days, or if wanting a multi-day hike, you can then carry on to Refugio Jakob.

How to get there:

It’s either a 25-minute drive with plenty of parking if you have a hire car, or are happy to shell out on a taxi or uber (about AUD$18/USD$12). Uber technically isn’t legal here, so they may ask you to sit in the front. I’ve caught several Ubers in Bariloche with no issues.

The cheapest way to go is the public bus. However, for this route, the buses don’t come as regularly as some of the other routes in Bariloche. The number 55 stops at multiple bus stops along Ada Maria Elfein at the below times (correct as at March 2024):

7:15am

9:15am

11:15am

Anything later than that, you will be pushing it to finish the trail before dark. The return times are

2:40pm

4:40pm

6:40pm

8:40pm.

The bus costs less than AUD$1/USD$.65c each way (at time of writing). To catch the bus you need a SUBE card – this is the same card as used in Buenos Aires, or you can pick one up at one of the many kiosks around town. You can’t pay cash on board. Just swipe your SUBE and say to the driver you are heading to Catedral.

The Hike:

Before you go, you need to register your hike with Nahuel Huapi National Park.

The trail starts at the Cerro Catedral ski resort, and is well marked. The first couple of km is through a forest of native lenga and coihue trees, providing good shelter from the sun on hot days! The trail then comes out of the shade and into the sun, following along Van Titter Creek. For the next few km you will cross a few bridges, and as you gain elevation, you will start seeing vast and beautiful landscapes of the surrounding mountains and Lago Gutierrez.

The second half of the hike is back in and out of the shade, passing through more forest before the final, steep ascent back out in the sun. This part you will have to climb over some rocks, but it’s not very hard.

Upon arrival at Refugio Frey, you are greeted with the stunning sight of Laguna Toneck and the sharp, jagged mountains surrounding you.

The Top:

Refugio Frey not only has accommodation, but it also has a small restaurant serving beer, sandwiches and pizza! We got a cheese and olive pizza between two of us, and it was MASSIVE. It wasn’t the tastiest meal, but after a steep climb, it didn’t really matter to us! It’s important to note, they only accept cash.

If you are brave enough, you can swim in Laguna Toneck – although when we went in March, it was rather cold with the temperature being about 8 degrees at the top, and no one was swimming. We did see a group of rock climbers ascending down one of the peaks which looked unreal if you are into rock climbing and have no fear of heights!

Top Tips:

• Due to the infrequent buses, be prepared to catch an uber or taxi home from the base of Cerro Catedral as you might have a long time to wait. The wait for our uber was 15 minutes.

• It is a lot colder at the top, and sometimes windy, so bring warmer clothing – even in summer.

• There are bathrooms and drinking water at the top, at Refugio Frey.

• Even if it is cloudy, wear sunscreen! You will be exposed a lot of the hike and the sun in the southern hemisphere is strong, risk of sunburn is high.