Bariloche (Ruta de los Siete Lagos)

On our return from Colonia Suiza we decided to hire bikes for three days in order to further explore the surrounding lakes and mountains of Bariloche. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into...

Day one of the ride started well and we had a great morning of cycling alongside the Rio Limay. We followed the path of the turqouise river before passing through the Valle Encantado, where there were lots of impressive rock formations. The route was very scenic and the good conditions ensured we could enjoy the suroundings whilst also notching up 70km by lunchtime. After a sandwich and some mechanical assistance from the locals we left Confluencia for Villa Traful at around 3pm. Needless to say the afternoon did't go so smoothly...

The 35km long rubble road from Confluencia to Villa Traful was awful. It was rough, rocky and dusty - very demoralising. We struggled for nearly four hours in the scorching sunshine and when we ran out of water we decided to hitch a ride for the final 6km. Exhausted from the first day we had a quick dinner and an early night.

On the second day we woke up aching and tired so we were a little bit nervous at the prospect of a further 45km on the rubble road towards Villa La Angostura. Fortunately the road conditions improved a little and it was a much cooler day, so progress was steady, even if the ride was still a little bumpy! We were both very relieved when we reached the tarmac road that would lead us into Villa La Angostura – Joe was infact so pleased that he kissed the tarmac! After almost 80kms on the rubble road the final 15km into the town was very smooth and was a nice way to end another hard day. Two days of cycling had left us very tired, so we had another quick dinner with a few beers and then bed.

We were both really looking forward to the final day as it was tarmac all the way and the man in the bike shop had informed us that it was mostly downhill with a tailwind – he was very wrong. There seemed to be an endless number of long hills, and with the wind in our faces for the third day in a row, it was a very long and hard ride. However, the scenery was absolutely stunning as we rode along the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and could look back at the snowcapped mountains behind us. We arrived back in Bariloche at around 4pm after a further 80km, with very tired legs and sore bottoms! We celebrated our completion of the circuit with two huge argentinian steaks and some lovely red wine.

In hindsight, the route we chose was probably a little ambitious (250km in total with 80km on harsh rubble roads), but we both really enjoyed the challenge and found the trip massively rewarding. We saw some spectacular scenery as we cycled through lush valleys, past numerous lakes and dramatic snowcapped mountains. It was a great way to see the area and was a lot of good fun.

We are now back in Bariloche recovering from the exertions of the last few days. Next stop New Zealand...