Two hours south of Bariloche the mountains open into a valley with its own climate, where hops, berries and cherries grow and a town of artisans, brewers and jam-makers has set up the most famous craft fair in Patagonia. Beyond it, Lago Puelo, a lake inside a national park with the border with Chile at the far end. A day of lakes on the way, a fair, lunch in the valley and the lake in the afternoon.
El Bolson sits in a valley 120 kilometres south of Bariloche, lower and warmer than the city, under the Piltriquitron mountain. In the 1970s it became the place where people came to grow things and make things, and it still is: the craft fair on the square, the hop fields that supply the breweries, the fruit farms, the jams and cheeses. A few kilometres further on, Lago Puelo, in the province of Chubut, is a lake of turquoise water inside a national park of the same name.
The excursion leaves Bariloche early on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with a guide in English and Portuguese, follows the road south past three lakes and through the landscapes of the Pampa del Toro, the Canadon de la Mosca and El Foyel, and returns in the late afternoon. It runs as a regular service or as a private one for your party alone.
Out of Bariloche along Lakes Gutierrez, Mascardi and Guillermo, then through the open country of the Pampa del Toro, the canyon of the Canadon de la Mosca and the valley of El Foyel, with the mountains changing on both sides. About two hours, with stops.
The town and its square, where the fair sets up with wood, leather, textiles, jewellery, and the food of the valley: home-made jams, cheeses, smoked trout and beers from the local hops. Free time for the fair and for lunch in the town.
Through the farms of the valley, with their hop fields, cherry and berry orchards, towards the border of Chubut and the village of Lago Puelo.
The lake, inside Lago Puelo National Park: turquoise water between forested mountains, with the Chilean border at the far end and a beach to walk. Then the road back north to Bariloche, arriving in the late afternoon.
The craft fair is the heart of the day and it is at its fullest on Saturdays; on Tuesdays and Thursdays it is smaller and calmer. Bring cash in small notes: most stalls do not take cards. The valley is warmer than Bariloche, so dress in layers.
Lago Puelo National Park charges an entrance fee per person, paid at the gate in Argentine pesos; we tell you the current amount when we quote. Lunch is free in El Bolson, where the choice is wide.
No. It is a day we add to your Bariloche package if you decide to stay a little longer. 01Argentina arranges the whole trip — flights, hotel, transfers and the days you choose — and this is one of the days you can choose. When you write, we send you the detail of the day for your dates.
It can be either. The day runs as a regular service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, or as a private one for your party alone on the day you prefer. Tell us when you write and we quote it both ways.
Yes. The guide speaks English and Portuguese as well as Spanish.
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as a regular service. Saturday is the big day of the craft fair. If your dates in Bariloche fall on other days, we quote it private.
About eight hours from the hotel: two hours' drive each way with stops, the fair and lunch in El Bolson, and the lake. It is a day in the vehicle with easy walks, not a hike.
All year. Summer and autumn for the fruit, the colours of the valley and the lake beach; winter for the snow on the Piltriquitron and a quieter fair. The jams and beers are good in any season.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many days you have in Bariloche, and we will come back within 24 hours with the whole trip laid out — this day included if it fits.
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