Bariloche

A loop of 60 kilometres runs around lakes and peninsulas with several lookouts. A bicycle can cover it in a day and a few climbs come along the way.

A chairlift reaches the top in 7 minutes and several lakes come into view at once. The trees grow low, so the outlook opens on every side.

Public buildings of grey stone and log surround the square. A clock tower stands at the centre and the lake begins just beyond it.

Counted the largest ski area in South America, its runs face down toward the lake. In summer the lifts carry walkers up to the ridge.

A beech path crosses the thin neck of land dividing two lakes. From a small rise at the end, both lakes appear together.

An island out on the lake grows arrayan trees with red bark. The boat calls twice a day and walking round it takes two hours.

Boats and buses alternate across three lakes to reach the neighbouring country. It fills a whole day and the border is checked twice on the way.

A small settlement that Swiss families founded in 1895 is still here. A market runs on Sunday and Wednesday and sells meat cooked buried in the ground.

Soil and stone mixed into the ice turn it black, and falling blocks make a heavy noise. The gravel road is narrow, so climbing and descending are given separate hours.

Four hours of climbing reach a lake ringed by granite spires. Many walkers take a bunk for the night at the hut and come down a different way.

A gondola lifts you from the west side of town up Cerro Otto to its summit. The summit cafe's floor slowly revolves, so Lake Nahuel Huapi and the peaks drift past while you sit. In winter, sledding and cross-country skiing happen around the top.

From Villa La Angostura to San Martin de los Andes, Route 40 brushes past seven lakes one after another. Each time water opens up between trees, a pull-off waits. A same-day return is rushed, so many people overnight in San Martin.

A grand hotel of log and stone, designed by Alejandro Bustillo on a rise between two lakes. Its green roofs poke above the trees, visible from a long way off on the Circuito Chico. Non-guests can book afternoon tea and get inside that way.

A neo-Gothic church of grey stone by the lake, by Bustillo, who designed much of the town. Inside, stained glass shows local lakes and mountains. The lakeshore path behind it is where people frame the spire against the water.

A museum in one wing of the Civic Centre, named after the explorer Francisco Moreno. Mapuche silver jewellery and tools sit alongside mounted local wildlife. One room deals with the late nineteenth-century campaign that drove out the native peoples.

An island in the lake off town where the Peron government ran a secret nuclear-fusion project in the 1950s. The research proved a sham, and only the ruins of concrete lab buildings remain in the woods. Boats cross over, and a guide leads you among the ruins.

A small town just over two hours south, beneath Cerro Piltriquitron. Back-to-the-land settlers arrived in the 1970s, and crafts and hop farming took root. Its handicraft fair on the plaza defines the place and runs several days a week.

A gravel road forking off where Lago Mascardi ends leads to a waterfall dropping in tiers through the forest. Wooden steps and footbridges make the final approach a short walk. Many fold it into a day out to Tronador.

Raft trips run down the Manso River through the forest south of Bariloche. You choose between a gentler stretch and a rougher one near the Chilean border. The water comes down from glaciers and is bitterly cold, so wetsuits are handed out.

A pebble lakeshore at kilometre 8 of Avenida Bustillo, with Isla Huemul floating offshore. On clear midsummer days, towels go down on pebbles in lieu of sand. Such cold water means most visitors wade in only to the ankles.