ABOUT BARILOCHE

Bariloche is a small city (108,205 population) and one of the most breathtaking places in Latin America. The city is surrounded by thousand-year-old forests, mountains covered in snow and crystal lakes. It is in Patagonia's Nahuel Huapi National Park, next to the Andes.

The beauty of the surrounding areas makes Bariloche an attractive tourist destination for enjoying the nature, specially, for trekking and sailing tours, excellent cuisine, peaceful breaks and a diverse culture among others. On the other hand, the proposed dates are conveniently away from the highest ski season (July-August), which combined to the distance to the center of the city will ensure the quiet required for the retreat-like style intrinsic to IPMI.

For hiking, we will be able to hike along numerous trails in Bariloche. It requires no previous experience but it does require physical fitness and a willingness to cope with any unexpected hurdles that may come up during a typical mountain trip. For example, within a 15min bus-ride from the conference venue, we can trek up or take a chair lift to Cerro Campanario. The chair lift takes you to the summit in about 7 minutes. The summit is about 1,050 meters (3,400 feet) above sea level and so most able-bodied people should be able to hike up with little effort. The ascent takes around 30 min through a trail across the forest.

An even shorter car-ride (approximately 4 minutes, 1.9 km) will allow us to reach the municipal Llao Llao park for stunning walking paths offering views of lake Nahuel Huapi and the surrounding mountains. In addition, a short 5-8 min walk leads us to the shores of Perito Moreno's lake for enjoying the nature.

Less physically active visitors often prefer taking a break at the rotating cafeteria at the summit of Cerro Otto (10 min from the town) where they can treat themselves to great desserts, daily specials and beverages, while enjoying the views of lake Nahuel Huapi and surrounding mountains.

Within a 2-3h driving distance from Bariloche are tourist destinations such as el Bolsón, Villa La Angostura or San Martín de los Andes.