Vamos a Bariloche, Argentina. 🇦🇷
Here are my recommendations for a summer trip to the Patagonian, European like, mountain paradise with a questionable history.
Argentina seems to be getting a little more expensive for tourists now that they’ve finally voted out the Socialists, and they may be on track to fixing the economy.
But don’t let that stop you from visiting or even uprooting everything to move there. It’s still dirt cheap for those with foreign currency.
Places like Bariloche in Argentine Patagonia are incredible.
If you like hiking, mountain towns with incredible views, quality beer, and steaks.
This part of Argentina’s Rio Negro Province is fucking beautiful.
You can see why retired Nazi SS Captains on the run from Mossad called this place home from the 1950s onwards.
Erik Priebke (second in charge of the Gestapo in Rome during World War 2) made it to the year 1994 before a US news crew exposed him literally in the streets of Bariloche.
He was so comfortable in Bariloche that he used his German name.
It looks and feels like a European town in the German Alps, only at that Argentine Socialism induced price discount (for now).
Here is how to do a cost-efficient, minimal-fuss, 3-day weekend trip from Buenos Aires.
What’s the point of subscribing to Geólogo Trader without an epic Argentine Steakhouse (Parrilla) recommendation?
You all know I’m experienced on this topic after a year of nonstop steaks and boobs.
I don’t give out recommendations lightly. There is an absolute belter of one in Bariloche which is a must try.
As always, go to Buenos Aires City Airport (Aeroparque - AEP) and jump on an Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Bariloche (BRC).
I love Aeroparque as it’s a small airport only 10-15 mins from where I live in Villa Crespo.
Aerolineas are my favourite airline in Argentina. Traveling with carry-on baggage is easy and requires minimal fuss.
Once you arrive at Bariloche Airport, rent a car!
It will cost ~$20-30 USD per day (it’s non-negotiable). It’s minimal fuss. I usually walk to the rental car desks at the airport and ask all of them for the best price. Easy!
This is essential to make the most of the small city (Bariloche = ~100,000 population) with many great Andean towns nearby and hiking options.
Accommodation:
To find the best deal for accommodation, search through Airbnb or Booking.com.
A 3-star hotel you can find for ~$50 USD per night, or a decent Airbnb is ~$70. I stay at an Airbnb here.
So many options.
What to do?
German Footprint/Nazi Walking Tour:
Fucking incredible. I don’t want to give it all away, but make sure this is one of the first things you do in Bariloche. It sets the scene for the rest of your time there.
What makes this even more real and terrifying?
The bloke that runs it deadset Argentine dead ringer (lookalike) of Christoph Walts from the movie Inglorious Bastards.
Wish I had a photo.
The town was so Nazi in the 1930’a they even changed the name of a Refugio to the “Berghof”.
The walking tour leaves every evening from the main town square. It costs about $15 USD and it’s one of the best and most informative walking tours I’ve ever done.
Drive:
Make full use of the car.
Including the famous and arguably the most eye-pleasing road in Patagonia.
The route of the Seven Lakes.
Over 110 km (68 mi) of the route, you can see incredible natural & glacial lakes: Espejo, Correntoso, Escondido, Villarino, Falkner, Machónico, and Lacar.
Stop off and go for a swim or rent a Kayak at these lakes. Swimming in these lakes is incredible.
Lago Esperjo was my favourite.
Visit towns close by:
Colonia Swiss:
It is a beautiful little town settled by Swiss pioneers if you’re there on a Sunday, there is an epic local market. It’s about 30-40 minutes from Bariloche. They have some epic parrilla setups.
It was settled in 1895 by a Swiss family, named Goye. The Goye family -originally from western Switzerland, had been living for 10 years in Chile.
Still, the same families are here today.
Weird little place but I liked it. Great quality meat here.
There are also some great close-by day hikes.
More about hiking later in this post.
Patagonia Brewery:
Probably the best location I’ve ever had a $5 USD pint of beer.
It’s about 30 minutes out of Bariloche, a stunning drive through what looks and feels like the European Alps.
Head down to their bar and skip the restaurant as it’s too busy and always booked out.
The bar is in the forest and overlooks a stunning lake.
Drink a shit load of Patagonia Amber Ales (favourite) hopefully, they’ve got a woodfire going.
The only problem here is there can be too many families with kids running around.
Restaurant:
I had one of the best steaks and overall experiences here at Alto el Fuego.
It’s located in the centre of Bariloche here.
Reasonably priced at $30 USD for a 500g bife de chorizo (NY strip) with french fries and a bottle of red wine (malbec).
You all know I’m very experienced on this topic after a year of nonstop steaks and boobs.
I don’t give out recommendations lightly.
The service is incredible and they have a wine cellar you can hang out in before your table is ready.
Trekking/Hiking:
Let’s face it, if you’re going to travel to Patagonia, even if you’re not into it too much you’ve still gotta go hiking!
It’s the most incredible nature I’ve come across. Breathing the fresh air probably adds years to your life too.
No affiliation, but if you are any level of hiker from beginner to advanced. Do yourself a favour and download the AllTrails app.
You will never need a guide anywhere in the world again with this app, it’s too good! Instead of spending money on local guides, this app does it all for you for $20 per year.
I HEAVILY relied on the app for a 4 day hike in the Peruvian Andes. It certainly prevented me from sending an emergency message due to the track disappearing several times in the middle of a 70 km hike at 4000m (13,000ft) altitude through snow-capped Andes.
Best day Hike in Bariloche in my opinion…
Refugio Frey.
It’s a decent day hike, all up about 20 km (12 mi) with a 1000m (0.6 mi) elevation gain.
Incredible views. With the end point being Refugio Frey. It was built in 1931 and there is a hostel and shop/bar where you can stay or continue walking, or cross-country ski in winter.
Costs: (per person)
These were my costs for my second much more perfected trip to Bariloche:
You can do this trip solo, with a mate, or take the Mrs.
Flights: Aerolineas Argentinas $250 USD total.
Airbnb: $70 USD per night or $210 USD total.
Car rental: $25 per day or $75 total.
Food and drinks: $150 USD total including top-end venues like Patagonia Brewery and Alto el Fuego Restaurant.
The total base cost of $685 USD for a minimal fuss, middle-end, 3-day holiday from Buenos Aires.
This is exactly why I love living in Buenos Aires, to have these incredible affordable options to take a complete break from city life.
Thanks for reading.
I hope I’m encouraging some of you to visit the Southern Cone of South America.
Especially now they’ve voted out the Socialists and are in a pivotal time in their turbulent political history.
I’m a weird unit but it’s exciting to see it all unfold in front of my eyes.
Especially as a capitalist Australian.
Cheers,
Jordan - Geologo Trader 🇦🇺
I’d go for the hiking alone
Alto al fuego es 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I loooooved Bariloche man