South of Bariloche: El Bolson and Rafting

El Bolson, 100km south of Bariloche is known for it's large markets which run about 3 or 4 times per week. For those familiar with the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, it's like Eumundi (markets plus cafes and trendy artisan producers). It also has some of the worlds best ice cream made from local produce (fruits and such).

Part of the appeal of travelling to El Bolson comes from the scenery. The 100km drive is spectacular, ful of mountains, blue lakes and wild rivers.

The day after our market trip we were back on the road to El Bolson again, this time with a local rafting company. The Manso river is located between Bariloche and El Bolson and provides a great setting for rafting suitable for children (class 2-3).

Lago Steffen near the put in point where the Manso flows out of the lake

After a rough drive in from the main road we started at Lago Steffan with about one and a half hours of mainly flat water rafting interspersed with some light rapids. We stopped for lunch at a beautiful remote spot beside the river.

Sam and Elise modelling designer raftware at our lunch stop. Accessorising life jackets not shown.

After lunch we got into the bigger rapids section for another one and a half hours of rafting. The rapids were just the right size for a little excitement without getting too scary.

The Rio Manso

It was a wonderful day, great value and a very professionally run trip.

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