"San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina" San Carlos de Bariloche by Futuristic

One hour and fifty minutes by plane from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, the San Carlos de Bariloche region is the most beautiful place on earth that I have visited.

This because of the splendid combination of snow caped mountains, thick forests, and a collection of lakes arranged in such a fashion that in certain observation posts you can turn around 360 degrees and every angle you look at is a "picture perfect" sight.

The town itself is built at the border of one of the lakes. One block paralell to the lake is the main street (Mitre) lined with nice handicrafts, leather, clothing, chocolate and specialty food shops.

Spring starts in September something to be kept in mind by those who do not like extreme cold or those looking for skiing conditions.

Avoid the high schools "graduating class" trips that take place September through December by going at some other time or staying at hotels with higher rates or at small hostels... To find a hostel ("hostería") you may check the list at this web page address: http://www.lodgebariloche.com/

Local transportation is not very expensive and I should have hired a vehicle for sightseeing instead of riding on the highly commercial (cheap) tours. If you are contracting local tours avoid the "Andes Patagónicos" travel agency as they cancelled one of my tours at the last minute and thus ruined my trip.

I stayed at Hotel Edelweiss which is acceptable. Try to get a room in the fourth floor or higher since there is a full block of (not too tall) buildings between the hotel and the lake. Breakfast is excellent and included on the room price. It is located a three to four blocks walk to the main street.

The best restaurant seems to be "Familia Weiss" famous for smoked and otherwise prepared trout. They also have a food specialty shop on Mitre street where you should stock up on pâtés of various flavors.

Try to make it to the top of at least one of the nearby mountains where you can appreciate the overall view. I went up to "Cerro Campanario" on an aerial chair. There are other more adventourous alternatives...

• Pros:Astounding sights, nice small shops, great food (trout, chocolates), skiing.
• Cons:High school crowds September through December.
• In a nutshell:You must visit at least once in your lifetime.