Now this may be a dumb question but ......
we will be in the Lakes district, Bariloche, San Martin etc for a couple of weeks and will be doing some hiking. Are there any spiders, snakes, bears or other wildlife we should be concerned about ??

The only wildlife I saw during my recent trip to Bariloche was a lone rabbit running across the street as we approached the airport.
If you are interested in reading about my visit I posted a trip report "My Argentine Adventure" on this forum. Warning, it is long and rambling.
Buen viaje.

Galiano,
I used to backpak in Patagonia quite a bit. There are no bears in the area, and I never encountered a snake or a scary spider. If you go in the summer, you will be dealing with big green flies that like to bite you ( and I never got any desease from those "bites&quot. In those days even the water from the streams and lakes was safe to drink, but you may want to check with the "Club Andino Bariloche", the local mountaineering organization, for tips:
http://www.clubandino.org/

Roberto

Thanks cmfong. I've read your post.

Roberto - that's a good tip, I'll have a look.

To tack onto this thread, if no one minds, will there be a need for vaccinations, like yellow fever, etc?

You should check www.cdc.gov/travel.
Enjoy your trip, mcnyc. I am looking forward to your report!