With the snow-capped craggy mountains, glistening glacial lakes, dark verdant forests and stellar panoramic vistas, the lake district of Argentina is like a wild Switzerland. While cycling Circuito Chico from San Carlos de Bariloche captures some of the beauty, the twisting drive along the innocently named RP234.
More typically known as The Seven Lakes Route or the poetic Ruta de Las Siete Lagos (do places sound more exotic and entrancing with their foreign name) is a superb one or two (or longer) day drive (more stopping time allows short walks time to explore the side roads).
From Bariloche the road weaves a torturous path through steep sided valleys smothered in forest past the glittering beauty of Nahuel Haupi Lake towards the village of Villa la Angostura. Legend dictates that the lake has its own spooky monster of the deep named Nahuelito. Various tracks up the local mountains offer superb alpine views while stunning large drop waterfalls tumble into the valleys below. The aptly named Cascadas Rio Bonito (Pretty River Falls) tumbles from a dark, rocky horseshoe-shaped outcrop – its turquoise-blue waters gleam in the heavily wooded surrounds.
The tiny nearby national park hosts a forest of ancient arrayanes trees, unique to this small part of the world straddling the Chilean-Argentinian border. Growing only a metre every thirty years, a boardwalk steers through an impressive 300 and 500 years old grove of the sprawling cinnamon-coloured trees, the dappled light creating a magical setting. This fantasy environment is thought to be the inspiration for the Disney movie Bambi.
The trees feature flaky, dry bark which peels away giving a blotchy aged appearance while their branches skew off at strange twisted angles. The arrayanes unusual roots spread across the ground and start to climb other trees with a number of neighbouring trees likely to be a clone of the same original tree. Arrayanes trees are unusually cold to touch with their ability to absorb the heat from the sun’s rays.
North of Villa la Angostura the road squeezes between lakes two and three – the tranquil Lago Espejo (Mirror Lake, photo) and Lago Correntoso (Swift Lake) – with peaceful walks around the lake’s shores. All the lakes reflect the mountain scenery into their still waters so it is difficult to tell why Lago Espejo received the iconic name of Mirror Lake.
Turning right, there is a wonderful detour to Villa Traful and Lago Traful which doesn’t even count as one of the seven. The wooden houses of the small fishing town are sprawled along the lake’s shores. Quiet walking trails wander through the surrounding forests unveiling waterfalls and views of the lakes while the town provides a wonderful escape and chance to unwind for a few days. Continuing through the town the road leads back to Bariloche and the Circuito Grande route (dotted path on the map).
Returning to the Ruta de las Siete Lagos, the mediocre road surface (some not asphalted) weaves its way north, tantalising paths occasionally leading from the main road. One road leads to an interesting alpine passage into Chile while the main route leads past the fjord-like azure blue Lago Escondido (Hidden Lake, top photo) surrounded by thick forest, the twin lakes of Villarino and Falkner and the impressive Vuliñanco Falls. 
Turning off and driving through a police post, the road leads to a small lake. The aptly named Lago Hermoso (Handsome Lake) is the most stunning of all the lakes, though not officially one of the seven lakes. Surrounded by forest and with a sheltered sun soaked beach quiet beach, the lake feels like an undiscovered gem with a tiny rustic campsite and small shop selling basic supplies.
From here the road runs down hill, the forest reduces and the land suddenly becomes much drier. Lago Machónico passes on the left and the wonderful vista from Pil Pil Lookout highlights the seventh and final lake of the journey – Lago Lácar and the touristy (and pricey) town of San Martin all nestled into Andes mountains. In winter, the town serves as a base for snow skiing among the nearby peaks.
The 200 kilometre Ruta de Las Siete Lagos offers a constant barrage of alpine scenery warranting time to stop, walk, view and enjoy the stunning panoramic beauty of the glistening lakes and snow-capped Andean peaks. Personally, the southern half of the route feels more remote and has greater interest but all offer a chance to commune with nature and enjoy this relatively unknown Argentinian Lake District.
Photo Credits: Escondido, waterfall, trees, espejo, hermoso
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Ruta de Las Siete Lagos (Bariloche, Argentina)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Switzerland of South America (Bariloche, Argentina)
More alpine European than South American, I could have easily thought I’d accidentally wandered into a Swiss village. With its enviable location, San Carlos de Bariloche snuggles up to the majestic Nahuel Haupi Lake though the drizzling rain and fading light hid the amphitheatre of snow-capped mountains and glistening glacial lakes.
Bariloche must be the cavity capital of the world. With a main square of cute alpine stone and wooden village houses and an elegant grey stone church steeple all staring over the lake, every second shop sells chocolates and nougat, samples tempting wary shoppers into their chocolate lairs. White chocolate, dark chocolate, nut chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate-covered fruit, chocolate nougat, chocolate fountains, chocolate fondues, chocolate of every form and shape and size. Feverishly made in front of eager shoppers and sample liberally shared, it is impossible not to be tempted by these sweet flavoursome jewels. Mamushka and Rapa Nui (less sales-y) are my favourites, but it is like a child selecting a favourite toy when they are all so enchanting and enticing. Dessert in Bariloche is simply wandering the chocolate shops sampling tasty sugar-sweet morsels.
However the main reason to visit Bariloche is to travel the inviting trails among the mountains and lakes. There are four main trails to choose from – Circuito Chico runs along the southern flank of Nahuel Haupi Lake, Circuito Grande runs a triangular course around a variety of lakes and the granddaddy tour is the Road of the Seven Lakes (Ruta de Las Siete Lagos) that travels north to San Martin through spectacular landscape. A fourth path takes a variety of buses and boats to weave a marine and alpine path through the Andes to Chile, one of the world’s more scenic and interesting border crossings.
Despite the fact I haven’t ridden a bike further than ten yards in over five years, I am assured that the best way to explore Circuito Chico is by bicycle (and chico does mean little!). Running along the lake, I am assured by the smiling tourist office that the path is flatter than a sumo wrestler’s mattress and a comfortable undertaking for anyone of average fitness with lots of stops on the way for enticing panoramic views. High on chocolate and with a promise of fine weather, I relent and hire a bicycle.
Packing my backpack with nutritious sticky nougat and enough chocolate to fuel a Tour de France team, the morning is picture perfect. Bypassing further shops flogging chocolate (can all these shops really stay in business selling the same goods?), the road hugs the glistening lake for kilometres passing the inviting Cerra Otto (the view from a later mountain is vastly better) and Pretty Beach (Playa Bonito) until reaching Cerro Campanario.
A short and slightly rickety chairlift (or aerosilla) ferries my exhausted legs to the top for a commanding view proudly described as one of National Geographic’s top ten views of the world. Always suspicious of such lofty claims, the 360 degree panorama is truly staggering and apparent the second that I clamber off the aerosilla.
Stellar panoramas (top photo), bracing mountain air, and breathtaking natural scenery abound in every direction. To the west, a chain of snow-capped Andean mountains is the scenic border with Chile while mountains in layers of deepening blue fade to the horizon only blocked by a handful of taller nearby peaks. The chaotic arms and legs of Nahuel Haupi Lake glisten and highlight the deep dark forests of the shoreline while other lakes daub the landscape. Bariloche seems a long forgotten starting point and is visible to the east almost twenty kilometres away.
Named like a Chinese giant panda, the exquisitely sited Llao Llao (pronounced jow-jow) Hotel (arrow in photo) sits on a narrow isthmus of land and doesn’t spoil the vista of this natural wonderland. 
Only a few kilometres further on is the Weiss Family Smokehouse. For 40 years, this Austrian-born family has been smoking various meats and fish making for a worthwhile brief detour before reaching the wooden St Edward the Confessor Chapel and the imposing and palatial Llao Llao Hotel. The chapel was closed but the hotel is open for business.
Though dressed completely inappropriately for this luxury hotel and somewhat sweaty and dishevelled, I front up for a reviving coffee and snack. The overly polite staff greet me like a long-lost son (they train staff well in fancy hotels!) and usher me to a quiet, hidden discrete corner.
Fully uplifted, the Circuito Chico leads towards a small forested peninsula for a tour around Perito Moreno Lake (who founded Nahuel Haupi National Park and for whom the famous Patagonian glacier is named) towards the hotel. A tiny forest hides the suitably named Puerto Pañuelo (Handkerchief Port) that offers boat trips to various islands within Nahuel Haupi Lake including Puerto Blest which eventually leads to Chile.
Following Nahuel Huapi Lake’s inappropriately named Tristeza (sadness) arm, Lopez Bay (Bahia Lopez) has more superb views of forested hills before crossing a small bridge that finally turns back towards Bariloche and back for further deserved indulgence into chocolate and nougat.
The Circuito Chico is a superb (and long) one day cycle (or half day bus ride) around stunning Andean scenery with a Swiss flavour and a highlight of the Argentinan Lake District.
Map courtesy of Bariloche Lake Front
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Mothers’ Boundless Love (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
The Irish super-group, U2 sang about them in Mothers of the Disappeared. These are every day Argentine mothers and grandmothers who lost their sons and daughters in the so-called Dirty War when they were seized by representatives of the military government of the time in the late 1970s. Most of the missing are assumed to have been tortured and murdered.
Every Thursday afternoon for over thirty years, this women’s group, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo have gathered in the main square of Buenos Aires to seek reunification with their children and grandchildren. They walk, slowly and purposefully, in a large circle adorned by stylised white shawls painted on the ground. The painted symbols appear a little like white doves, the universal symbol of peace. The women wear simple matching head scarves in white, embroidered with the name or names of their missing children. They chat among themselves catching up on the weekly happenings.
Adorned with the city’s main cathedral, the presidential palace and several major government buildings, the Plaza de Mayo celebrates the May uprisings which earned Argentine independence from the Spanish in the early nineteenth century. The Mothers today who gather also seek their own freedom and closure in this main square which represents freedom protests from another eta.
Some appear worn down - maybe by the passage of time, maybe by a heavy heart over the lost of their young ones, maybe by the stark duality of the significance yet apparent futility of this weekly gathering. Others walk with a strength drawn from pride, unwearied by the years of fighting for reconnection with their loved ones.
One grandmother I spoke with indicated in her broken English that she had missed attending this walk less than ten times in all the years of this weekly pilgrimage of protest. Her will and strength made it seem to me to be the most important thing in her life.
Surely a mother or grandmother can show no greater love.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Colourful Caminito (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
One of Buenos Aires’ most popular travel wonders is the colourful and energetic borough (barrio) of La Boca; a somewhat rundown area inhabited and built up by Italian immigrants over 100 years ago. Though overcrowded with tourists, buses, snapping cameras and vendors flogging tacky souvenirs, La Boca’s magnetic appeal is captured in the vividly painted narrow street, Caminito (literally, little camino or little street).
This haven for photographers has an enchanting history. Originally settled in the late 1800s by wharf workers from Genoa, it seemed practical to settle in the port suburb of La Boca. Being poor, they built shared housing (conventillo) from discarded materials such as wood and corrugated iron scrounged from around the warehouses. Elevated from the ground to avoid occasional floods, the conventillos were long narrow houses with small private rooms running off a central large patio area. To further save money, the houses were painted in a patchwork quilt of colour, using a variety of leftover paints from the shipyards. 
Today, most of this original character has gone but Caminito was recreated as a project by successful Argentine artist, Benito Quinquela Martin, whose fame derived from the crusty and character-filled illustrations of old La Boca. Turning Caminito into a pedestrian walkway and encouraging budding artists to populate the area, Martin rebuilt this alleyway to capture traditional La Boca in all its vibrancy.
Today, stunningly dressed couples entrance the tourists and encourage tips, passionately dancing the tango to pulsing rhythms and reviving the musical culture of past times. As you overlook the conventillos, it is easy to picture families getting together on the shared patios after a hard day’s work, playing their musical instruments and singing and dancing the night away. Cleverly, Caminito was also named after an original and popular piece of Tango music written by a famous resident of La Boca from the early days of the 1900s.
For more passion, nothing beats the rampant enthusiasm from the blue and yellow-clad supporters of the local football (soccer) club La Boca Juniors, who bred such legendary superstars as Diego Maradona, considered by some to be the finest player of all time (he shared the award of the world football association’s Player of the Century). His mural dominates walls throughout the barrio.
Like in many cities, if you wander a short distance from Caminito, you are a chance of discovering some fine paintings and crafts (especially, the colourful hand-woven shawls) at good prices and maybe get an opportunity to garner a more authentic experience of this bustling working-class district.
So while Caminito is highly commercial and touristy, it warrants a jaunt south from the European splendour of central Buenos Aires to experience the unusual history, a strong coffee at one of the street-side cafes and a chance to snap a few photos of the kaleidoscopic houses which line this lively cobbled street museum.
Photo Source: Football
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A Mother's Love (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
See Mothers' Boundless Love for a story about the Mothers of the Disappeared.
