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| Getting out our picnic lunch |
Running short on time, and wanting to make it up to Mendoza sooner rather than later, Jed and I decided to spend only two days in Bariloche (referred to as the Switzerland of the South). We arrived at about 10am to our hostel (Hostel Bariloche) and had breakfast, unpacked, and then took the bus out to Cordillera bikes where we had rented bikes for the afternoon to partake in one of Bariloche´s most popular activities – biking the Circuito Chico, a 35km ride that offers stunning views of the numerous lakes and mountains. The ride was an absolute killer – we´re talking constant uphills and then downhills, but the views you were rewarded with were definitely worth the work.
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| Enjoying a nice break at Gilberts Cervezeria |
Towards the end of our ride, Jed and I detoured to Gilberts, a brewery with an awesome ambience of high ceilings, wooden beams, and great beers for pints and a delicious chocolate and waffle covered raspberry. I also have only wonderful things to say about the father and son that run Cordillera bikes – they were professional, helpful, and offered insider tips about places to stop, and were willing to pick you up should you run into any problems on the road. The son even gave us a ride back to our hostel when we had finished!
More photos from the two days:
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| One of our many detours...Playa Trunca |
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| Beers and waffles... what more could you want after 30km of biking? |
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| Mirador lookout |
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| At the mirador |
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| cafe lookout at Cerro Companario |
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| Beautiful sunset over Lago Huapi on our way back | | | | | |
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| Chairlift ride up to the top |
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| View from Cerro Companario |
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| view from Cerro Companario |
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| At the top of the Cerro Companario lookout |
| Practical Information: Bus from the bus station to most hostels (3pesos), bus from hostel to place to rent bikes (6 pesos, one way), full day bike rental (70 pesos, 65 during off-peak season), chairlift to Cerro Compananrio (40 pesos, roundtrip). The bike ride of Circuito Chico is said to take a max of 3 hours moving, but definitely allow yourself more time for that - you will want to make some detours from the main route, as well as make stops for food, drinks, and photo ops. I would say 6-7 hours to be safe. |
Towards the end of our ride, Jed and I detoured to Gilberts, a brewery with an awesome ambience of high ceilings, wooden beams, and great beers for pints and a delicious chocolate and waffle covered raspberry. I also have only wonderful things to say about the father and son that run Cordillera bikes – they were professional, helpful, and offered insider tips about places to stop, and were willing to pick you up should you run into any problems on the road. The son even gave us a ride back to our hostel when we had finished! 
Samantha
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are amazing, I hope you are having the time of your life, we miss you terribly here, and hope you are safe and well.
Michael