Challenge the Mountains

The Nahuel Huapi National Park has a rich and varied geography which makes it the ideal scene for mountain-biking.

Mountain Biking
Mountain Biking

You can bike to magnificent viewpoints, get some exercise and even take on the mountain challenge with it's steep slopes. With so many itineraries to choose from, the best choice is to talk with operators who will give you the necessary advice and provide specialized guides to put together the ideal tour in keeping with your expectations.

The tours may be guided by expert riders with knowledge of the terrain. The most popular place to practice this sport is Mount Catedral Bike Park. Other alternatives are the trail from the base of the mountain to Gutiérrez Lake (especially designed for practicing descents) and the different paths across the woods and the steppe.

Bariloche is also internationally known as host and organizer of high level competition events, such as the Open Shimano Descent Championship held in 2014 and 2015 on Mount Catedral.

Just as the mountain is the meeting point for skiers during the winter, in the summer the Bike Park opens its doors to adventure so that bikers from all over the world can enjoy a wide variety of circuits with varying difficulty levels appropriate for all.

Mountain Biking

Bariloche’s Main Mountain Biking Circuits:

Gutiérrez Lake

From Villa Los Coihues, you may start a tour through different trails to Cascada de los Duendes, and from there to Virgen de las Nieves. It is a low-difficulty tour that takes approximately three hours.

The journey starts at Gutiérrez Lake, and goes through some local paths until reaching a post of the National Park Administration, and then dives into the woods until it reaches Cascada de los Duendes. You may return following the Gutiérrez creek through an internal trail that leads to the area of Virgen de las Nieves, through beautiful coihue and cypress woods.

Colonia Suiza

Riding to this small village of old settlers from the center of the city and back may take a full day. Colonia Suiza is a small village with a rich history, which still preserves the typical houses of the old European immigrants who settled in the area in the 19th century. The curanto is one of the most famous attractions. It is cooked in a hole in the ground where hot stones and nalca leaves give it an autochthonous and indescribable flavor. Another important attraction is the crafts fair, organized on every Wednesday and Sunday.

Victoria Island

Another alternative is to get to Puerto Pañuelo - Pañuelo Port, across from the Llao Llao Hotel, and take the catamaran to the island. When you get to Puerto Anchorena, all bikes get off and start riding through exotic woods, to enter the gigantic native woodland along the Northeast coast. At the end of the journey awaits the spotless shores of Piedras Blancas, where you can enjoy a well-earned break. It is an 8-kilometer ride, with some ups ad downs which will lead you to discover the local flora and fauna, in addition to the history of the place, told by houses that date back to the previous century. Victoria Island is striking because of its scenery, its rich flora and peculiar fauna. During the journey, you may even come across some red deer.

Ñirihuau

Going from Bariloche to the airport, across the Ñirihuau valley, the steppe offers a different scenery to bikers. Then, you may return through Arroyo del Medio to Avenida de Circunvalación, going through a condor refuge in Las Buitreras. The recommended season for this mid to low-difficulty tour is October-May.

Lower Manso River

This 20-kilometer ride across the valley follows the lower Manso river. There, you can see the history of colonization, since the descendants of the first settlers still take to their customs and inhabit the national park. You may stop at these settlements to exchange experiences and nurture on the histories of the locals. At the end of the tour, there is a hanging bridge that leads you to a shore on Manso River.

Double Lake Crossing

This tour can be made by boat and by bike from Bariloche to Pertrohué, round trip, through the Pérez Rosales Andes crossing. There are also adventure tours in Pertrohué and optional biking up the Osorno vulcano for experienced bikers.

Siete Lagos Tour

Tour from Bariloche to San Martin de los Andes. In addition to that, Bariloche offers two important Bike Parks: one in Mount Catedral (Woodpark) and a second one in Villa Lago Gutiérrez (Goriland), where you can learn and practice freeride and slopestyle, two novel fun alternatives growing rapidly around the globe. There are also mountain biking initiation clinics.

Mount Otto

From the top of Mount Otto, 1400 MSL there is a trail across a lenga (White Oak) woods that leads to Piedra de Habsburgo. The return to the summit is along the same trail.

Mount Catedral

The Mount Catedral Bike Park has circuits expressly developed for both beginners and expert riders to experience the full adventure of mountain biking in the spectacular scenery of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. Located at the heart of the Andes, it has trails through the woods, downhill slopes for different technical levels and a 4X (Four Cross) circuit, considered among the best in the country.

Please note

There are low, medium, high and very high difficulty paths. Helmets and gloves are to be worn in all journeys.