San Carlos de Bariloche

San Carlos de Bariloche is the Argentine Lake District's largest city and an alpine-inspired town in foothills at the southern end of the Andes, at the edge of Patagonia. The name Bariloche comes from the Mapuche word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain". Tourism, both national and international, is the main economical activity of Bariloche, all year around. It sits on the shores of beautiful Lago Nahuel Huapi and is ringed by lofty mountain peaks. The city center bustles with touristy streets full of chocolate shops, souvenir stores and trendy boutiques. Bariloche's real attractions, however, are outside the city: Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi offers spectacular hiking and there's also great camping, trekking, rafting, fishing and skiing in the area.

There are fine hotels: it's an exclusive ski resort in winter, a center for walkers in spring and fall. Edelweiss Hotel, San Carlos De Bar, Dazzler, San Carlos Bariloche and Llao Llao Hotel And Resort are the best luxuary hotels in Bariloche. The nearby forests were the model for the forest drawings in Walt Disney's classic "Bambi." Close to Bariloche a chain of lakes leads to nearby Chile. Bariloche and the Nahuel Huapi region are one of Argentina's major outdoor recreation areas, and numerous operators offers a variety of activities, particularly horseback riding, mountain biking and white-water rafting. Nahuel Huapi's ski resort, Cerro Catedral, was once South America's trendiest, and has been superseded only by Las Lenos and resorts in Chile.