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Seeing Is Believing: Cerro Companario In Bariloche | The Expeditioner Travel Site

Seeing Is Believing: Cerro Companario In Bariloche

Thursday, February 18, 2010

If you are feeling fit and want to do some exerting activities in Argentina, the Patagonian region has more than enough to do. Two days ago, I felt the urge to escape the megacity of Buenos Aires and see some of the what the vast country has to offer. I jumped on a bus and headed to Bariloche, a small city nestled in the Andean range.

After sleeping off my 24-hour bus ride through Las Pampas and the province Rio Negro, I decided to trek up the ¨small¨ hill called Cerro Companario, 17 kms outside of Bariloche´s center. I wanted to see what one of National Geographic´s top-ten views really looked like (or so I read that the Cerro was in the top ten).

We hiked up the steep trail, which usually takes about half-an-hour, in 20 minutes despite the light drizzle and moderate temperature. In fact, I think the miserable weather prevented me from overheating. I would like to confess right now that I am not even close to being a professional hiker, and the trail proved a bit grueling. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that it would only last half-an-hour.

Finally, we made it to the top which proved to be bittersweet. With the rain coming down a little bit harder and the icy winds becoming a bit stronger, the view was a bit obstructed by my squinting eyes. Nevertheless, the awe and beauty of the Andes was worth every minute of unnatural torture I had subjected myself to. Because we stood atop the peek, we had a 360º panoramic view of all the lakes, mountains and towns below. It literally took my breath away, but that also could have been the exhaustion.

After a couple photo-ops, we sat, sipped mate, ate an empanada and a massive piece of coconut-dulce de leche cake in the circular cafe. After refueling and warming up a bit, we decided to head down. With one look at my canvas shoes, the accumulating mud and increasing rain, we took the cable-chair down, much to my delight.

By Brit Weaver

TheExpeditioner

About the Author
britweaver

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities looking for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift through. You can find her musing life on her personal blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.

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