Side Trips

Cerro Otto

Walk, bike, drive, or ride a gondola to the top of Cerro Otto for sweeping views of Lake Nahuel Huapi, the Llao Llao Peninsula, and the high peaks of Catedral and Tronador. Popular local pastimes include paragliding, trekking, rock climbing, and, during the winter, skiing, tobogganing, and dog sledding. The road up to Cerro Otto takes visitors through a thick forest of pine, beech, and alerce (larch) populated with charming chalets. To walk (2-3 hr.) or bike, take Avenida Los Pioneros for about 1km (about 1/2 mile) and follow the signs to Cerro Otto or Piedras Blancas. Or take the free shuttle bus that leaves from Mitre and Villegas; it runs daily every hour from 10:30am to 4:30pm and drops you off at the gondola base. The gondola ride (tel. 02944/441035) costs $10 (£5.50) per person and runs January through February and July through August daily from 9:30am to 6pm; the rest of the year, it runs daily from 10am to 6pm. Atop the summit, you'll also find a revolving restaurant (tel. 02944/441035). About a 20-minute walk down from the restaurant, the Club Andino runs a cafe at Refugio Berghof, a rustic old mountain hut with heaps of character and a small museum about the area's mountaineering history.

Colonia Suiza

Don't miss the quaint Swiss pioneer village at Colonia Suiza, out on the Circuito Chico, for their twice-weekly curanto cook-ups -- a centuries-old style of cooking meat and vegetables deep in the ground. Both a lesson and a delight, curantos are held on Wednesdays and Sundays at the main plaza in Colonia Suiza. Founded in 1895 by the Goye and Mermaud families, who crossed into the area from Chile, this is also where Bariloche's chocolate industry was born. It's a tranquil little hamlet with a few restaurants and good campgrounds.

El Bolson

131km (81 miles) S of Bariloche

A lovely town of 11,000 set amid a lush valley, El Bolsón is equally famous for its artisan's fair and its microclimate, which makes it almost 7° F (4°C) warmer than in Bariloche. On Saturdays throughout the year, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays in summer, El Bolsón hosts a wonderful Artisan and Produce Market in its central plaza. Stroll the stands for organic fruit, wool sweaters, homemade jams, wooden cutting boards, and microbrewed beer. There are also vegetarian sandwiches, sweet waffles, and delicious Armenian empanadas to grab as snacks. It usually runs from 10am to 4pm. Because El Bolsón is in a basin surrounded by tall peaks, there is great hiking here. One of the most interesting hikes takes you up to the Bosque Tallado, a magical forest with sculpted tree trunks. Inquire at the Tourist Information Center, Avenida San Martín and Roca (tel. 02944/492604), for trail maps and other information.

El Bolsón is also known for its production of hops, its microbreweries, and its annual Beer Festival, held each year in late February. South of El Bolsón by 15km (9 1/3 miles) is Lago Puello National Park, where visitors can swim, boat, hike, camp, and fish.

Where to Stay & Dine -- The downtown core has some standard hotels, the best of which is Hotel Cordillera, Av. San Martín 3220 (tel. 02944/492235). Rooms have lovely balconies. Doubles start at $40 (£22). Outside town, you can soak up the authentic El Bolsón lifestyle at La Casona de Odile, Barrio Luján, Km 6 (tel. 02944/492753), a small inn and restaurant serving French cuisine and local produce. Rooms start at $15 (£8.25), and for $22 (£12) you can include three fabulous meals a day. Jauja, Av. San Martín 3261 (tel. 02944/493505), is home to an outstanding ice-cream parlor and a good restaurant next door with delicious trout entrees. Vegetarians will love La Calabaza, Av. San Martín 2518 (tel. 02944/492910), which serves soups, salads, and quiches.

South of El Bolson

Farther along the road is the village of Cholila, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out and ranched in peace, from 1901 to 1906. They became cherished members of this tiny community. You can still spot the old farmhouse the two fugitives built. South of Cholila, the outstanding Museo Leleque (tel. 02944/451141; Tues-Thurs 11am-5pm) is 6km (3 3/4 miles) from town on RP 15. Situated on an enormous ranch once owned by the South-Land Company, and now part of the extensive land-holdings of the Italian clothier family Benetton, this excellent museum focuses on the history of rural Patagonia. Nearby is the Los Alerces National Park, one of the world's finest fly-fishing areas. Its majestic giant alerce trees are more than 2,000 years old, and mesmerizing emerald lakes come into view at every turn. Esquel Outfitters (tel. 406/581-1760 in the U.S.; www.esqueloutfitters.com) will hook you up on a dreamy week-long fishing adventure, with accommodations in their luxurious and remote lodge.