How to Safely Explore Bariloche, Argentina in Winter: Best Security Tips

Here’s how it went:
That day, we flew from Buenos Aires to Bariloche and arrived at 11:30. The car rental company delivered the car to the airport, and after signing the contract, we drove to the city. We originally wanted to drop off our luggage at the hotel first before going out, but my teammate said it wasn’t necessary, so we went straight to the civic center.

❌This was the first mistake; if we had put the luggage in the hotel, the tragedy could have been avoided.

At that time, there were no cars on the square, so we parked by the roadside. Worried that the luggage would be too noticeable on the seats, we specifically put it in the trunk.

❌This might have been the second mistake, as it could have been seen by a thief?

We took a few photos, then had lunch and bought some Rapa Nui chocolate.

Around 3 PM, we returned to the square, got in the car, and went to the small circuit for sightseeing. On the way back to the city in the evening, we stopped at a restaurant for roasted lamb. When parking outside the restaurant, we saw a sign saying not to leave any valuables in the car to prevent theft! Only then did we realize that Bariloche wasn’t as safe as we thought, and this reminder came a bit late [laugh-cry].

After dinner, when we checked into the hotel, we discovered a serious problem: the computer in the backpack was missing, and the zipper was still intact.

The first reaction was that I had been careless and left the computer at the airport security check. I was annoyed with my memory, thinking, “Am I getting Alzheimer’s? Such a rookie mistake.” I was about to call the airport to ask.

But then I noticed something even stranger: the computer charger and the fast charger for the phone were also gone. These two chargers were in the outer pocket of the backpack. If I had left them at the security check, only the computer would have been lost, not the chargers. Also, several tens of thousands of pesos in cash were missing.

I also remembered that when we picked up the luggage, both backpacks were lying belly-up in the trunk, which seemed odd, as they were usually standing.

After analyzing this, it seemed the computer had been stolen, most likely at the civic center.

Upon checking again, fortunately, all passports and documents were still there.

The next day, I contacted the airport, and they hadn’t seen a computer of our brand, though there were others. Apparently, losing things at the airport is quite common [laugh-cry][laugh-cry].

On the afternoon of the third day, before leaving Bariloche, we went to the tourist center to report the theft.

The police didn’t speak English, and our Spanish wasn’t clear enough. The staff at the tourist center translated, recorded the incident, and then we went back to the police station. The police recorded it in Spanish, we signed to confirm, and that was it ❓❗️

They didn’t even bother to ask for my contact information; it felt like a mere formality 🙄. I asked, “Is there any chance of recovering the lost items?” He replied, “Rarely” 😒. I then inquired, “Do these incidents happen often?” He responded, “Almost every day” 😂. I couldn’t help but point out, “The car was parked right next to your police station, shouldn’t it have been safe?” The officer actually chuckled and said, “Not really” 😥.

I’ve visited Argentina numerous times and always felt it was safer than many other Latin American countries. But I never expected to be robbed in this seemingly tranquil tourist town. I guess I was still too careless 😂😂.

Thankfully, the thief had some scruples and didn’t take the entire backpack 😂.

What baffles me is how he managed to open the trunk. Did he use a jammer to interfere with the car lock? Either way, now I’m a bit on edge, and every time I lock the car, I find myself pulling the handle a few extra times just to be sure 😂.