Patagonia: Andean Lakes Crossing

The landscape of Patagonia’s unparalleled beauty is the highlight of the ‘Cruce Andino’ Tour. Bordering Chile and Argentina, the Andes Mountains stretch 4,400 miles from southern Venezuela along the western coast of the continent to the southern tip of the Argentina territory, making them the longest mountain range in the world. With an average elevation of 3,962 meters above sea level, the Andes are also the second highest mountains in the world — only the Himalayas are higher.

More than 500 years ago, on the southern part of this mountain range, native Puelche and Poya people began to cross the Andes Mountain to trade root vegetables, seeds and ceramic goods, creating the first trade route between the pacific coast and central territory. After Luis Ponce de León captured and sold Tehuelches (‘Fierce People’) people as slaves in a 1649 expedition, the Spanish faced uprisings by the local population. Nevertheless, the early indigenous groups here were wiped out by epidemics brought by the Europeans and through assimilation with Mapuche invaders. Later, the Huilliche and Mapuche continued to use this route to trade livestock.

Today this classic Patagonia journey is retraced by visitors on the 11-hour Andean Lakes Crossing Tour from Puerto Varas to Bariloche (or vice versa).

Patagonia’s German Influence

Although centuries have passed since this trade route was established, the area wasn’t settled until Carlos Wiederhold, a German descendant born in Chile, crossed the Andes and set up a warehouse he named La Alemana (The German).

Immigrants — mostly from Austria, Germany, and Slovenia — began to settle in the area and thus was born ‘San Carlos’ in 1895, today the city of San Carlos de Bariloche.

This ancient immigration route crosses a variety of lakes including Llanquihue, Todos los Santos, Frías and Nahuel Huapi. Throughout the region, visitors see the Alpine-style architecture typical of Patagonia dotting the landscape.

After the first world war, this was developed into a commercial tourism route by Ricardo Roth Schütz, an Argentine born to Swiss parents. Today people from all over the world visit this area, captivated by its virgin nature that has remained unspoiled over the decades.

The Trip: Puerta Varas to Bariloche

Starting in Chile, the tour departs from Puerto Varas at 8 a.m. It begins with an hour-long drive around Llanquihue Lake, and through the Llanquihue Nature Reserve. During this leg of the trip you will be able to see the Calbuco Volcano, one of Chile’s most active on the right-hand side of the road, surrounded by the Valdivian jungle, a temperate rain forest.

Among the beautiful foliage in this rainy micro-climate is the Pipilvoqui, a climbing liana, that only grows natively in this region. The Arrayán, or Chilean Myrtle, is also unique to this ecosystem and dominates this area of the Quetrihué Peninsula. This endangered tree sheds its bark and features a distinctive red-colored trunk. Some specimens of the Arrayán in this area are 650 years old. The ash cloud of the Puyehue volcanic eruption in 2011 severely affected the trees here, but if the area remains unexploited they should repopulate in the rich volcanic soil.

After approximately 50 kilometers, the tour arrives in Petrohué to visit the Saltos de Petrohué (Petrohué waterfalls) crossing a short pathway to walk along the Petrohué river. The group then boards the first catamaran to navigate the calm Lake Todos los Santos.

On clear days, there are amazing views of the snow-capped Osorno volcano, Puntiagudo Hill and Mount Tronador, with its nine glaciers glistening on the summit. This first boat ride last for an hour and 45 minutes, and is the longest of the trip.

Puella, Chile: an Optional Overnight Stay

Once in Peulla it’s time for lunch and coffee surrounded by the immensity of the Valdivian jungle at the Natura Hotel, the only lunch option in this remote area.

Other activities at this four-hour stop in Peulla are canopying, horse riding and hiking. Visitors have the option to stay overnight at the homey four-star Natura Hotel Patagonia and continue the journey the following morning.

Whether staying overnight or not, the tour guides will provide the immigration form that required for the Chilean Customs Office. Get your passport ready, eat your snacks and ditch your shank before going through customs — fresh groceries, dried fruit, and weapons are not permitted across the border.

From Peulla, a bus takes visitors through the Perez Rosales National Park for approximately two hours. On this stretch, the guides highlight the various bird and plant species of the 1,000 year-old Valdivian Jungle as well as the bordering points between Chile and Argentina in various stops.

Puerto Frías is the formal entry point to Argentina. In Puerto Frías visitors can see a replica of the 1939 Norton 500cc motorcycle that Ernesto Che Guevara used to cross the Andes and nicknamed the ‘La Poderosa,’ or ‘The Mighty One.’

Frías Lake is an emerald lake that gets its crystalline greenish color from the melting glaciers’ minerals. This smaller lake is only five square kilometers and its navigation takes around 15 minutes. If the sky is clear, this portion of the trip provides one of the best views of the Mount Tronador, the highest in Nahuel Huapi National Park, at 3,491 meters above the sea level. In winter, shallow parts of the lake freeze into a turquoise color that lends itself to amazing landscape photos.

Puerto Blest & Nahuel Huapi Lake

Once the boat arrives to Puerto Alegre, there is a quick bus ride to reach picturesque Puerto Blest. In Port Blest there is time for a brief visit to the Hotel Puerto Blest, a lodge dating to 1904 (which was modernized and reopened in 2015) with an incredible panoramic view of the Cerro Tres Hermanos (Three Brothers Peak). Those who chose to spend the night in Peulla, will arrive at Blest port around midday, which allows for an optional two kilometer walk to visit the Cántaros Waterfall. Those who do the whole tour in one-day won’t have time for this trek due to time constraints to get the boat to Puerto Pañuelo.

The Nahuel Huapi Lake, located in the national park of the same name, is the largest lake in Argentina at 557 square kilometers — the equivalent of three times the surface area of Buenos Aires. The greatest depth measured is 464 meters, in the Blest arm of the lake.

This last navigation on Nahuel Huapi takes approximately one hour, passing by the Isla Centinela (Sentry Island) and the Cascada Blanca (White Cascade waterfall). Centinela Island is where Francisco Pascasio Moreno, a scientist and explorer is buried with his family.

Moreno was a judge in the border negotiation between Chile and Argentina and declared that the frontier between the two countries should be based on the highest mountains instead of an aquatic boundary. Since this decision in 1902, the border goes through the highest mountains on the Argentinean side of the range, such as Mount Tronador.

For his efforts, the national government donated a huge mass of land to Moreno, that is today part of the territory of Nahuel Huapi National Park. With this, Moreno became the creator of Argentina’s national parks, making Argentina the third country in the Americas to have a national park system.

In Puerto Pañuelo (Handkerchief Harbor) resides the emblematic Llao Llao Hotel, a circa 1938 hotel that is a traditional destination for VIP’s visiting Bariloche, such as the Obama family in 2015. It is also the location for the 2018 G-20 summit.

The Llao Llao sits on a steep incline over the dramatic Punilla valley. This stop offers a good chance to take some pictures before the last bus stretch to downtown Bariloche, 25 kilometers from Puerto Pañuelo. In Bariloche visitors are dropped at their respective hotels.

Whether done in one day or two, the Andean Lakes Crossing Tour is an extraordinary experience for nature lovers through unforgettable Patagonian landscapes. —Daniela Massolo

⇒ Learn more about the Andean Lakes Crossing tour here.

Note: This tour can be done the other way around, departing from Bariloche with Puerto Varas as the destination. It can also be extended into a two-day trip. To arrange it, please get in touch via our contact form with ‘Andean Lakes’ in the subject line.

Culinary Quirks of Argentina: What to Eat, When

Sizzling steaks, Malbec from Mendoza, cheese-laden pizza and pastries galore — Argentines are proud of their food, from the succulent to the sweet.

Local culinary quirks stretch further than just drinking mate and devouring meat whenever possible though. Here certain foods are meant to be eaten only at certain times, and mealtimes will seem regimented to those used to eating whatever they want at anytime of day.

The Argentine Breakfast

Medialunas, sugary croissants, displayed in a Buenos Aires' bakery — Medialunas: Argentina’s favorite breakfast.

Say goodbye to piles of pancakes, bacon and cereal. An Argentine breakfast is short and sweet, with emphasis on the sweet. Expect pastries, biscuits, perhaps some cake, or a few slices of toast eaten with soft cheese and jelly. Argentines usually wash down their breakfast with a coffee or yerba mate tea, setting the trend for the rest of the day.

Main Meals – Lunch and Dinner in Argentina

Lunch is usually the largest meal of the day. A favorite at any time is the empanada, a stuffed savory pastry. Two or three of these constitute a main meal at either lunch or dinner and are often eaten as snacks. At dinnertime, an empanada may be ordered as a starter.

Those who have been in Argentina for a while may get empanada fatigue, or indeed empanada belly from all that cheese. If this happens, seek culinary company in other empanada-overloaded foreigners — Argentines appear to never tire of their favorite snack.

Argentine migas, mini crustless sandwiches — Ham and cheese migas, or mini sandwiches

Miga sandwiches, are usually only eaten in the afternoon, but slip onto buffet menus in the evening. They are flat sandwiches made from crustless white bread and are the sort of thing one might expect to nibble at a child´s birthday party. Tasteless or not, they are extremely popular in Argentina and the bakeries are full of varying combinations of the sandwich – though the classic ham and cheese reigns as the most popular.

Other standard Argentine fare draws from the Mediterranean influence, including milanesas (breaded meat patties), pasta dishes and tartas, which are similar to quiche, but with less egg. For more egg try a tortilla, which is not a flatbread but an omelette.

Foods traditionally eaten in the North of Argentina including stews such as locro and guiso de lentejas are popular during the winter months.

A 'picada' as served in Argentina. IT is a platter of cold cuts and cheese — A typical ‘picada,’ an Argentine platter of cold cuts and cheese

Cold cuts of meat, cheese and olives constitute a picada, a platter which can be an appetizer at a barbecue or shared as a protein-powered snack at restaurants such as Buenos Aires’ La Poesía.

Merienda– The Key to Surviving the Day

In order to keep going during the long gap between lunch and dinner, adopt the local habit of the merienda — a couple of pastries and a coffee eaten between 5-7 p.m., sometimes in a typical cafe.

The evening meal is not even thought about before 9.30 p.m., so a tea time snack is often necessary. Women at this juncture will declare they are ‘cuidandose’ – on an endless diet before nibbling their sugary treats.

Despite the daily intake of unhealthy snacks, the ceaseless diet seems to be the reason why Argentines are generally thin, though some believe it’s because mate suppresses the appetite.

Other quick snacks during the day come from kioscos (convenient stores), which display a large variety of sweets, chocolate, biscuits and other sugary snacks.

Asados (Argentine Grilled Meat)

An asado (Argentine barbecue) appetizer of sausages and organ meatss — An asado (Argentine barbecue) appetizer consists of sausage and organ meats including chorizo, morcilla, chinchulin, molleja, and riñón (sausage, blood sausage, offal, gizzard and kidney).

Argentines have a well-earned reputation as carnivores. At any asado or barbecue, the general custom is to eat as much meat as is humanly possible. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that what’s is on the table is all that’s available — there’s always more coming off the grill. Squeamish types should avoid asking which part of the animal they’re eating, the answer will likely put them off their intestines. (For those who really want to know, see our post, Cuts of Meat).

Eating salad with the asado is acceptable, if only as a symbolic gesture to make one feel better about their gluttony. The local (and supposedly spicy) relish chimichurri is the proper accompaniment for meat — be aware that slathering a steak in ketchup will draw disapproving looks.

Argentina’s Pizza Obsession

Pizza is an acceptable meal to eat at any time and is devoured with great gusto. The Argentine enthusiasm for a thick wedge of dough overflowing with mozzarella (or mozza) and a couple of olives is endless. Don’t let the team down by ordering anything fancier than a basic mozza, except for perhaps an oniony feast in the form of fugazetta. Vegetarians should note that a vegetable pizza comes with acelga (a chard similar to spinach) and a white sauce instead of cheese.

Don’t forget to order faina, a chickpea flat bread. This should be placed on top of the pizza so both can be eaten together. Pizza is usually consumed with beer, or in traditional pizza houses, the sweet wine moscato.

Among the company of Argentines, who, it should be noted, eat their pizza with a fork and knife, it is wise not to suggest that the pizza elsewhere in the world — even Italy or New York — rivals the Argentine version. This not only causes great offense, but the pizza-traitor will be regarded as deranged and forced to eat yet more cheese-laden-pizza until they admit they are mistaken.

Sweets: After Dinner & All Day

The sacred sweet of Argentina is dulce de leche. Never make the mistake of suggesting that the sweet spread is the same as caramel, or inferior to it. Dulce de leche contains no butter, just milk and sugar, and makes an appearance in the majority of sweet snacks. Dulce de leche is particularly common in pastries, alfajores (Argentine biscuits) and the popular birthday party cake, chocotorta.

The classic Argentine dessert Sopa Inglesa

Other common puddings include flan, rice pudding and sopa inglesa, which is a cake similar to another local favorite, tiramusu. Zuppa Inglese, as it’s known in Italy, translates to ‘English soup’ as it was inspired by English desserts popular in the 19^th century.

Ice cream is also an Argentine favorite, and is the customary asado dessert. It is high-quality and made the old fashioned way. It comes in the nation´s favorite flavors, dulce de leche, and mate. It must only be a matter of time before the idea of a Malbec or beef ice cream catches on.

For a sweet/savory dessert combo, adventurous types should try quince (membrillo) with cheese. The tang of the quince mixed with the cheese tantalizes the senses of some, and leave others wondering what all the fuss is about.

Get the Dates Right: Gnocci and Locro

A bowl of locro, a popular corn, bean and meat stew served on national holidays in Argentina — A bowl of locro, which is cooked up on national holidays in Argentina

There are certain dishes which are customarily eaten on particular days. Gnoccis, (ñoquis spelled the Argentine way) are eaten on the 29th of the month. This tradition began as gnoccis are a cheap filling dish that were perfect for the end of the month when money was tight. These days, the dish is not actually that cheap, but Argentines counteract this by putting money under their plates as they eat their gnocci to attract prosperity for the coming month.

On patriotic holidays such as 25 of May and July 9th, proud Argentines cook up a stew in the form of locro. This hearty dish is made of corn, pumpkin, beans and meat and is perfect for winter evenings. Word of warning: some versions contain tripe, or cow intestine.

—Rosie Hilder

Five common Ordering Errors in Argentina and How to Avoid Them

Mistake	Reality
Assume that a vegetable empanada is a healthy option full of fresh vegetables	Empanadas de verdura rarely contain anything more than acelga, which is a substitute for spinach.
Ordering empanadas, tarta or pizza with salad or another side dish	These foods should not be combined with anything except each other. Eating salad with pizza is a viewed as a disgusting mix and should not be attempted without fear of serious social reprisal.
Adding black pepper to food	Add large quantities of salt, but never pepper on everything – including salad, especially salad. The Argentine salt obsession is so widespread that in 2011 the government actually made it illegal for salt to be put on the table in restaurants. The waiters of Buenos Aires have mostly chosen to ignore this law.
Expect anything to be spicy	Truly Argentine taste buds will not tolerate spice, and have tongues as sensitive to chili as they are to badly prepared meat. Foreigners wanting to blend in should forget the flavor altogether and remember that plainness is the spice of life in most Argentine households. Don’t believe it? Try a milanesa de soja.
Ordering a burger completo and expecting a variety of salad on the side	An Argentine-style hamburger as served on the street in La Boca, Buenos Aires Completo means you burger will come with lettuce, tomato, cheese, ham and the key ingredient, a fried egg. In other words, one meal closer to a heart attack. Add mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard to get the full effect.

[Read more…]

Buenos Aires’ Hippest Hostel: Art Factory

Art Factory hostel is a cool option for a stay in Buenos Aires, not just for the graffiti throughout each location, but the relaxed, friendly vibe.

Since opening their original location in Palermo a decade ago, Art Factory has debuted three new locations, making this hostel more popular than Buenos Aires’ longtime favorite for single travelers, Milhouse Hostel.
A room with two beds and a chair at Art Factory Hostel in Buenos Aires
Each Art Factory location is housed in classic, restored building. Inside the style is comfortable and colorful with murals along the hallways and in each room. Aside from the usual amenities such as towels, sheets, and wifi, Art Factory features a bilingual staff, free coffee and tea all day, a breakfast that includes eggs and fruit, a library, ping pong tables (at the Palermo location), and free activities such as Spanish conversation classes.

Which Art Factory Hostel Location is Better?

A private double room at the Art Factory Hostel in Buenos Aires The original Palermo location is spacious and perfectly located to enjoy the many restaurants and clubs nestled around the hostel.

The more minimalist Act Factory Soho, in a large black corner building, is just five minutes from the Plaza Italia transit hub, making it a good location to get around the city. Light sleepers should note this is the noisiest location, but the private rooms are very nice.

The San Telmo Art Factory is for free spirits who want to stay in the south of the city and enjoy their large roof-deck close to downtown attractions such as the Plaza de Mayo, the San Telmo Fair and the walkable and modern Puerto Madero neighborhood.

Beer lovers will definitely want to stay at the newest location, the Art Factory Beer Garden, which claims to be the first hostel in Buenos Aires with its own (quite lovely) beer garden, twenty types of beer on tap and a live DJ spinning music. The outside of the Art Factory Hostel in San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Art Factory Hotel Original
Costa Rica 4353
Palermo

Art Factory Soho
Charcas 4500
Palermo Soho

Art Factory Beer Garden
Paraguay 4539
Plaza Italia, Palermo

Art Factory San Telmo
Piedras 545
San Telmo

Buenos Aires Tango Festival & World Cup

Every August it’s time to put on a sultry face and slide into a tight embrace on the dance floor at the Buenos Aires’ Tango Festival.

At this yearly tango festival, tango aficionados and international visitors enjoy live tango orchestras, dance shows and competitions, tango-related films, art exhibitions and of course milongas (dance parties), celebrating Argentina’s most famous dance.

The free two week event is hailed as the world’s largest tango-related festival with 2,000 performers and nearly half a million visitors. This larger event is preceded by the citywide Buenos Aires Tango Championship, held every May — this year from the 9th to the 20th.

Julio Balmaceda & Corina de la Rosa dancing tango — courtesy of Festivales de Buenos Aires

Bailongo in Buenos Aires

Although today considered one of the country’s most sophisticated cultural exports, tango was born at the end of the 19th century in the working class portside neighborhood of La Boca. An immigrant community of mostly struggling, single European men meant there was a dearth of women at the time.

Men danced with each other to practice for the day they might have the chance to seduce one of the few single ‘ladies of the night’ available. Because of tango’s early association with crime, the outlaw language of lunfardo and poverty, upper crust Argentines originally turned up their noses at the dance.

Once the sounds and moves of tango exploded in Europe in the early 20^th century, wealthy and middle class Argentines co-opted the once underground sound and began composing more purified tangos, bringing the sexy dance into their ballrooms.

Since the 1990’s tango has experienced a new renaissance in Buenos Aires and worldwide. UNESCO included tango on their Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2009.

Throughout the festival there is a variety of open milongas allowing the public to dance to the live sounds of traditional tango orchestras, tangotronica DJ’s and tango-inspired fusión groups .

Among the living tango greats who have hit the stage here are Saúl Cosentino with his avant-garde tango tunes akin to Piazolla; Bandoneon virtuoso, Julio Pane; and composer and the former bandoneonist for Alfredo Gobbi, Alberto Garralda. Other performances include an homage to Grammy winner, Leopoldo Federico, who performed at last year’s Tango Festival and then died at 87 a few months later, and a retrospective of Russian tango of the ’20s and ’30s performed by the Belamor Kanal Quartet. Bringing more modern tango sounds are acts such as Cumbre de Contrabajista (Summit of Stand-up Bassists) and French composer, guitarist and singer, Brian Chambouleyron (on a double bill with the aforementioned Alberto Garralda).

For those who dream to dance tango like they own the floor, the festival hosts dance classes and talks with local dancefloor legends such as Milena Plebs, Sebastián Arce, María Nieves, Julio Balmaceda y Corina de la Rosa, Fernando Galera, Vilma Vega and 82-year-old Juan Carlos Copes.

World Tango Competition

The festival culminates in the Tango World Cup in which the world’s best tangueros compete on stage for prestige and cash prizes in the Salon Tango and Stage Tango Competitions at Luna Park.

All the activities and shows at the Tango Festival are free. Tickets for Tango World Cup are first come, first serve, and will be given out at the Casa de Cultura, Av. de Mayo 575. There is a two ticket limit per person. The 2018 date to pick up tickets has not yet been announced.

For all other limited seating events, tickets are given out beginning two hours before the show.

To see a day-by-day breakdown of the Tango Festival events and the World Championship Dance competition see the Buenos Aires Culture Department’s official webpage linked below.

Tango BA 2018: Citywide championship competition

May 9-20

Buenos Aires Tango Festival & World Cup 2018

August 9-22,
Buenos Aires Culture Department Festival Page
• Tel: . 0-800-333-7848 (Mon-Fri 10a.m.-8p.m)

→ Check out other tango tours and activities to learn the dance or check out the city’s milongas with a local.

→ Book safe airport transfer and reserve your accommodation online to save money — you get the 21% VAT tax back when you book online with a credit card.

→ See our suggestions, ‘What to Pack for Argentina.‘

Tango Festival Venues

Downtown

•Luna Park
Av. Corrientes y Bouchard
• Tel: 5279-5279
• Bus: 4, 6, 20, 22, 23, 26, 28, 33, 45, 50, 54, 56, 61, 62, 74, 91, 93, 99, 105
• Subway: Línea B, L.N. Alem stop

•Teatro Colón
Cerrito 628

Bus: 5,9,10,17,24,26,45,59,67,70,75,99,100,106,132,146
Subte: Line D: Tribunales stop; Line B: Carlos Pellegrini stop; Line C: Diagonal Norte stop

•Teatro Astral
Av Corrientes 1639

Bus:5,6,7,23,24,26,37,50,60,102,115,124,146,150,180
Subte: Line D, Callao; Line B Uruguay stop or 9 de Julio; Line C Diagonal Norte

La Boca

• Usina del Arte
Av. Don Pedro de Mendoza 501 (corner of A. Caffarena)
Bus: 4, 8, 20, 25, 29, 33, 53, 64, 86, 129, 130, 152, 159, 168, 195

•Museo del Cine
Agustín Caffarena 51
Bus:4, 8, 20, 25, 29, 33, 46, 53, 64, 86, 129, 130, 152, 159, 168, 195

•Teatro de La Ribera/La Milonga del Dique
Av. Don Pedro de Mendoza 1821
Bus:8, 20, 25, 29, 33, 46, 53, 64, 86, 129, 152, 159

Caballito

•Espacio Cultural Adán Buenosayres
Av. Asamblea 1200

Almagro

La Catedral
Sarmiento 4006

•Espacio Cultural Julián Centeya
Ave. San Juan 3255

Villa Urquiza

•Teatro 25 de Mayo
Av Triunvirato 4444
Bus: 71, 112, 114, 127, 133, 176
Subte: Line B, Echeverría Stop

Cerro Catedral: South America’s Budget Tahoe

Catedral Alta Patagonia in the vast winter playland of Argentina’s Lakes District is the country’s largest ski destination.

Cerro Catedral, as it’s more commonly known, is popular both for its extensive terrain spread across three mountains and its 19 kilometer (12 mi.) proximity to Bariloche, Patagonia’s second largest city.

The 1030 meter (3379 ft.) high resort boasts 120 kilometers (75 mi.) of terrain on 50 different slopes served by 38 lifts, one tram and four-person gondolas.

A photo of Cerro Catedral in Bariloche from the peak, photo by Ryan Rambo — Cerro Catedral in Bariloche as seen from the peak. photo: Ran Rambo

South America’s oldest ski resort debuted in 1938 and today features a full-service village at its base, making Bariloche the only bona fide ‘ski town’ in Argentina.

New and Improved Slopes

In 2009 the aging resort underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. The revamp doubled the lift capacity to 22,000 and added four kilometers of cross-country skiing trails, a new terrain park, a tubing trail and a toboggan run.

Catedral’s modernization also included the purchase of snowmobiles and quadbikes for back-country tours and to reach the exclusive mountain restaurant, La Cueva.

The upgrades brought Cerro Catedral newfound international attention. In the same year Ski Rebel magazine dubbed Bariloche a ‘winter sports giant.’

The Toronto Star went so far as to call Cerro Catedral the world’s number two ski destination after Aspen, Colorado. Due to the wet conditions and proximity to Lake Nahuel Huapí, Cathedral is actually best compared, not to Aspen, but to Lake Tahoe.

The snow at the lakeside ski mecca is usually more like ‘California cement’ than light ‘champagne powder,’ the heavy snow and some older lifts are the resort’s biggest drawback for spoiled snow hounds accustomed to skiing in the Rockies or the high Alps.

Still, Cerro Catedral is a favored destination for pro skiers and snowboarders from the Northern hemisphere for its deep powder and extensive off-piste terrain. Only 17% of Cerro Catedral are novice runs, 35% are intermediate and the remaining 48% is advanced and expert terrain.

→ Book flights to Bariloche online

Spectacular Views and Rave Reviews

As happens often in Argentina, the rave reviews compelled Catedral to jack up their prices, making the lift tickets out of reach for many Argentines. Day passes at Catedral cost are about half the price of more professionally run resorts in the western U.S., Europe and Canada. For international travelers, Catedral isn’t the bargain it once was but the increased tickets prices are still offset by Argentina’s succulent steaks and fine Malbec.

Bariloche qualifies as an excellent candidate for ski junkies from the northern climes looking to ski during their summer but during the high season, it isn’t a bargain.

If you were going to move to South American to be a ski bum, Bariloche would probably be your best bet, but unless you hold local residency papers the season’s pass costs a a couple of thousand dollars. A monthly pass costs nearly a thousand dollars in the high season.

This region of the Andes is one of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes but if good skiing conditions are your main pursuit you may be more satisfied with Portillo resort in Chile or Las Leñas in the Mendoza province. It is a trade-off though — the views, dining and services at isolated Las Leñas can’t compare to the activities offered at Cerro Catedral and around Bariloche though.

When to Go

Bariloche’s snowfall has been disappointing early in the season the last couple of years and the resort doesn’t make as much snow as it could at the base of the mountain.

The best time to go to Bariloche to ski is later in the season, even August. Travelers should keep in mind that the school holidays during the July/early August high season mean that Bariloche and the slopes of Catedral are crowded with relatively inexperienced skiers at that time. There also seems to be a laissez-faire attitude toward slope grooming and a dearth of ski patrol to keep macho skiers in check.

Intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders will have the most fun if they head to the top of the mountain early and stay up there all day. The backside’s La Laguna area is not to be missed.

Beginner skiers will be happy to find that lower cost tickets are available for just the bunny slopes. Skiers 70-years-old and up get the rock star treatment they deserve all season — tickets for seniors are free. So all 70-year-young ski bums should put Cerro Catedral on their bucket lists.

If you are serious about skiing, bring your own equipment and ski wear to save time and money, otherwise basic equipment rental is available at a reasonable price.

⇒ Even more adventure! Book a Half-day Canopy Tour in Bariloche

→ Read about the Andean Lakes crossing tour and book online

• Read about hotels in Bariloche or book hotels in Bariloche online.

Cerro Catedral
San Carlos de Bariloche
Río Negro Province
Tel: (02944) 420268

Summit: 7,152 ft. (2180m)
Base: 3,379 ft. (1130m)

•Open: Average of three months per year
•Season: Late June/Early July until Late September/Early October (depending on snow conditions)

• Childcare services offered
• Those 70+ ski free!
• Equipment rental available
• Heliski available

Getting there from central Bariloche:

• By car: Take Bustillo Avenue to kilometer 8, turn left to reach the parking area.
→ Read about driving in Argentina and renting a car

• By bus: a free shuttle leaves for Cerro Cathedral every 30 minutes from the bus station and stops all along the main strip in downtown Bariloche and along Bustillo Avenue