San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno Lake and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing but also known for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.

Tourism, both domestic and international, is the main economic activity of Bariloche, all year around. The main ski station is the one at Cerro Catedral. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters, from melting snow, are always very cold. Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C in the summertime). The fishing season is another great attraction. Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and serves as a base for many excursions in the region. Trekking in the mountains, almost completely wild and uninhabited with the exception of a few high-mountain huts operated by Club Andino Bariloche, is also a popular activity. The city is also famous for its chocolates.

Besides tourism and the many activities and services associated with it, Bariloche is home of advanced scientific and technological activities. The Centro Atómico Bariloche is a research center of the Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, where basic and applied research in many areas of the physical sciences is carried out. One of its departments is the Instituto Balseiro, a higher education institution with a small and carefully selected number of students, that awards degrees in Physics, and in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Physics and in Engineering. The city also hosts INVAP, a high technology company that designs and builds nuclear reactors and space satellites, among other projects. The private non profit organization Bariloche Foundation , reinforces the feature of scientific excellence of the city. Started in 1963, it promotes postgraduate teaching and research grounded on a solid humanistic culture, within the scope of democratic principles. Its main fields are Energy – through the Energy Economics Institute IDEE; the Environment; Philosophy; and Quality of Life programs, through three institutional programs. In addition, there are also several departments and laboratories of the Comahue University.