Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Sunset at Lago Correntoso

One of the things I did enjoy while in Villa La Angostura was to watch the sunset at Lago Correntoso which has a beautiful shore with a pebble beach.


Located right at the edge of the city, Lago correntoso is one of the seven lakes of the Patagonian region which renders spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Where to stay

There are many lovely venues to stay at Villa La angostura, from Hotels af all star ratings, to Air B&B and Hostels. I Bumped into the " La Angostura Hostel" by reference from some locals.

Located at 157 8407, A. L. Barbagelata, not more than 10 blocks from the downtown area, it is a very nice house with ample common areas, a well supplied kitchen and a comfy bed, which fills all my check boxes.

The price is fair and the staff is very friendly and helpful.

 

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Bosque de Arrayanes III

At the end of the trail you will find the Arrayanes forest, which used to be bigger and without other native species in the past.

a series of walkways takes around the forest, not much to see but tall trees, nevertheless they are majestic in their own way.

Definitely worth visiting, specially on a sunny day.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Bosque de Arrayanes II

Now after you made it to the end of the trail you will find the "Bosque de Arrayanes" (Myrtle forest) which is not that big but it will give you an idea of the size of the trees.

The Trees are great if you are into trees, but for photo purposes they are very limited. The real treat for me was the view of the lake and the sight seeing points.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Bosque de Arrayanes

My original idea was to spend a day in Villa la Angostura chilling out and preparing for the second leg of the trip which would be another 100 clicks.

But then I saw that "Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes is just outside the city, maybe 3 clicks from downtown, so off I went to spend the morning and early afternoon there. There´s a small entrance fee to the park and you can either walk or bike the 20 km trail. I biked (Helmet is mandatory)

There is only one trail which is well marked and gives you estimated time walking or biking. If you bike you will swear the first two kms which are up hill with stairs that are flimsy even for walking, meaning you have to carry your bike and gear till you hit the nice part of the trail which allows you to bike.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura - Where to stay

Gotta tell ya that I had not booked a place to stay in Villa La Angostura, cuz I did´nt know what time I was going to make it there or if I would make it there that day.

Fortunately I made it there with plenty of daylight to look for a hostel, not that the town is so big anyway.

After checking out some other leads I had, I found "La angostura Hostel" located at 157 8407, A. L. Calle Barbagelata. I stayed there for two nights and was very satisfied with the rooms, common areas and kitchen which had all the utensils to cook a fresh trout I bought at the local fish store.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - Villa La Angostura

So, halfway in between Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes you will find "Villa La Angostura". Having alraedy switched provinces from Rio negro to Neuquen.
Nestled in the Northern part of the Nahuel Huapi national park and surrounded by forests, Lakes and Mountains, its considered one of the most beautiful areas in the mountainous part of Patagonia, being rightfully called "The Garden of the Patagonia"

I spent a whole day to rest before starting the second leg of the trip, the town is really samll and tranquill and has some very nice surrounding areas to walk or bike on.

You might want to look for the covered bridge at one of the cities entrances.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - From Bariloche to Villa La angostura II

Now majorly during this first leg of the trip you will be going round the Nahuel Huapi Lake so there are a lot of panoramic shots to be taken.

The small lakes basically start after Villa la Angostura, but do not get me wrong, the scenery is still magnificent, and its very important to start early so you can enjoy as much daylight time as possible

 And don't be fooled by the Welcome to Villa La angostura sign, since there´s still another 15 clicks to go.

Trip to Bariloche in Autumn - Biking the Seven Lakes - From Bariloche to Villa La angostura

The seven lakes route is one of the most attractive destinations of the Argentine Patagonia ,it really starts in Villa La Angostura but really, I wanted to start in Bariloche to have bragging rights.

the distance is roughly 90 clicks from Bariloche to La Angostura, most people camp in between, but since I was at the end of the season I decided to do the trip in one day, (totally doable if you are in basic shape)Also I wanted to train for the second leg from V. La Angostura to San Martin.

I have to mention that the trip is all on good asphalt , a bit tight since the road does not have a curve but this is the most scenic part of Ruta 40 that goes all the way to Tierra del Fuego.

It has too many hills to count and is mostly and windy and windy (as in wind) specially when it hits a straight stretch around the Lake Nahuel Huapi which it circles around.

I know that this is a very frequented road by both cars and bikes, but I was really lucky since it was the end of the season plus some covid scare and I was practically the only cyclist on the road.

The trip was splendid, with a wonderful sunny day.

I stopped for lunch at the tip of Lake Nahuel Huapi and continued to Villa La Angostura arriving at 5pm.