Our plan was to work our way to Bariloche via the Circuito Grande (Rt 65 / 237), a 60k route that was mostly dirt/gravel with a few unexpected paved areas. Before setting off we wanted to fill our gas tank, and little did we know that we’d wait in line 30 minutes for it! There were only two pumps available and a line that stretched over two blocks. We were able to pay by credit card which was great, $30ish dollars US for half a tank in our VW Taos.

Once gassed up we drove north to the turn off for Rt 65. After a short bit on pavement the road changed to dirt, and the road quality varied quite a bit! There were active construction crews, so presumably this will road will be fully paved in the next few years?

Near Villa Traful we stopped twice to check out three waterfalls, the first one a short but mostly uphill hike to Cascada Cataratas.

The parking area for Cascada a Blanco and and Cascada Coa Co was accessed via a rough road with a few muddy hairpin turns. Nice tall waterfalls were the reward though.

In all we hiked about 3.5 miles total. These hikes (while still uphill/downhill) were a lot less strenuous than the Cascada Inacayal hike we did the day before. Overall we were surprised by the number of people here! It’s a rough road and yet, quite busy around Villa Traful.

The road edged closer to the river, heading east away from Villa Traful, offering lots of mountain and water views.

Route 65 brings you to Route 237, where we stopped for a selfie at Mirador Anfiteatro.

The second half of this drive was probably our favorite of the trip, with fewer people and great views.