Rainy Day Hike and Drive to Bariloche

Today was a transportation day from San Martin to Bariloche on Route 40 (iconic road like Route 66). We traveled a particularly scenic portion, the ’Ruta de Siete Lagos,’ but with the rain and mist, much of the scenery was hidden from us.

Still, we stuck with the itinerary and after an hour’s drive we took a hike to Ñivinco Falls. We had to remove our hiking boots to ford the stream in two places along the way. The rain let up a little to allow us to have a tea break by the riverside.

Continuing on for another hour we arrived in Villa la Angostura, a small picturesque tourist town, for lunch. We asked our new guide for the day—Martin—and our driver Julio to join us at a great pasta restaurant. Some of our selections included fresh trout, or ravioli with trout or deer meat (farmed, not wild) with a choice of sauce, Delicious!

The storm was pretty wild as we arrived at our hotel on Lake Nahuel Haupi (a native Mapuche name). The lake had big waves and white caps. Toward evening, we were rewarded with some rainbows across the lake.Read more