Cerro Campanario: Bariloche Travel Guide (4.9★)

A summit that takes seven minutes

Most Patagonian views have to be earned. This one mostly doesn’t. A two-seat chairlift lifts you from the roadside base on Avenida Bustillo to a summit of roughly 1,050 metres. The ride takes about seven minutes, with your feet dangling over coihue and cypress forest.

At the top you reach a broad viewing platform and the summit confitería, and the whole lake district opens around you. Cerro Campanario is one of Bariloche’s best-known stops. Its view is the one that turns up on postcards and in “best views in the world” lists, so expect company.

What you’re actually looking at

The panorama runs a full circle. It helps to know the names before you’re standing up there trying to match peaks to the map. Turning clockwise, you can pick out:

• Lago Nahuel Huapi, the big glacial lake that runs off toward Chile
• Isla Victoria, the long forested island in the middle of it
• Península Llao Llao and the red-roofed Hotel Llao Llao on its neck
• Lago Perito Moreno, split into its two arms
• Laguna El Trébol, the small clover-shaped lake below
• Cerro López and, behind Bariloche itself, Cerro Otto and the Cerro Catedral range

Information panels on the platform label the main features. Snow sits on the higher peaks for much of the year, and it brings out the outlines of the ridges best.

Getting to km 17.5

The base sits on Avenida Ezequiel Bustillo, the lakeshore road that leaves Bariloche heading west. It is also the first big stop on the Circuito Chico loop.

• By bus: line 20 runs from the town centre along Bustillo toward Llao Llao. Ask the driver for Campanario, or watch for the km 17.5 marker. City buses take a rechargeable SUBE card, not cash, so load one in town first.
• By car or bike: there is parking at the base. Cyclists doing Circuito Chico often start here, since the rental shops cluster around km 18–19.
• By taxi or remise: quick, and handy if you’re adding Llao Llao afterwards.

Taking the lift or the path

A steep footpath climbs beside the chairlift. Most fit walkers reach the top in 30–40 minutes. It’s loose and dusty in summer and slippery after rain or snow. Coming back down is harder on the knees than going up.

The chairlift can stop in strong wind, which Patagonia supplies generously. If the lift is halted, the path is your only way up. Blankets are sometimes handed out for the ride in cold months, and the wind at the summit cuts through a light jacket even in January. Bring a proper layer whatever the season.

Working around the crowds at Campanario

This is a well-trodden stop and tour vans add it to almost every Circuito Chico itinerary, so plan for a shared summit. The view depends entirely on the weather, and that matters more than the hour. Check the sky over the lake before you commit. Low cloud can wipe out the whole panorama, and the platform is a long way to go to stare into grey.

Guided tours and rental-bike riders tend to set off mid-morning, so an early start usually beats the vans to the top. Late afternoon has a different payoff: the light comes in low over Nahuel Huapi. Find this month’s last ascent on the official site, though, because hours change with the season.

A few habits that help:

• Buy your chairlift ticket at the base office. The current fare is posted there and on the official site.
• At the summit confitería, Argentines often order a submarino (hot milk with a bar of chocolate melted in) or coffee with medialunas. You order at the counter and find a window seat.
• Bariloche runs on pesos and cards. Many visitors pay with a card or Mercado Pago QR, but carry some cash for small purchases.
• Locals say “Campanario” on its own. A taxi driver won’t need the “Cerro”.

Linking it with the rest of Circuito Chico

Campanario takes 1.5–2 hours, including the ride and time on the platform. Pair it with the rest of the loop. From the base, Bustillo continues to:

• Hotel Llao Llao and the wooden Capilla San Eduardo on the hill opposite
• Puerto Pañuelo, where boats leave for Isla Victoria
• Punto Panorámico, the roadside lookout over Lago Moreno and Bahía López
• Colonia Suiza, the old Swiss settlers’ village, a short detour off the loop

Done by bike, Circuito Chico makes a full day with Campanario as the first climb. By car, you can fit the loop and the summit into a long morning.