Bariloche

Bariloche is an alpine town alongside a crystal clear blue lake. I took loads of photos around here - it was an amazingly beautiful place.

There's some hiking that can be done directly from the village, which I did on the first day. However, to see the really good stuff you need to go into the back country. On the last day, I teamed up with an American guy from San Diego - we rented a car and drove out there, and spent probably my best day hiking ever. It was glorious.

The day didn't end as well as we hoped though - we had intended to hike up to the top of this nearby mountain, then go back down and drive further up the valley where there was a glacier. Unfortunately, the trail up to the top of the mountain was very over grown and we figured we must have taken the wrong turn - so we headed back and did not get enough time to see it.

Bariloche is a beautiful place. Furthermore, they have this "refuge" system - a series of log cabins - that allows you to travel from refuge to refuge, going on multi-day hikes without having to carry a tent, or anywhere near as much baggage as usual.

I've already decided that my ideal vacation next year for November is to fly to Buenos Aires for the weekend, then spend 5 or 6 days hiking around Bariloche, finishing up with one last night out in Buenos Aires before flying home.