San Carlos de Bariloche, city in western Argentina, in Río Negro Province, a resort center on the southern shore of Lake Nahuel Huapí. A resort of international renown since the early 1960s, San Carlos de Bariloche is connected with Buenos Aires by air, rail, and a paved road that was completed in 1969. It is the tourist and commercial center of Nahuel Huapí National Park. The city is at the southern edge of the extensive, forested Patagonian lake country, bounded on the west by Andean peaks, some of which are snowcapped the year round. Skiing is the favorite sport in winter, and boating, fishing, and hiking are popular in summer. Settled primarily by Austrians and Germans about 1895, San Carlos de Bariloche has the appearance of an alpine town. Population (1991) 77,600.
