Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District

Guided Cycling Tours in Patagonia - near Bariloche, Argentina

Length 7 days
From USD$3995
Style/Level Classic 3.5
Countries Argentina
Chile
Begin/End San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina / Puerto Varas, Chile

Overview

Join us on our 7-day Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District from Argentina to Chile tour where we will cycle paved roads across the Continental Divide in the Andes, from Argentina into Chile. At this latitude, the mountains are much gentler than the severe Peruvian and Ecuadoran landscapes that come to mind when you think of the Andes. Our route winds from the high plateau setting of San Carlos de Bariloche along Andean lakes, down through the valleys of the border region and into Chile’s Lake District. Cycle past conical volcanoes and snow capped Andean peaks, and one of Chile’s famous rushing rivers, and relax in the tranquil settings of our lovely hotels.

***Extend this bicycle tour by 3 days. Visit our Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District Plus! the Island of Chiloé bicycle tour.***

Is cycling in South America for you? Check out our What to expect when Cycling in South America page.

Highlights

Argentina and Chile’s Lake District
Views of Osorno and Calbuco Volcanoes
Waterfalls on the Petrohué River
thermal pools
San Carlos de Bariloche. Puerto Varas

Includes

7 days, 6 nights accommodation
meals as noted in itinerary.
“The usual” (see Classic tour includes)

Keep in mind

We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.

Our bikes in Chile and Argentina feature aluminum frames. We do shuttle a number of times on this ride to avoid traffic or sections of rough roads. A/C or fans may not always be available since they haven’t traditionally been needed.

Itinerary

We meet this afternoon at our hotel in San Carlos de Bariloche. This bustling mountain town is a year-round destination for outdoor enthusiasts. We’ll meet late this afternoon to fit bicycles. After the fitting we’ll take a guided walk through Bariloche and enjoy a welcome dinner together.

Meals : Dinner
Lodging : Alma Suites del Lago

After a brief shuttle out of town we’ll do a short test ride to make any necessary adjustments to your bike before heading out on our longer route. Tiny back roads lead us through forests and offer stunning views of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the Lago Perito Moreno. Our ride ends at the base of Cerro Campanario. Freshen up at the hotel and then take a short walk to the base of the ski area where we’ll take the chairlifts up the mountain to enjoy a panoramic view of Bariloche – this is often called one of the top ten views in the world.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : Bosque Del Nahuel

Your day begins with a quick shuttle to Lake Nahuel Huapi. From there, you’ll set sail on a catamaran* and view Bariloche’s surrounding area from a different perspective as you float towards the Quetrihué Peninsula. Upon docking we’ll walk a wooded path through Arrayanes National Park and some of the most pristine myrtle in South America. In the 1970’s, this 300-year-old myrtle stand was awarded special protection under the Argentine government. Local legend has it that Walt Disney walked through this forest in the late 1930’s and it inspired his choice for Bambi’s cinnamon color as well as the film’s setting. Our hike will take between 3 and 4 hours. *In December the catamaran schedule changes so there will be a longer (1.5 hr) group shuttle to Villa La Angostura. We will still get to enjoy a 30-minute catamaran ride on Lake Nahuel Huapi before setting out on the hike through Arrayanes National Park.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging : Hosteria El Establo , Sol Arrayan Hotel & Spa

Today’s ride is all about crossing the Andes! While Argentina and Chile share the same latitude, Argentina’s dense and diverse vegetation is distinctly different from the lush green forests and farmlands of Chile. Prepare to be awestruck as you enjoy the incredible shift in landscape while pedaling from Lake Espejo over the Cardenal Samore Pass (4,311 feet) to our thermal resort at the Termas de Puyehue. We’ll have a picnic lunch together before enjoying the downhill into Chile! Be sure to take advantage of the hotel’s wonderful thermal pools before dinner together this evening.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Termas De Puyehue

There are a few options for today. Stretch your legs on a guided 2.5 hour hike, or relax by the hotel’s hot springs pool, before lunch at the hotel. We’ll shuttle to the starting point of your ride, overlooking Lake Llanquihue. After a quick downhill, you’ll pedal the east side of Lake Llanquihue with stunning views of snow-capped Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes in the near distance. Enjoy tranquil farmland and small forests before reaching our lakeside hotel. For those wanting a full day’s ride, you may depart the hotel this morning by bike and enjoy a picnic lunch along the way.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Petrohue

Just after leaving our hotel, plan to visit the famous “Saltos de Petrohue,” waterfalls. Continuing our ride around Lake Llanquihue we’ll enjoy more great views of Osorno Volcano on our way to Puerto Varas, a small but bustling town with numerous craft stores and great walks along the lake. We have the inside scoop on Puerto Varas’ best restaurant for dinner together this evening.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Solace

Our tour ends after breakfast this morning. We’ll offer a shuttle, or you can take a taxi to the airport in Puerto Montt which is less than a half-hour away for those who are flying home. If you need to return to Bariloche, we recommend transferring across Todos los Santos Lake. This trip has daily departures and the bus leaves just one hundred meters from our hotel! It is a beautiful and relaxing boat and bus trip and you’ll arrive in Bariloche in time for a late dinner. Whatever your plans, buen viaje.

***Extend this bicycle tour by 3 days. Visit our Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District Plus! the Island of Chiloé bicycle tour.***

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we dermine day and tour levels.

Dates & prices

Date	Price	Private room fee	Note
Dec 2-8, 2023	USD$3995	USD$600	Book by August 1st to receive a $200 per person discount!	Book it
Feb 3-9, 2024	USD$3995	USD$600	Private Departure	Book it
Feb 17-23, 2024	USD$3995	USD$600	Book now and save $200 per person	Book it

Date	Dec 2-8, 2023
Price	USD$3995
Private room fee	USD$600
Note	Book by August 1st to receive a $200 per person discount!
	Book it

Date	Feb 3-9, 2024
Price	USD$3995
Private room fee	USD$600
Note	Private Departure
	Book it

Date	Feb 17-23, 2024
Price	USD$3995
Private room fee	USD$600
Note	Book now and save $200 per person
	Book it

Bikes

E-Bikes in Argentina and Chile

Frame : Aluminum with front suspension
Type : E-Bike (Chile and Argentina)
Gravel Style Hybrid or Road Bike In Argentina and Chile

Frame : Aluminum frame with carbon fork
Type : Hybrid
Road Bike

Frame : Titanium with Carbon Fork
Type : Road

Arrival & departure

Pre-trip planning checklist

Photos

See all trip photos

Reviews

The guides were very good. Great trip.
Thomas E.Houston, TX
I’ve taken numerous bike tours with various companies and will say that ExperiencePlus! offers the best value for the money. Also, I find my fellow bikers in the ExperiencePlus! groups to be the easiest to get along with and among the nicest I’ve ever met while traveling – no whiners! Some of the more expensive bike tour companies tend to attract more high-maintenance travelers (who care more about the hotel and dressing up for dinner than the biking), meaning the focus of their trips will often stray from the biking and cultural experience. I like the fact that ExperiencePlus! will choose/recommend restaurants where the locals themselves dine.
Charlene L.Jersey City, NJ
The tour leader was outstanding. She was most attentive to our needs and helped us have the best experiences …
William D.Goshin, CT
[What I liked most was] the ride to Fruitallar. It was so beautiful and not much traffic.
Whitney R,Fresno, CA
[What I liked most was] The biking and the treatment we received from the tour leaders. Especially the birthday cake they provided at the day-three dinner for my 61st birthday.
James M.HI
We just returned from the Argentina – Chile trip and wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had. The tour leader did an outstanding job leading this inaugural journey and along with our Argentine guides made our ride fun and interesting. The Chiloé extension only added icing to the cake. What a beautiful island filled with very special people and gorgeous scenery. I would highly recommend to anyone going on the bicycle trip to not miss this added bonus. It is well worth the time and money.
Larry and Corky B.Herkimer, NY
Thanks so much for everything, I feel really blessed in having such nice tour leader all the time. And I’m in love with the Hotel Puelche in Puente Varras, archecturally it was interesting, the porportions and lay out, plus the food was goood.
Barbara H.Lexington, MA
The trip was well organized: the guides were attentive, informative, helpful and fun to hang out with; the hotels were great; restaurants that were included or recommended by the guides were fabulous; bikes were in “new” condition; the other people on the trip were great travel companions. I would definitely recommend your company to anyone looking for a bike touring company and I hope to make it on another one of your trips some time.
Jeff F., Cottekill, NY
Thanks for a great ExperiencePlus!
Jeff W., Fort Collins, CO
I enjoyed listening to our guides’ regional stories, the scenery was magnificent crossing the Andes and the food was terrific in Chile.
Lisa N., Pottersville, NJ
What was your favorite experience on this trip? Hard to choose…stunning scenery, challenging climbs, helpful, supportive tour leaders. I also loved the garden luncheon, and enjoyed the farm tour.
Julia V., Nottingham, NH
I have to say that this was the best vacation of my life! I loved the guides, the places we stayed, the people, the challenges of our first bike trip, and of course the family together (without any disagreements!)
Toni H. Steamboat Springs, CO
What was your favorite experience on this trip? The breathtaking scenery, the camaraderie of the folks in the group, the challenge of daily riding, the food and wine, the chance to see how another culture lives.
Kathleen L., Springfield, VA
Great bike, great guides, great people, great scenery, great experience.
Justin L., San Francisco, CA
An awesome tour. Best bike I have had on a tour (besides my own). I’ll be back
Patricia S., Alexandria, VA
I had such a fantastic time on this tour. I think I can speak for my whole family when I say that this was my most favorite vacation of all time. I absolutely LOVED the hotels including the range and variety we got to stay in. Food was good, especially breakfast. Loved the empanadas as well. I felt like I really got to experience a great part of Patagonia and even the volcano was a good story. All pre-trip correspondence was so informational and very much helped me to prepare for the trip.
Tiana E., Steamboat Springs, CO
I have described this as the best vacation of my life.
Toni H., Steamboat Springs
I would recommend the tour until I am blue in the face. We loved the cycling, we enjoyed the people we met, and we had such fun at the stops…
Gillian Q., Vancouver, Canada
Another fine ExperiencePlus! trip!
Robin D., Oakland, CA
The guides were excellant–always available and helpful. It was a great biking as well as cultural experience!
Diane W., Boulder, CO
Spectacular scenery, excellent leaders, wonderful hotels. Most of the rides were truly breathtaking
Samuel S., Asheville, NC
This was my first cycle tour and it has set a very high benchmark. Beautiful scenery, informative and attentive tour guides, challenging but very rewarding rides. The luxury of not having to worry about a maps, directions when cycling is excellent (loved the chalk arrows) and it was lovely to arrive at each of the accommodations and our luggage was waiting for us in the room.
Trina M., Gwellup, Australia
The scenery was amazing. Hotels and meals were also amazing and our tour leaders were the best!!!
Walter S., Westmeadows, Australia
Exquisite.
David H., Littleton, CO
Amazing scenery, great food, great wines, very knowledgeable and helpful guides.
Michael S., New York, NY
Beautiful and challenging ride. Very amazing guides who worked well together. Most hotels were great and delicious food.
Lynn H., University Place, WA
How would you describe this tour to a friend? Beautiful views of mountains, lakes and volcanoes. Exposure to indigenous plants in national parks. Although daily distances are not long, the terrain is not flat.
Carolyn H., Portland, OR – December 2018