Frequently Asked Questions
Where?
Politically speaking Patagonia is not much more than a somewhat vague geographical area that forms the southern portion of Chile and Argentina. Part of this vast region is the Argentine Lake District in the eastern slopes of the Andes. San Carlos de Bariloche, or just Bariloche, is the most important city here with a population of more than 130.000, our base of operations and the obvious gateway to the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
You can explore the map, zoom in-out by using the tools at the upper-left corner.
The surroundings of Bariloche and the Park are a wonderfully scenic area of forests and lakes set among impressive craggy ranges, and also cover a significant variety of environments: from the high-andean (above 1700 meters) through the temperate weather rain-forest, then the wet forest and transition forest to the Patagonian steppe.
How do I get there?
There are many flights from Buenos Aires to Bariloche every day. Aerolineas Argentinas and Lan are the companies names. It´s a two-hour flight from a different airport than the one you arrive to from abroad. You can also fly from Bariloche to El Calafate and visit other highlights of Patagonia.
Can you recommend a hotel?
Bariloche has hundreds of hotels, bed and breakfast, youth-hostels, bungalows and other kinds of places where you can stay overnight. Please let us know what kind of place are you thinking about and also if you want the place to be in downtown Bariloche or out of town. Then we will think in some options to suggest you.
What is Trek Patagonia?
Trek Patagonia is a small company founded by professional mountain guides in 2001. It´s a “trekking operator” authorized by the Nahuel Huapi National Park Administration. If you are interested, read more about us.
Can I join a group?
Sorry, but by now we only offer private guiding. Through the last years we found it very unlikely to get different travelers with similar background wanting to do the same kind of activities in the same exact dates.
If hiring our services privately is beyond your budget, let us know and we will do our best to try to find some other traveler to join and share the costs.
How do I know which program would be the best pick for me / us?
In this website we try to give you a good description of some excellent alternatives. However, we encourage you to provide us with information that will help finding the right program and get the most of your time in Northern Patagonia. We are happy to offer personalized programs.
Please let us know when are you planning to come, where would you stay, how many people would take part of the activity, ages, your outdoor activities background, expectations and motivations, how would you consider your level of fitness and if you can, give us an idea of: how many hours / kilometers (or miles) distance / elevation gain you would like to walk per day.
How far ahead should I book?
In order to ensure guides availability and to plan carefully the right program for you: the sooner the better !
For all the details on our reservation, payment and cancellation policies, please see Terms & Conditions
Can I pay with my credit card?
Sorry, but by now we only take cash.
As an additional information we can tell you that there are many ATMs in downtown Bariloche.
How can I reach Trek Patagonia?
We prefer e-mails. info@trekpatagonia.com is our address. If it‘s a last minute booking or query you can phone us. + 54-9-2944-604740 from out of Argentina. 02944-604740 once in Argentina. 15604740 once in Bariloche.
Trek Patagonia appeals to travelers of all ages from almost all around the world – actually from 26 different countries so far.
One-third of our clients came from North America (USA mainly) and another one-third from several countries of Europe (UK + Ireland mainly). We also guide frequently travelers from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.
Do I have to carry my own gear?
As a general rule yes, you do. Let us know if you want to take just a day pack or nothing at all and we’ll make the arrangements for a porter to accompany us.
Who takes the services of Trek Patagonia?
Can you provide some of the gear ?
Yes, most of the times we can. Let us know what would you need and we´ll tell you if it´s possible or not.
How are the mountain huts / refuges there?
Most of the refugios are two-story buildings with a dinning room, a kitchen and one or more dorm rooms. So, expect to find a mattress to sleep on it with your sleeping bag, in a room that is shared with some/many other people. Although managers of the huts take for serious our reservations, they do not let anyone out. Therefore, in high season (January and February mainly) huts are crowded, and some days over-crowded actually.
We can always think in sleeping in a tent nearby, so we eat in the hut but make sure you sleep well.
These refugios offer meals and drinks, some sweets as well.
What else can I do in Bariloche?
Traditional tours by bus, boat and chairlift or teleferic are the most popular. But you are an active traveler, right ?
White water rafting, horseback riding, mountain biking, paragliding, both lake and river kayaking, fly-fishing, canopy/zip line, 4wd excursions, diving, golfing, renting a car and going for a sightseeing stroll, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, down-hill skiing and snowboarding. And of course, eating fantastic dinners and our legendary chocolates.
