Around the park

Lago Nahuel Huapi

The centre piece of the park is its largest lake, Lago Nahuel Huapi, a huge 531 sq km and 460 m deep in places, particularly magnificent to explore by boat since the lake is very irregular in shape and long fjord-like arms of water, or brazos, stretch far into the west towards Chile, where there is superb virgin valdivian rainforest, and north towards the Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes, (a park inside a park) which contains a rare woodland of exquisite arrayán trees with their bright cinnamon-coloured flaky bark. There are many islands: the largest is Isla Victoria. The tourist town of Bariloche is the best base for exploring this area, with plentiful accommodation all along the southern shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi, and hiking, rafting, tours and boat trips on offer.

North of Bariloche

North of the small, upmarket village of Villa La Angostura , a winding road takes you through spectacular and largely unspoiled landscapes on the famous Seven Lakes Drive to San Martín de los Andes . The northernmost stretch of this drive, and three of its lakes, are in Parque Nacional Lanín , which borders Nahuel Huapi National Park. Lagos Correntoso and Espejo both offer stunning scenery, and tranquil places to stay and walk. Another tiny centre, Villa Traful , lies on the shore of navy blue Lago Traful, the perfect place to escape to, with fishing, camping and walking.

South and west of Bariloche

West of Bariloche, there are glaciers and waterfalls near Pampa Linda, the base for climbing Mount Tronador, and starting point for the trek through Paso de las Nubes to Lago Frías. South of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Lagos Mascardi, Guillelmo and Gutiérrez have even grander scenery, offering horse riding, trekking and rafting along the Río Manso. An excellent base for exploring this area is Estancia Peuma Huei www.peuma-hue.com, on the southern shore of Lago Gutiérrez, with great walking, riding and rafting arranged by the estancia.

Activities

Trekking

This is obviously the main attraction here, with many well marked routes in the peaks south of Bariloche, Mount Tronador and others. There are plenty of refugiosoffering accommodation, all of which are very busy in January.

Skiing

Cerro Catedrali www.catedralaltapatagonia.com, is a world-class ski resort and is very popular throughout the season, from June to September. All hotels fill up in July and August.

Boat trips

There are day trips across Lago Nahuel Huapi from Puerto Pañuelo to Bosque de Arrayanes, (which can also be reached by boat or on foot from Villa La Angostura), and to Isla Victoria . Boats also cross to the extreme west of Lago Nahuel Huapi for the Three Lakes Crossing to Chile . Sailing is not available to tourists on the lake, as winds are so unpredictable, but there are plans to offer trips on sailing boats as a passenger. Rafting is excellent along the Río Manso, in the southwestern area of the park.

Swimming

In the larger lakes such as Nahuel Huapi swimming is not recommended, as the water is extremely cold all year round, but smaller lakes can be very pleasant in summer.