Back to Bariloche – Thursday 01.02.2024
After visiting the various refuges in El Bolson over the last few days, I had to travel back to Bariloche today. Since I only had to take the bus back, I stayed in my tent a little longer today. At around 9:30 I packed everything up and walked leisurely to the bus station in the city center.
When I arrived at the bus station, I bought a ticket for the next bus to Bariloche. Luckily I got the last seat on the next bus, which wasn’t scheduled to leave until 12 p.m. I bought myself a cold soda at a kiosk on the other side of the street and sat on a chair in the shade in front of the shop and watched as buses with tourists kept arriving and leaving. Almost an hour later my bus finally arrived. I handed over my luggage and sat down in my reserved seat.
During the three-hour journey, I chatted extensively with Maulik, the person sitting next to me. The American, who grew up in India and was currently living in Zurich, Switzerland, told me about his travel plans and we exchanged ideas about our previous experiences in Patagonia. He also explained to me why his life has become much easier with his US passport, not just for traveling, and how working in Switzerland works for him.
After a long drive we finally reached Bariloche. I then stop at accommodation there and use the rest of the day to plan the next few weeks. In the evening I go out to eat in a Spanish restaurant.
Llao Llao Tour – Friday 02.02.2024
For today I had planned a short walk near Bariloche. Since strong winds were reported in the afternoon, I wanted to take advantage of the quiet morning hours.
So I got up early and walked a few meters to the next bus stop. From there I drove about an hour to Llao Llao, a small village just outside of Bariloche. When I get there, I get off the bus and set off straight away.
There is a sign at the entrance to the circular path that says the path is closed due to a storm warning, but I don’t let that put me off. According to my weather forecast, the storm wasn’t supposed to start until the afternoon and there was currently quite a bit of wind. So I walked around the sign and hiked along the small paths through the forest.
I soon passed some very interesting trees.
The path then took me to some lakes in the area.
Later I had to walk along a road for a short time to get to the next lake. Here I also met other hikers who, like me, were on the closed paths because it hadn’t really stormed yet.
Another longer passage through the forest followed. Since the path was very easy to walk and there were hardly any people to be found, I was able to relax very well during my walk through the quiet forest.
Shortly before the end of my little tour, there was a small climb to Cerro Llao Llao. Here too I met a few people who wanted to enjoy the beautiful view from above.
When I get to the summit, I sit on a large rock for a few minutes and take a closer look at the surroundings.
In the distance I could see some mountains that I had climbed a few days ago on my 5 Lagoons hike.
When it became increasingly windy after a while, I started descending again and made my way back to my starting point. On the way, I kept getting beautiful views of the area’s lakes.
Once there, I took the bus back to Bariloche and rested in my accommodation while the wind outside actually got stronger.
To my next destination – Saturday 03.02.2024
Today was the day when I was supposed to leave Patagonia after almost 3 months. I had originally planned to only spend a few weeks in Patagonia and then travel further north. Since I liked it so much in the very impressive, varied and beautiful area, I ended up staying here longer and really enjoyed my time. Despite everything, the time had come for me to leave Patagonia and move further north.
I had booked a flight for today that would take me further north. Since the plane wasn’t scheduled to take off until the evening and it wasn’t far to the airport, I first walked again to downtown Bariloche. I sat down for a while in a café and had a hearty breakfast.
Afterwards I walked to the beach one last time and enjoyed the view of the large lake with the mountains in the background. I strolled along the promenade for some time and enjoyed the warm rays of sunshine.
Around midday I looked for a suitable bus stop and then drove on to the airport. Since I still had enough time there, I had a little lunch. For the remaining hours I sat around, read a little and found out about other travel destinations etc.
In the afternoon I handed in my luggage, went through security and was on the plane a short time later. When we were finally in the air, I was able to get one last look at the beautiful lakes and mountains in the area.
Further to the north I could always see higher mountains, which were surrounded by a large blanket of clouds and made a very beautiful sight with the setting sun.
You will find out where my trip will take me next and what I have planned there in my next post.
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