Near the end of my night bus ride from Mendoza, the scenery began to change as the sun rose. Instead of flat gentle hills of sagebrush, the scenery now was more varied with more evergreen trees and hills. As we approached Bariloche, we could see the snowcapped jagged mountains as well as beautiful blue crystalline lakes.
Our bus pulled into the Bariloche terminal at about 8:30 AM and I learned I could take the #20 local bus down to the town center some 5 km away by using my SUBE card I purchased for metro rides in Buenos Aires.
When I got to the town center, I had an early steak lunch—cost $10 including tip—before heading up the hill to the Selina Hostel where I stayed for 5 nights.
I made one climb up and decided I would find a bus to take me up in the future. Fortunately, Google Maps has programmed all of the Bariloche routes. #50 bus route was the one I used to get up to the Selina Hostel. All of the bus rides here cost just 96 pesos—30 US cents.
The Selina Hostel was beautiful and huge with two swimming pools, large picnic areas, and even a skateboard park. There are over 200 beds and it seemed like half the people here were digital nomads. The Selina group of hostels has a high reputation for having robust wifi, quiet co-work spaces, and comfortable and clean sleeping rooms and bathrooms. They had a restaurant and bar serving a wide variety of foods and drinks at low prices. For example, the breakfast choices even offered eggs Benedict along with other normal fares.
Some of the reviewers complained about the high number of digital nomads vs travelers who wanted to be catered to by offering adventure tours and sightseeing tips by the hostel staff. Sounded like spoiled entitled travelers. I appreciate that many of the hostels I have stayed at recently are adjusting to the increased presence of digital nomads following the COVID-19 lockdowns.
I had no problems figuring out the local bus that would take me to the mountain ski area and boat tour areas for 30 cents for an hour bus ride. From there, I found some great scenic trails.
Bus #55 took me up to the ski area where they were finishing up a cross-country trail run where I ran into one of my bunk mates who was cheering on her friend who finished the muddy and dusty race. My SUBE card had run out of money so she covered for me on the bus ride back to town.
When I went down to the town square there was a huge crowd cheering on the Argentina futbol team in the World Cup. They beat Poland and people were celebrating all around town.
Bariloche reminds me of a combination of South Lake Tahoe—proximity to mountains and Lake Tahoe—and Leavenworth— with its Bavarian motif. The timeshare folks are moving in here big time by building big high-rise condos that begin to blot the waterfront views.
I took the #20 bus that ran along the Nahuel Huapi Lake for about an hour and 23 km until I got to Puerto Panuelo where I booked a boat trip to the National Nahuel Huapi Park.
After that, our boat dropped us off on Victoria Island where we were free to walk around on several circuits. I saw some cave paintings near the Playa del Toro.
One of those circuits was lined with sequoia trees and adjacent to that was the nursery for various plantings on the island, and a conservation education center.
School House on Victoria Island
This was a relaxing way to spend my last day in Bariloche including the hour back to town on bus #20 that drove along the lake with its many homes, hotels, timeshares, and restaurants.
In the morning I woke up early as I usually do when I catch a bus, plane, or train. I walked down the hill and quickly caught a #20 bus to the bus station. The bus terminal restaurant was open so I had my usual coffee con leche and scrambled eggs.
The Marga bus ended up being an hour late for the upcoming 24-hour journey to El Chalten. Unlike other buses I have taken during this South American trip, most of the passengers were foreigners and not Argentinian, Uruguayan, or Paraguayan. The seats were “Cama”—beds—which almost reclined fully which made for a more comfortable journey.
On the 5th, I took the Bondi flight back to Buenos Aires for the last week of this 2-month trip. I ended up near the back of the plane in a middle seat with my knees touching the seat in front of me. I guess this budget airline likes to pack them in. We flew up the coast in clear weather.
After landing, I quickly found the bus that took me near the Che Juan Hostel where I had first stayed at the start of this trip. Once again Google Maps provided me with where to catch the bus, its route, and where to get off.
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