Bariloche and bohemian El Bolson

Various people I'd met along the way said I should go to Bariloche. I originally planned to stay there for 3 days before heading to Mendoza. However, while I was flicking through my trusty Lonely Planet I remembered I had wanted to visit El Bolson, which is a small bohemian town just south of Bariloche.

So it was that I changed my mind and stayed in Bariloche for just one day and spent two in El Bolson and I'm glad I did.

My first impressions of Bariloche weren't great, I arrived in the early evening and I don't know if it was due to my sleep deprivation but I just didn't get a great vibe. I didn't feel in any danger just my initial gut feeling wasn't good.

I stayed in Periko's Hostel, which was really nice and I shared a room with two German students, who like me were also heading to El Bolson the following day and were even going to be staying in the same small hostel.

My bus wasn't until the afternoon so I spent the morning wandering up the main streets in Bariloche. The town is famous for its chocolate so every other shop was one selling the product. Aside from this the other shops were just the same old touristy ones I'd come to be used to in El Calafate and Ushuaia so I was glad to be moving on somewhere a bit smaller.

I then came to the Civic Square, which had an almost European vibe to it in terms of the architecture. It also had a good view of Nahuel Huapi Lake. From there I wandered along the shores of the lake where there were small beaches and even at 11am people were out sunbathing. 

I'm not usually one for visiting churches but there was something about San Carlos de Bariloche Cathedral that drew me to it. Inside, my curiosity was rewarded with the beautiful stained glass windows, which with the sunlight pouring through them added bursts of colour to what was quite a simple interior.  

One of the reasons people stay in Bariloche, aside from the chocolate, is it's proximity Nahuel Huapi National Park. Had I been there for 3 days I probably would have done some of the hikes considering I didn't think all that much of the city itself.

I got a taxi to the main bus station, which is 2.5 miles out of the city and caught my bus to El Bolson.

The town is located at the foot of the Pittriquitron mountain. It is surrounded by forests and the Rio Quemquemtreu runs through it. It is known for being quite bohemian so you could say it is like the Glastonbury of this region.

I booked to stay at La Casa del Viajero, which is a small hostel located a 15 minute walk from the main town. Mathias, the owner of the hostel, met me at the bus stop and took me to the hostel.

On the way he explained a little bit about the town etc. He also told me that there have been a lot of forest fires in the surrounding area, which I think must be down to how hot and dry it was there and we could even see smoke from one way in the distance. I have also heard that there may have been political reasons for the fires too.

The hostel was lovely, a great place to just relax and enjoy the surroundings. There were several hammocks strung up around the grounds, perfect for lazing in.

The six bed dorm I booked was in a small wooden cabin and it had its own bathroom and kitchen. There was a veranda outside the front with comfy seats.

As the hostel was so small and out of the way, it meant it was easy to get to know the other guests and we spent most evenings drinking and chatting. As a solo traveller these are the moments you come to relish especially after a long journey when you realise you haven't had a meaningful conversation for a day or two.

Due to the laid back nature of my surroundings I spent most of the next morning in a hammock in the garden before heading to the market. The weekend market in El Bolson is quite popular as local artisans and producers display their wares from handcrafted jewellery to honey and home brewed beer. 

While I was there I saw a lot of people's attention was drawn to the smoke coming from a wooded area just above the town. It was quite close as I could even see the flames. There were planes flying over dumping water on it, the proximity of the fire to the town was a little concerning especially as the slight breeze that day seemed to have spread it a bit too.

El Bolson is definitely the type of place you could end up staying in for a while just due to it's relaxing atmosphere. It was certainly refreshing to be somewhere where I could just sit in a hammock all afternoon reading a book and not feel like I should be off doing something else.

If I hadn't already got an onward bus booked I would have stayed on for another day at least and maybe I would have gone on some of the hikes around the town, although that hammock was pretty appealing too...