Bariloche Lake District

Argentina’s Lake District occupies the pristine northwestern corner of Patagonia near the Chilean border. Snowcapped peaks, crystalline lakes, waterfalls, ancient forests and colorful wildflower meadows form a wilderness landscape protected by a network of national parks and ecological reserves. The area is accessed through Bariloche, a resort town that has a European alpine flavor, owing to its original Swiss and German settlers. Many have compared Bariloche to Switzerland, and though there are similarities, this analogy does Bariloche a disservice. The region very much has its own identity. One key difference is that around Lake Nahuel Huapi, vast swaths of land remain completely pristine, with any development forbidden by the national park. Some of it feels Alpine, with rugged snowcapped mountain peaks, but waterfall-streaked primary forest covers the rest.