San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, lies in Rio Negro province near the border with Chile. Since the 1930s the city has been a major tourism centre with ski, trekking and mountaineering facilities, as well as innumerable restaurants, cafés and chocolate shops.
Founded by a German immigrant, the city has a distinct Alpine town appearance and especially in winter draws tourists from around South America for its great skiing opportunities. This has lead to it growing to a year round population of around 100,000 inhabitants. Nearby Cerro Catedral is the biggest ski resort in the country with the most facilities including some first class restaurants and bars.
With 1,500 acres of skiing, Cerro Catedral offers good off-piste and a special park with rails and ramps for free style and snowboard skiing. Slopes rise up to 6,000 feet offering great snow from mid June to the beginning of October. Tourism has created a greater demand for fine dining and restaurants such as renowned chef Mariana Wolf’s Cassis and the hip Kandahar make sure that Bariloche can more than hold its own in this field as well.
Bariloche is also the location of Lake Nahuel Huapi and the National Park of the same name. It’s the oldest national park in Argentina, founded in 1934, surrounding the biggest and deepest (1,400 ft) clear water lake in the country. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters are always very cold).
A popular hiking and boating destination, it’s surrounded by a number of beautiful hotels, most famously Llao Llao, the best and most expensive hotel and resort in all of Patagonia. A little bit closer to Bariloche itself along the lake, Charming Lodge offers a smaller and more intimate place to stay at an equally impressive level.
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