Hotel Tirol

Excellent food at a charming place

by andal13 about Familia Weiss

"Familia Weiss" is a traditional restaurant and smoked meat factory. The place has a nice and warm decoration, made of local woods.

"Familia Weiss" es un tradicional restaurante y ahumadero. El lugar tiene una decoración muy linda y cálida, hecha con maderas locales. You can taste various dishes: salmon, trout, deer, prepared in different ways, and a good Argentinian wine.

Probé una tabla de degustación que incluía varias carnes, salmón, trucha, ciervo, preparados de diferentes maneras, y un buen vino argentino.

Thunder Mountain

by TheWanderingCamel

Cerro Tronador - Thunder Mountain - at 3,491,metres the highest mountain in the Nahuel Huapi National Park - is a extinct volcano that lies right on the border of Argentina and Chile.
Known as Anon by the Indians of the region, the modern name refers to the loud roars and bangs made by avalanches from the massive overhangs of snow and ice and by the constant calving from the 7 glaciers high on on the mountain's slopes. The mountain, which straddles the border, has three clear peaks known as the Argentinian, the Chilean and - the highest - the International.

A popular excursion from Bariloche, the round trip to the mountain covers some 200km and takes all day, much of it spent on rough and narrow roads and includes some walking and easy hiking. As well as skirting two lovely lakes, the trip takes you into wild and remote landscapes with the prospect of a unique glacier of black ice as the highpoint of the day.

The mountain is a favourite destination for trekkers, climbers and campers alike and there are a couple of charming hotels along the way for anyone wanting to really get away from it all.

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

by Futuristic

"The most beautiful place I have visited"

One hour and fifty minutes by plane from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, the San Carlos de Bariloche region is the most beautiful place on earth that I have visited.

This because of the splendid combination of snow caped mountains, thick forests, and a collection of lakes arranged in such a fashion that in certain observation posts you can turn around 360 degrees and every angle you look at is a "picture perfect" sight.

The town itself is built at the border of one of the lakes. One block paralell to the lake is the main street (Mitre) lined with nice handicrafts, leather, clothing, chocolate and specialty food shops.

Spring starts in September something to be kept in mind by those who do not like extreme cold or those looking for skiing conditions.

Avoid the high schools "graduating class" trips that take place September through December by going at some other time or staying at hotels with higher rates or at small hostels... To find a hostel ("hostería") you may check the list at this web page address: http://www.lodgebariloche.com/

Local transportation is not very expensive and I should have hired a vehicle for sightseeing instead of riding on the highly commercial (cheap) tours. If you are contracting local tours avoid the "Andes Patagónicos" travel agency as they cancelled one of my tours at the last minute and thus ruined my trip.

I stayed at Hotel Edelweiss which is acceptable. Try to get a room in the fourth floor or higher since there is a full block of (not too tall) buildings between the hotel and the lake. Breakfast is excellent and included on the room price. It is located a three to four blocks walk to the main street.

The best restaurant seems to be "Familia Weiss" famous for smoked and otherwise prepared trout. They also have a food specialty shop on Mitre street where you should stock up on pâtés of various flavors.

Try to make it to the top of at least one of the nearby mountains where you can appreciate the overall view. I went up to "Cerro Campanario" on an aerial chair. There are other more adventourous alternatives...