Cerro Campanario Chairlift

Cerro Campanario is a modest hill on the Circuito Chico road, but it holds the single most photographed view in Bariloche. A chairlift climbs from the base at around kilometre 17.5 of Avenida Bustillo to a summit at roughly 1,050 metres, and the ride takes about seven minutes at an unhurried pace through tall forest. At the top a broad platform and a summit cafeteria with a large picture window look out over Nahuel Huapi and Lake Moreno, the small Trébol lake, the San Pedro peninsula and Victoria Island, with the peaks of Otto, López, Goye, Bellavista and Catedral behind them. On a clear day you can also pick out the Llao Llao hotel and the forest around Colonia Suiza. The hill is open year-round apart from a few off-season days when it closes for maintenance, and you can also hike up a forest trail in around half an hour if you would rather earn the view. Most visitors combine it with the rest of the Circuito Chico loop, because the base sits right on the road between the city and Llao Llao. It is a short, low-effort stop that rewards you far beyond the time it takes.

The hill is part of the glacial landscape that defines the Nahuel Huapi district: lakes carved by ice, long fjord-like arms of water, and forest that climbs straight up from the shoreline. Campanario means bell tower, a nod to the shape of the summit, and the viewpoint platform is built to take advantage of a rare feature of the area, a clear 360-degree outlook that is not blocked by trees.

In spring, which is the season you are in during November, the lakes are a deep blue, the lower slopes are fresh green and the higher peaks still carry snow, which makes for the most dramatic photographs of the year. In winter the lift still runs when conditions allow, and the same view turns white and gold at sunset.

Plan the visit around light and crowds. Late morning to mid-afternoon is the busiest window, when day-tour buses stop here, so the first departures of the day or the last hour before sunset give you the platform almost to yourself. Dress in layers even in warm weather, because the summit is windier and cooler than the base.

The summit cafeteria serves pastries, daily specials and hot drinks, so you can sit with a coffee at the window while the weather moves across the lake. Check the operator's hours and ticket prices before you go, since they change with the season and are not fixed year-round.

Getting there is simple. Taxis and remises run along Avenida Bustillo, the city buses on the Circuito Chico line stop at the base, and most small-circuit tours include a stop here. If you drive yourself, there is parking at the base. The chairlift is suitable for most ages and fitness levels, but it is an open lift, so people with a strong fear of heights may prefer the forest trail or simply the lower viewpoints.

Allow one to two hours if you are doing the loop, or around four hours if you travel from downtown and back just for the hill.