Budget Travel Tips for Exploring Bariloche: Affordable Adventures Await

🚌 Bus +🏠 Hostel + 🍚 Food Truck

🚌 SUBE Card
If you want to buy it in Bariloche, there are two places in the city: 1️⃣ Bus terminal: The tourist information office will tell you the location. 2️⃣ Downtown SUBE Terminal Automática: Open only from Monday to Friday, 8:00-15:00. Show your passport without paying, and go to a nearby Kiosco (convenience store) to top up, with an activation fee of 1500.

🚌 How to take the bus
Check the route on Google Maps + check the schedule on the mibus official website https://www.mibus.com.ar/bariloche/servicios/, which is very inaccurate, but it’s all you can do. The price shown on Google Maps is nonsense; for any hiking destination, the one-way fare starts at 3000. Tell the driver where you’re going when you get on, the driver will adjust the price, you swipe your card, and press the bell near the back door before getting off.

🚗 Taxis are twice as expensive as ride-hailing services
Locals recommend Cabify, as taxi drivers may take a longer route to charge more.

🏠 Pay cash at the hostel
Contact via WhatsApp, book one day and pay cash for the following days, or arrange to see the room and pay cash, which is about 10% cheaper.

⛰️ Day trips & bus tours
(According to my research, this might not be accurate) Only Isla Victoria y Arrayanes require booking a day trip. Travel agency prices: Without transportation to Puerto Pañuelo, it’s 114000 (the bus seems to cost around 3600+ one way), with transportation included it’s 139000, TURISUR offers a 20% discount for groups of 4 or more (based on the original price of 120000), the whole trip takes about 6 hours.

You also need to pay an additional 22000 for the national park entrance fee and 4000 for the boarding tax at the port.

❤️ Hiking routes accessible by bus for budget travelers:
1️⃣ Llao llao: Take bus 20 to Av. Bustillo – Puerto Pañuelo
2️⃣ Lago Gutiérrez: Take bus 50 to Balcón Gutiérrez y P. Nac. Perito Moreno
For more routes, the Bariloche Tourism Office – Tourist Information Center provides free English answers, and next to it is the Nahuel Huapi National Park tourist information center, where they explain the hiking routes clearly.

🍚 Food trucks or take-out shops offer sandwiches or hot dogs ranging from 3000 to 10000. If you cook yourself, find the Chinese restaurant Restaurante mi casa, run by people from Xiamen, and there’s a supermarket for condiments right next to it. Currency exchange is available, accepting both RMB and USD. The restaurant has been open for 35 years and is quite interesting.