# SKI *
# SNOWBOARD *
# MOUNTAIN BIKING: Hop on a bicycle and take a fully guided tour through Coihue and Cipres forests and the best sceneries this Patagonian Area offers. The trip includes: transfers, specialized guide, picnic lunch and snack.
# RAFTING ON THE LOWER MANSO RIVER: Rafting on the Lower Manso River is the excursion to enjoy with your family, where nature and adventure combine in one of the most beautiful valleys of the National Park. The trip includes: transfers, complete equipment, specialized guide, lunch and snack.
# TROUT FISHING
# CABLE LIFT (Catedral and Campanario Mountains)
# HORSEBACK RIDING: Horseback riding through mountains, rivers and enjoying the beauty the forest offers. The trip includes: transfers, specialized guide, lunch (barbacue) and snack..
# SCUBA DIVING: The water transparency, sub-aquatic views and infinite choices to dive, make this one of the best places for diving. The trip includes: 90 minute testing equipment, 30-60 minute dive, complete equipment and instructors. (Consult other options)
# PARAGLIDING: Flights from Otto or Catedral Mountain. The fligth is with a professional pilot. No previous experience needed. Duration depends on weather conditions
# TREKKING (CHALLHUACO VALLEY): Guided walks through the beautiful valley, trekking and different activities at the refuge.Mountain hike to Laguna Verde (Green Lake).
# PASO FLORES (estepa patagónica): Visit native caves, petrified wood, enjoy horseback riding and warm water pool. Deer viewing. The trip includes: welcome snack, lunch and goodbye snack at the Estancia El Manantial, a true oasis in the middle of the estepe.
# LA TROCHITA AND BOLSÓN (ride on the Old Patagonian Express): After sight seeing around El Bolsón Town, we take the train "La Trochita" at Leleque, coming from Esquel. An excellent ride on the Old Patagonian Express to El Maitén.

  The province of Rio Negro

Population: 506,772 people
Surface: 203,013 km2
Capital: Viedma 
Main cities: San Carlos de Bariloche, General Roca, Cipolletti, Villa Regina, Allen, San Antonio Oeste, Río Colorado

Río Negro province is a varied region from the Atlantic to the Andes In the east, beautiful and extended beaches cover the coast, in the north the fertile Río Negro Valley produces the best apples in the world and in the middle of the province the desert spreads out, while in the west is plente of forests and lakes . The most important cities are San Carlos de Bariloche on the west, which is the door to the Andes, Cipolleti, General Roca and Viedma, all of them beside the Río Negro river.

General aspect: The relief presents mountainous formation in the western sector and plains and plateaus in the rest of the territory. The plateaus are cut by canyons and valleys, as well as low hills and depressions. The edge of the plateau is called "bardas" and when it reaches the sea it calls cliff. For several year ago a irrigation system was build. This system uses the Negro river to water by channels the fruits plants that cover the Río Negro Valley, being this one the main economic region of the province.

History: Puelches, Picunches and Vuriloches tribes of the Tehuelche aboriginal group lived in the area before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores. Pushed by the Spanish, the Araucanos crossed the Andes from Chile mixing with local ethnics.
Ferdinand Magellan was the first explorer to visit the coasts of the provinces in 1520. Priest Nicolás Mascardi founded the Jesuit mission Nuestra Senora de Nahuel Huapi in 1670 at the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, at the feet of the Andes range.
After the May Revolution there was a first attempt to relegate the aboriginals of the area, but it was not until the Conquest of the Desert commanded by General Julio Argentino Roca that the local inhabitants were reduced and the constant danger of their attacks eliminated. 
By the beginning of the 19th century, many settlements such as San Carlos de Bariloche, General Roca and Choele Choel were already constituted and received French and German immigration, and other such as Cipolletti, Ingeniero Huergo and others installed in the Alto Valle region. Soon the production of fruits became the main economical activity, and the railway connected the Alto Valle with the ports on the Atlantic Ocean. Río Negro acquired status of province on December 10, 1957.

The City

San Carlos de Bariloche is a city  surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno Lake and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing but also great for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.
The name Bariloche comes from the Mapuche word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (furi = behind, che = people). The Vuriloche pass was used by the Mapuches to cross the Andes and was kept secret from the Europeans priests for a long time.
Settled primarily by Austrians and Germans about 1895, San Carlos de Bariloche has the appearance of an alpine town.
Population: (2001) 93,101.
Tourism, both national and international, is the main economical activity of Bariloche, all year around. The main ski station is the one at Cerro Catedral. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters, from melting snow, are always very cold. Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C in the summertime). The fishing season is another great attraction.
Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and serves as a base for many excursions in the region.
Trekking in the mountains, almost completely wild and uninhabited with the exception of a few high-mountain huts, is also a popular activity. The city is also famous for its chocolates.

The city has a modern airport equipped to receive any kind of aircraft. Several of the most important airlines of Argentina maintain regular flights to Bariloche, as well as some international lines from neighboring countries, especially during the ski season.
It is a busy and commercialized city with more than 120.000 inhabitants that holds many tourist attractions that make the city one of the main tourist center of Argentina. Each year more than 700.000 tourists visit the region to enjoy the wonderful possibilities that the combination of the Patagonian desert and the rain forest of the Andes gives.

The Andean Area

The most visited area is that of the lake district near San Carlos de Bariloche inside the
Nahuel Huapi National Park, and neighbouring Neuquén Province. This includes the Isla Victoria, Camino de los Siete Lagos, Los Arrayanes National Park, and many trekking paths among lakes.
There are also numerous hotels and accommodations by the Nahuel Huapi Lake, most notably the luxurious Llao-Llao hotel.
El Bolsón is a mid-stop for those going to (or coming from) the Chubut Province's Los Alerces National Park, were home made beer and handicrafts are commonplace.
 

 CLIMATE
Something that must be taken into account when discussing the weather in Bariloche is the wind chill factor on the thermal sensation, those strong gusts of air makes the thermometer look like a liar. This is also true regarding the big differences between day and night temperatures.
During the southern hemisphere summer, between December and March, day temperatures can reach 20/28ºC and, sometimes even more than 30ºC.
At night these will drop down to below 15ºC. Obviously, the further we get into the cold season, the lower the temperatures. In plain southern hemisphere winter temperatures will be around 1º C / -10º C and at night below 0º C or less. But it is also worth to point out that the climate doses not respect much the calendar and its seasons, and thus, we can sometimes find ourselves with low temperatures and also rainfalls during the summer.

In the Cerro Catedral, the ski resort, temperatures will always be lower than in the city due to the relative altitude. The wind is also here another factor to take into account as you ascend.
Annual average rainfall in Bariloche is approximately 500 mm., mainly concentrated during autumn and winter. The regular rainy season usually starts in the month of May.
Thus it is always very hard to predict the weather in Patagonia.

WHAT TO PACK
For the trip we recommend to bring rain proof jackets and trousers, thermally insulated shirts, polar windbreaker, headgear with earmuffs, thermally insulated gloves and socks, shorts, sandals, sunglasses with UV protection, sunscreen and blocks and chap sticks (minimum factor 30) for your face and lips, insect repellent, sunshade, water proof hiking boots (if new, we recommend that you break them in before coming.), and other warm clothing. Now if you are travelling during the southern hemisphere summer months do not forget to pack shorts, T-shirts, sunglasses, bathing suits and comfortable shoes.

HEALTH
There are no endemic diseases in Argentina and thus you will not need any special vaccination before visiting.
Argentina is free of hoof and mouth disease, thus the there is no danger of enjoying a good steak.
Sometimes a red tide will restrict the possibility to enjoy seafood on the shell. Local media will always inform the public whenever this happens.
Argentina has an important network of hospitals, clinics and medical posts. In the big cities the hospitals are fully equipped to deal with most cases, however complicated, whilst in the most remote villages medical attention is on a basic level.

WATER
All the Argentinean cities that you will visit have potable water treatment plants. However, to avoid any unpleasantries we recommend you stick to bottled water during your trip, especially when in places off the beaten track.

TYPICAL LOCAL CUISINE
The Argentinean cuisine is very varied, just to mention a few typical dishes such as: Barbecued Asado Beef, pastry rolls, stews, corn dishes, regional fried turnover pies, tamales, etc.
We must not forget to mention the traditional beverage of the "Mate" which you will be able to try wherever you go, especially if you visit one of the numerous Estancia ranches that cater to travellers.
You must also always try the local delicacies, whether they are the Patagonian lamb or Tierra de Fuego crab, just to name a few.

In the case of the Lake Region - La Región de los Lagos, the cuisine here has managed to blend the most representative of European cooking with the best of Regional dishes. Here classic recipes receive additional touches such as the taste of fine fruits, trout and game meat such as deer or wild boar, combined with seeds, nuts and mushrooms from the forest, without neglecting classic dishes such as barbecued meat or on the spit or home made pasta.

And lastly, you must try the exquisite "Dulce de leche", a purely Argentinean invention.