Hand-picked by our editors — only the best 5 experiences from 18 reviewed.
Verified partners for every tour, free cancellation where available, and instant confirmation on every booking.
8 hr
Journey through Bariloche's most breathtaking viewpoints along the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake
Reserve
4 hr
Discover Bariloche's most iconic landscapes on this scenic loop around crystalline lakes and mountain peaks
Reserve
4 hr
Half-day journey through Bariloche's iconic lakeside circuit with chairlift access to world-class viewpoints
ReservePrices from verified partners. Availability updates in real time at checkout. Free cancellation policies apply where shown.
The landmarks, rooms, and views travelers on this tour remember — all visible on a single visit.
Offers a 360-degree panorama of the Nahuel Huapi and Moreno lakes, often cited as one of the best views in the world.
A cozy mountain café where you can enjoy local pastries while sheltered from alpine winds.
A forest path for those who prefer an active climb through native Patagonian trees.
Provides a smooth 7-minute ride to the 1,050-meter summit with constant forest views.
Cerro Campanario provides the most classic 360-degree panorama of the region, while Cerro Otto offers a more relaxed, modern experience; they complement each other, but most visitors call Campanario the more visually diverse choice during a circuito chico bariloche tour.
| Feature | Top pick Cerro Campanario | Cerro Otto |
|---|---|---|
Viewpoint perspective |
360-degree lake scenery | Frontal city and lake view |
Ease of access |
Short chairlift or steep hike | Gondola ride |
Amenities at summit |
Café and observation deck | Revolving restaurant and gallery |
Typical crowd levels |
Moderate to high | High |
Indoor vs outdoor viewing |
Mostly outdoor terrace | Indoor revolving restaurant |
Landscape focus |
Andean peaks and Nahuel Huapi | Urban sprawl and surrounding bays |
| See tickets → |
Verdict: Choose Cerro Campanario for raw photographic scale during your circuito chico bariloche tour tours, or select Cerro Otto for a refined dining experience with tickets that emphasize indoor comfort.
Choose your ticket, select your date, and reserve in under two minutes. Secure checkout handled by our verified partner.
Instant confirmation by email, with a mobile voucher you can save offline. No printing, no queuing at a collection desk.
Arrive at the entrance, show your voucher on your phone, and walk in. Most tickets include priority or skip-the-line access.
Practical details for your visit straight from our verified partners — hours, access, rules, and how to get there.
Wear layered clothing and sturdy footwear, as summit temperatures at Cerro Campanario are significantly lower than at the base.
Small backpacks are permitted on the chairlift, but bulky items may be restricted for safety reasons.
Personal photography is encouraged from all viewpoints, but professional gear requiring tripods may be limited during peak hours.
The chairlift is the primary access for those with limited mobility, though the summit observation deck involves stairs.
Families should note that the chairlift is safe for children, but toddlers must be held securely on laps.
A mountaintop cafeteria is available for snacks and hot beverages during your circuito chico bariloche tour visit.
Best time to go, insider tips, nearby landmarks, and the cancellation fine print — flip through to skim what matters to you.
Flexible, no hidden fees.
Tickets for the chairlift are eligible for rescheduling or full credit if the ascent cannot be completed due to weather or operational closures. Entrance fee of 22,000 ARS applies to the chairlift only.
The Circuito Chico opened in 1935 as a gravel track connecting scattered estancias along Nahuel Huapi's southern shore, engineered to withstand spring meltwater and winter ice without the stabilization technology available to coastal highways. By the 1950s, Argentine families arrived in Ford Falcons to photograph the Llao Llao Hotel's cedar façade and the Moreno Peninsula's araucaria groves, treating the sixty-five-kilometer loop as a secular pilgrimage through Patagonian geology. Today the route carries charter buses, rental sedans, and cycling clubs, its asphalt surface smooth enough for road bikes yet narrow enough that every hairpin turn frames a deliberate view: Victoria Island's volcanic ridges, López Bay's cobalt gradient, or the Puerto Pañuelo docks where catamarans depart for the Arrayanes forest. The circuit endures because it compresses the entire Andean lake district into a single afternoon. Glacial cirques carved the terrain fourteen thousand years ago, leaving behind hanging valleys that now cradle lenga beech forests and coihue groves, their canopy height a direct record of altitude and wind exposure. Cerro Campanario rises at kilometer 17.5, its 1,050-meter summit accessible via a Swiss-built chairlift installed in 1972, the same year National Geographic published a photo essay comparing the peak's 360-degree views to Switzerland's Jungfraujoch and New Zealand's Remarkables Range. From the wooden observation deck, you trace the full spine of the Andes Cordillera, identify the saddle between Tronador and Catedral, and watch kite surfers rig their foils on Moreno Beach eight hundred meters below. Circuito Chico Bariloche tour operators schedule departures between 9:00 and 14:00, with most itineraries allocating forty minutes at Campanario, thirty minutes at Punto Panorámico, and optional stops at the Colonia Suiza artisan fair or San Eduardo Chapel's stone apse. The route's geological drama — basalt columns at Playa Bonita, hanging glaciers on Tronador's northeast face, the fault line visible beneath López Bay's thermocline — has made it the region's most-traveled tourist corridor since the Patagonian park system formalized its boundaries in 1934. Rental agencies in Bariloche's city center stock route maps printed on waterproof stock, marked with every mirador, trailhead, and picnic shelter, acknowledging that the circuit serves both guided tour groups and independent travelers seeking a self-directed encounter with sub-Antarctic montane ecosystems. The chairlift at Cerro Campanario operates daily from 9:00 to 19:00, charging 22,000 pesos per ascent, while the hiking trail to the summit remains free and gains 200 meters over 1.8 kilometers of switchbacks.
"From the wooden observation deck, you trace the full spine of the Andes Cordillera, identify the saddle between Tronador and Catedral, and watch kite surfers rig their foils on Moreno Beach eight hundred meters below."
A step-by-step walkthrough of the visit — what you'll see, how long each stage takes, and the details that matter.
You board the minibus at 9:30 outside your Bariloche hotel, settling into the second row as the driver navigates Avenida Bustillo's lakeside curves. Within fifteen minutes the city's last gas station disappears behind a stand of arrayán trees, and the road narrows to two lanes hemmed by granite outcrops and coihue forest. At kilometer 8 the group pulls into Punto Panorámico, where you photograph Nahuel Huapi's western arm and the snow line etched across Catedral's ridges. The Llao Llao Hotel appears at kilometer 12, its shingled turrets framed by a perfectly flat lawn that ends at the lake's cobalt edge. At kilometer 17.5 the bus stops at the Cerro Campanario base station. You choose the chairlift over the hiking trail, boarding a two-seat gondola that lifts you through the canopy in eight minutes of silence broken only by the cable's rhythmic hum. The summit deck is a hexagonal wooden platform ringed by interpretive plaques naming every visible peak: Tronador to the north, Catedral to the east, the turquoise thread of López Bay below. You spend thirty minutes tracing the Andes' serrated profile before descending to rejoin the group. The bus continues past San Eduardo Chapel and the Colonia Suiza craft stalls, completing the loop by 13:00.
Cerro Campanario is open daily from 09:00–19:00.
The entrance fee is 22,000 ARS for the chairlift, while hiking the trail is free.
The best arrival window is 09:00–10:30 to avoid mid-day tour bus crowds.
Yes, hiking the trail to the summit is free and takes approximately 30–40 minutes.
Yes, children are welcome, provided they are accompanied by an adult on the chairlift.
The hike is moderately steep, but the chairlift makes the attraction accessible for everyone.
You may reschedule or receive a full credit if weather prevents your ascent.
Yes, a café at the summit serves pastries and beverages during opening hours.
Take bus line 20 from San Carlos de Bariloche or drive to Av. Bustillo km 17.5.