Circuito Chico Scenic Drive

The Circuito Chico, or Small Circuit, is the drive every first-time visitor to Bariloche is told to do, and for good reason. The road leaves the city along Avenida Bustillo and follows the southern shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi, passing the Regatta Club, the San Pedro peninsula and Puerto Bueno before reaching the Llao Llao peninsula, where the grand hotel, the municipal park, the little wooden chapel of San Eduardo and the pier at Puerto Pañuelo cluster together. From there the road swings inland past Lake Escondido and the Angostura stream, climbs to a viewpoint of around 945 metres over Lake Moreno and the peninsula, crosses the bridge over Lake Moreno and returns toward the city. Along the way sit Cerro Campanario, the detour to Colonia Suiza and a string of lookouts. The loop is about 60 kilometres of asphalt and takes three and a half to four hours with a guide, or up to a full day if you stop at everything yourself. A guided half-day tour with hotel pickup is the easiest option, especially if you do not want to rent a car or manage buses between stops.

What makes the circuit special is the density of scenery. Within a single morning you move from the city shoreline to a forested peninsula with cypress and coihue trees, to an alpine-style hotel set against a mountain backdrop, to open views over two lakes at once. The peninsula around Llao Llao is a protected municipal park with short walking trails, and the chapel of San Eduardo, built in local wood and stone, is one of the most photographed small buildings in Patagonia.

The Llao Llao hotel itself, designed by architect Alejandro Bustillo and opened in 1940, is worth a pause even if you are not staying, for the architecture and the setting.

There are three sensible ways to do it. A guided small-circuit tour, typically about four hours, handles the driving and the stops, and some departures include the chairlift at Campanario while others leave it as an extra, so check the inclusions when you choose. A rental car or a taxi for the half-day gives you flexibility, and the road is easy to drive.

Cyclists and e-bike renters tackle the loop over a full day, but traffic on Avenida Bustillo can be heavy in peak season, so the stretch near the city is better ridden early. In November, spring, the road is quiet, the lakes are full and the mountains still carry snow, which is one of the best times to do it.

Build the day around two or three real stops rather than ten photographs. Campanario for the panorama, the Llao Llao peninsula for a walk by the water, and Colonia Suiza for tea and local berries make a satisfying circuit, and a late lunch at one of the lakeside restaurants completes it.

Carry a layer for wind and a camera with spare battery, and leave the afternoon free for the chocolate shops downtown, because the loop pairs naturally with them. If the weather turns, the loop still works, because many of the best stops, the chapel, the tea houses and the hotel, are sheltered.