Llao Llao and Bariloche: Patagonia’s Alpine Lake District, Without the Alpine Crowds

San Carlos de Bariloche sits at the eastern edge of the Andes, 1,600 kilometres south of Buenos Aires, surrounded by Nahuel Huapi National Park. The park covers 710,000 hectares of the Argentine Patagonian Andes, built around a lake system of extraordinary scale: Nahuel Huapi itself is 557 square kilometres, deep, cold, and an intense greenish-blue that reflects the surrounding snow-capped peaks. The town’s nickname “Argentina’s Little Switzerland” is dismissive – the Swiss Alps and the Patagonian Andes are different landscapes with different geological histories – but the architecture and the chocolate shops are real, a legacy of the Swiss and German immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century.

Llao Llao Hotel

The Llao Llao Hotel and Resort sits on a peninsula 25 kilometres west of Bariloche, surrounded on three sides by water and backed by the peak of Cerro López. The current building dates from 1940 (the original 1938 structure burned and was rebuilt within two years) and was designed by Alejandro Bustillo in a combination of Alpine and Patagonian styles using native pehuén wood and local stone. It is consistently listed among the best hotels in South America, and the setting – mountain, lake, and isolation in every direction – justifies the designation rather than undermining it.

The rooms facing Lake Nahuel Huapi on the upper floors are the ones to book. Standard rates run USD 600 to 1,000 per night in high season (December through March and the ski season). The shoulder periods of April to May and October to November offer better prices and excellent hiking conditions.

For those for whom Llao Llao’s prices are not viable, Bariloche has mid-range hotels (the Edelweiss on the main boulevard is reliable at around USD 120) and hostels from USD 15 per dormitory bed.

Cerro Catedral

The ski centre 19 kilometres from Bariloche is the largest in South America: 1,200 vertical metres of runs, 35 lifts, and a range from beginner slopes to serious black terrain. The ski season runs mid-June through late September. In summer, the cable car to the upper station at 2,100 metres operates for hikers. The view from the summit takes in the full lake system and is one of the more compelling panoramas in Patagonia.

Hiking

The trail network in Nahuel Huapi National Park is extensive and well-marked. Cerro Campanario (15 minutes from Bariloche by road) has a chairlift to 1,049 metres that is worth taking: the view across the Llao Llao peninsula, the surrounding lakes, and the Andes is the classic Bariloche image and has been called one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the world by Lonely Planet, which is the kind of claim that usually disappoints but here does not.

Refugio Frey is a four-hour hike from Cerro Catedral base to a mountain refuge at the foot of a granite tower formation, with Laguna Toncek below. The refugio has dormitory sleeping for around USD 25 per person and serves hot food. The landscape around the refuge is high-country Patagonia at its most dramatic.

The Seven Lakes Route

The drive from Bariloche to San Martín de los Andes through seven named lakes – Nahuel Huapi, Correntoso, Espejo, Escondido, Villarino, Falkner, and Machonico – covers about 110 kilometres on paved road and takes a full day with stops. April and May have the best autumn colour when the southern beech (nothofagus) trees turn red, orange, and gold.

Where to Eat

El Boliche de Alberto on Villanueva Street is the reference parilla (grill restaurant) in Bariloche. The bife de chorizo (sirloin) and Patagonian lamb chops are reliably excellent. Arrive at the 12:30pm opening for lunch rather than competing with dinner queues. A full meal with wine costs USD 25 to 35 per head.

Bariloche’s concentration of chocolate shops is a consequence of the Swiss immigrant community and is not a tourist affectation. Rapa Nui on Mitre Avenue does guided production tours and sells the better-quality versions.

Getting There

Bariloche airport (BRC) has direct flights from Buenos Aires (2 hours, USD 80 to 150 on Aerolíneas Argentinas or LATAM) and seasonal services from Santiago and other South American cities. The Argentine peso has experienced significant volatility; check current exchange conditions before departure and bring US dollars or euros for the informal rate.