Bariloche

Friday, 26 April, 2013

This morning some cloud hung over the distant mountains as our bus headed west along the lake shore and we were all feeling chilly after becoming accustomed to the warmer temperatures on the eastern coast.   As we drew away from the town centre  the houses along the lakeshore became grander with beautifully manicured gardens - obviously an up market area.

Lakeside homes and gardens

 Roses seem to thrive here and the blooms are enormous.  There is a mix of native and imported plants in the gardens but in the forests the trees are all indigenous to the area. At this time of the years the colours of the deciduous trees stand out, especially the tall golden poplars which are everywhere.

Autumn colours beside the lake

Looking across the lake to the north east we were able to make out some huge peaks in the morning mist.  The vast extent of the Andes is can be imagined just from the mountain landscape that can be seen from Lake Nahuel Huapi which is the largest of many lakes in the area.  The mountains also reach up behind the lake to the south and west.

Mountains in the mist

We turned off the main road to make a loop of a scenic area, known as the Curcuito Chico, and passed by some very special places.  Firstly we skirted the shores of Lake Moreno which is  smaller and named after the founder of the Argentinian national park system.  From here we arrived at a bridge which crosses the lake at its narrowest point and we all piled out of the bus to take photos of the gorgeous scenery. The lakes are pristine and all the forests and wildlife are protected.  Dotted along the shores are some very nice houses, but they have been designed to be unobtrusive and do not impinge too much on the landscape.

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Lake Moreno

Chilly morning, Lake Moreno

Our bus then took us up to a high point on the road where we were able to get a panoramic view of the lakes and mountains - quite stunning!  We saw a lot of birds up here, including the chimango also know as caracara.  They are quite large brown birds and one was on the ground very close to some people who were giving it food - they seem quite unperturbed by this human contact.

Panoramic view 

Chimango

 Some enterprising locals had set up stalls here beside the road selling local handcrafts and there was a fellow offering photos with his St Bernard dogs.  This photo opportunity was irresistible and I sat with the two beautiful dogs and the, stunning mountain scenery as a backdrop.  The dogs were gentle  giants and very friendly with the softest of coats.  They are not used as rescue dogs here in Argentina, but are purely for the tourists.  The photos were delivered to my hotel later in the day.  I am sure Benji will love to see them!

Beautiful St Bernard dogs and beautiful vistas

We continued on down the hill to a place named Llao Llao, the site of a world famous luxury hotel of the same name. No, we weren't permitted to visit it but instead drove to a small church (Capilla San Eduardo) situated on a hill with a great view back to the hotel and the mountains behind.  We could see the snow covered peak of Mt Tronador (Mt Thunderer) which is partly in Chile and, at 3491 metres, the highest peak in this area. It is an extinct volcano (unlike the other two volcanos nearby).  The hotel certainly looks magnificent and is surrounded by a golf course and an exclusive enclave of holiday homes.  It must have magnificent views in all directions.  Below the church is the small port (Panuelo Port) which is the terminus for the ferry service to Chile.

Mt Tronador

Llao Llao Hotel and Mt Tronador in the distance

It is hard to leave such splendid views but we had the highlight of the day to come.  A little further back along the shore towards Bariloche is the Cerro Campanario chairlift, a 7 minute ride to a lookout terrace and restaurant with 360 degree views of lakes and mountains which are nothing short of breathtaking.  Although the skies were cloudy today none of the mountain peaks were obscured and we were all thrilled with the experience of seeing the immense natural beauty of the landscape all around us.  Huge mountains away into the distance as far as we could see, lakes and forests directly below and the  town of Bariloche, just a tiny part of this magnificent panorama.  After much photo taking we headed into the restaurant to sample the choconec - hot chocolate with brandy, apparently concocted for the hordes of Brazilian skiers who arrive in the winter and find the cold hard to take. One can only imagine how magical this place must look in winter when snow covers the ground.

Chairlift, Cerro Campanario

View from top of chairlift, Cerro Camapnario

More stupendous views

With our tour of the local area finished we were taken to a restaurant named La Marmite, in the centre of Bariloche.  Owned by a Swiss family, it had the look of a chalet and the interior was pure Swiss Alps.  We even had apple strudel for dessert. It is a shame I don't like fish as there seems to be fresh trout or salmon on the menu every day and I am told that it is all very good by other members of the group who have been overdosing on Omega 3.  I have had some great ravioli on this trip, some ok beef and some rather mediocre chicken.  Nice meals but not really anything to rave about.

Roses outside La Marmite Restaurant - (Marmite - the cooking pot, not the black stuff)

The afternoon was free for shopping or resting and I managed a bit of both.  The cloud cleared by late afternoon and we were treated to a spectacular sunset with the lake and the mountains blazing with red and gold.  A lovely finale to a wonderful day!  Bariloche and the area of the Patagonian Lakes surely must be one of the most stunning natural landscapes anywhere in the world and the Argentinian authorities are very conscientious in protecting the environment. Obviously one could spend a week here happily exploring all of the lakes and mountain trails.  Or you could just eat chocolate - they sell it by the kilo here.  For anyone contemplating a trip to South America I would say "Don't miss Bariloche!"

Main plaza, Bariloche at sundown

Sunset from the main plaza

The sunset got prettier....

and prettier!