Getting better with age, just like the wine we’ve been drinking! As a wise 23 year-old, I am here to tell you that Bariloche is a well-rounded adventure town that you should put on your bucket list.
The town is situated along the Nahuel Huapi lake, fed by the Río Negro that connects the other smaller lakes in the area. The water to land ratio is quite even, making the scenery impossibly glittery and enchanting. We stayed here for a week, which I think was a perfect amount of time (had we decided to go skiing at the nearby Cerro Catedral, another 2 days might have been called for).
We spent the week venturing to many small hikes along the water to breathtaking vistas. The town is known for artesian chocolate so we ate plenty.
For my birthday, Isabel surprised me with a rental car (which really made it feel like a bougie vacation with our Airbnb). We went to a brewery on the water and had a blast.
She also surprised me with a paragliding reservation. Does she know I am scared of heights? Yes. Does she care? No ma’am.
It was so, so cool despite my fear. It felt secure and I tried not to sike myself out by thinking too much. The entire event was made worth it by Izzy’s crash landing in which she flew across the grass face first. I died laughing.
Overall, a wonderful birthday week. We cooked most night and watched comedy movies (or iCarly) over a bottle of wine.
After a year and a half of sleeping in the same bed, it’s a bit sad to sleep in separate bunks every night for months. It was truly luxurious to sleep in in our own bed and raise the curtains to see the beautiful lake. What a life!
We are now spending a week in El Bolsón, a nearby town in a Patagonia valley that is much quieter and less touristy than Bariloche. It’s situated near the Rio Azul, a perfectly blue river fed by melting snow in the mountains. Gearing up for our Torres del Paine hike in a couple weeks!!
All my love,
Lauren Kinsey Kuhlman
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