Christmas road trip through Patagonia
This itinerary covers a road trip we took in December 2023 - January 2024, our children at the time were 1.5 years old and 4 years old. Over 15 days we journeyed from El Bolson to San Martin de Los Andes up route 40 parts of which followed the renowned siete lagos route. We took our own car, my husband drove from Buenos Aires to Bariloche and we (myself and our 2 children) flew there to meet him. With both Christmas and New Years Eve falling during our trip we were keen to really make the most of our time and prioritise time outside over time in the car. As a result our longest journey between one place to another was 2.5 hours. You could cover the same spots in a much shorter timeframe if you’re prepared for a few more hours in the car each day.
Day 1: Bariloche
We stayed the first night at Aldea Andina Hotel & Spa (thanks to a generous discount on booking.com!). A spacious apartment and cosy restaurant with views over Nahuel Hapui Lake. With Christmas round the corner exploring the Christmas markets and visiting Santa Claus in the square next to the Tourist Office was an excellent festive activity with the children.
Day 2: Bariloche - El Bolson
We drove the 2.5 hour drive to El Bolson where we stayed just outside the town in a peaceful spot which I decided needed its own post! Dinner in El Bolson was easy to find at one of the many breweries, we chose Patio Cervecero as it had live music.
Day 3: El Bolson
We had a slow morning exploring the artisan market and enjoying Plaza Pagano park. Back at our cabin we explored the woods and stream within the grounds we found a fun tree house and cherry tree with an abundance of juicy cherries - we picked some and later made a cherry pie!
Day 4: El Bolson - Villa Los Coihues
We arrived at Villa Los Coihueson Christmas Eve Eve. We chose this location based on the type of house we wanted to celebrate Christmas in. This find on Airbnb with it’s whimsical under stairs playroom and cosy living area was the perfect location for us. Close to Guiterrez lake we had all we needed thanks to the local supermarket, cafe and fresh fruit and vegetable stands.
Day 5 (Christmas Eve): Villa Los Coihues
One of the things I loved about visiting Patagonia for Christmas was the snow capped mountains around every corner despite being in the heat of summer. This helped us to feel very festive. We spent the morning on the banks of Gutierrez Lake where you’ll find benches built in the shallow water allowing you to really soak in the view, whilst soaking your feet! It does get busy here so head down early for the best spots. The remainder of our Christmas Eve was spent hand making decorations and preparing our house for a visit from Santa!
Day 6 (Christmas Day): Villa Los Coihues
A magical Christmas Day - we enjoyed a kayak on the lake (it was quite hard to find equipment to hire but eventually we found some kayaks!). Our Christmas dinner looked a bit different to what we’re used to in the UK and included our homemade cherry pie with the cherries picked in El Bolson.
Day 7: Villa Los Coihues - Lago Nahuel
On Boxing Day we headed to Dina Huapi stopping for a lazy lunch at Milvago. The children loved this train cart converted into a bar and restaurant. We ate outside as there was lots of space for the children to run around. We stayed in Dina Huapi and quite honestly we were disappointed with this accommodation. Whilst it was convenient to be close to a restaurant and right next to the lake the route to access was unpaved, the accommodation small and the onsite pool dirty. However this was a good location from which to do road trips around the lakes.
Day 8: Lago Nahuel
We spent the day driving the Circuito Chico route. There’s so much to see on this route but as we were travelling with young children we decided to go with the flow and not plan ahead too much. We jumped out at the Parque Nahuelito - a big hit with our dinosaur mad little ones! After this we had lunch at a cute cafe, Bruncheria, with an enclosed garden. The staff here were so kind and accommodating and the pastries were extra tasty!
Our day roadtrip ended at what is now one of our favourite spots, Bahia Serena. Here you can rent kayaks and stand up padel boards easily. Casa Caracol and Serena are both good options for food. If you only have a few days in and around Bariloche the Circuito Chico, with jaw dropping views around every corner, is a must do.
Day 9: Lago Nahuel
Eager to see the expansive views over the lakes after completing the Circuito Chico we headed up the Cerro Campanario on a two man chair lift. Our smallest was 1.5 years old at the time and managed this easily so as long as you have a tight grip this should be possible with children at any age. With a cafe at the top and easy underfoot walking routes I really recommend this if the weather is good.
From here we spent an afternoon at the Patagonia Brewery - hands down my favourite place to have a beer. This is very child friendly with lots of nature treasures to find and large jenga games to keep them occupied. The view from here across the lake is imprinted in my mind!
Day 10: Lago Nahuel - San Martin de los Andes (via Villa Angostura)
Mention Patagonia to a local Argentine here and they’ll certainly recommend a visit to Villa Angostura. In hindsight I would have chosen to spend a night or two here but on this occasion we planned a visit to the Parque Nacional Arrayanes. To get here we bought tickets from the Tourist Office and took a boat from Bahia Brava, it good to check the schedule in advance so you don’t miss the boat as there were only a few a day when we visited. This journey was spectacular and took us to a small beach and the start of forest walk. This walk was not really accessible with a buggy but find with a baby in a carrier and my 4 year old managed this walk at a slow pace. There’s so much to see but the main draw is the rare arrayán trees which have a distinctive orange colour and provide a cool shaded canopy from the sun. We enjoyed a packed lunch on the beach before heading on to San Martin de los Andes. I really loved this drive, San Martin hides away right until the very last corner when finally you come round the bend to see bustling mountain town on the bank of a gorgeous sparkling river.
Day 11: San Martin de los Andes
Come to San Martin for a mooch! There are many options for shopping, cafes, ice cream and restaurants so we enjoyed our first day here exploring and hanging out by the lake which is the main focal point of the town. Here we rented a kayak and made the most of the small trampoline park for children. I found this town very child friendly.
Whilst there are plenty of accommodation options on the outskirts of the town I would recommend staying within walking distance from the lake as there’s so much to do and we could navigate the streets easily with a buggy. We stayed here which was perfect for what we needed.
Day 12 (New Year’s Eve): San Martin de los Andes
On the last day of 2023 we decided to go for a hike and stumbled across a scene so perfect it felt unreal! We headed to the car park at Laguna Rosales and took a clearly marked, but dusty, route towards the lake. Both our children wanted to walk this route although we did take our baby backpack just incase. The first part of the walk took about 30 minutes, this part was not too challenging. As you approach the lake it does get a bit steep so the last 10 - 15 minutes were a bit trickier and best approached on our bottoms. It was so worth it to sit on the banks of the lake looking over to wild horse on the other side and up to a snow peaked mountain. The route back was a bit more challenging for those with little legs but we returned happy and covered in dirt - the sign of a great day.
New Years Eve is a family affair in Argentina and most restaurants were closed so we celebrated in our Airbnb with a bottle of champagne. Everything was fairly quiet until midnight when the towns air raid siren went off and we wondered if we were actually going to see in the New Year at all!
Day 13 (New Years Day): San Martin de los Andes
On the last full day of our trip, and the first day of 2024 we went a little bit further a field to Volcan Lanin. This was an unforgettable hike so I’ve dedicated a standalone post to this day trip. My overriding memory of our Christmas road trip is wide expansive views which at times are difficult to comprehend the landscape is so surreal, truly unforgettable.
Day 14: San Martin de los Andes - Buenos Aires
As my husband started the long drive back to Buenos Aires I opted to fly back with the children from the airport in San Martin, this is a 30 minute drive from the town centre. You don’t need to arrive too early here as its a small airport with not much to entertain the little ones. We arrived back with dirty dusty feet and very happy souls - in need of a long bath!
