The Great Escape: Nahuel Huapi National Park
When it's time to play, one of Argentina's prime destinations is Nahuel Huapi National Park. Located within a high mountain chain of the Patagonia Andes, it offers some of the finest skiing in South America. Roughly two million acres of glacial lakes and forests also make it ideal for hiking and paddling. National Geographic has listed the panoramic view from Cerro Campanario as one of the ten best in the world. Nahuel Huapi is also the country's oldest national park.
As the crow flies Chile is not far away. These lands share the traditional Mapuche culture. Having observed Chemamull burial statues in Santiago, they were familiar to us when we encountered a few along the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake.
The jumping off point for adventures throughout the region is the bustling city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Its stunning alpine architecture makes it feel a lot like the Swiss Alps. The main structures in the Civic Centre and beyond are constructed of volcanic stone, slate, and timber that is primarily from the Patagonia cypress.
The other main attraction in the city is the Church of Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi. It has a handsome interior with numerous stained-glass windows which ring the upper levels of the sanctuary. We were equally impressed with the fourteen stages of the cross that also direct one's attention around the perimeter walls. They appeared to be made of alabaster.
There's lots to see in the outlying areas so we rented a car for three days. We began by exploring the very popular Chico Circuit, a loop around the picturesque Llao Llao Peninsula. Quaint homes with manicured gardens had familiar species: fuchsia, privet, hydrangeas, buddleia, mountain ash, yarrow and laurel. Roses were here, there and everywhere!
There are beautiful views of some of the smaller bodies of water. Moreno Lake has the best beaches in the vicinity and the water is warmer than elsewhere. Lots of people swim...but not for very long! An interesting building on the Chico Circuit is rustic St Edward's Chapel.
A small museum on Lake Gutierrez is chocked full of colourful mineral samples, stuffed animals and fossils. The friendly curator scoured the world and has quite a collection of artefacts. Most intriguing were the hips of a giant sloth and skull of a smilodon, related to the saber-toothed tiger. I don't imagine that these fellows were the best of friends.
Although we didn't run into any relics along the road we did encounter a very healthy looking fox. I'd also observed one walking along the shore at Miniques Lake outside of San Pedro.
The next day we set off for Villa la Angostura, a resort town with many of the same features as Bariloche but on a smaller scale. After soaking up a bit of its ambiance we headed to the waterfront in search of a catamaran. The boat took us to the tip of the Quetrihue Peninsula where we disembarked at Los Arraynes National Park. It was given special status in 1971 to protect a forest of rare and fragile arrayanes trees. It's actually a park within a park!
Arrayanes trees are members of the myrtle family. Their outer layer has a velvety layer of cinnamon coloured bark. A high concentration of tannins produces this effect and where the bark peels there are patches of white. It responds well to damage by sending out a clutch of new shoots but because the tree grows slowly and its fruit is eaten by only two varieties of bird the species has only survived in isolated pockets. Its high quality wood has great value but Argentina has prohibited its use.
Wandering back to Angostura along a twelve kilometre trail was a treat. We had been craving some peace and quiet. The exercise in nature was just what the doctor ordered!
The Seven Lakes Road is one of the region's premier travel experiences. It's a full day's trip from Bariloche but based on some reading I had done we decided to tack on a complementary side component along a remote route. Up and out the door shortly after dawn we had the road more or less to ourselves as we cruised through the Enchanted Valley.
Route 63 delves into the back of beyond. The first part was such slow going that we began to rethink our plan. Travelling at just 3 km per hour wasn't getting us very far! Fortunately the trip report had been accurate and the road did improve.
By early afternoon we had arrived at St. Martin de los Andes, a popular community at the end of the Seven Lakes Road. The approach was dramatic as we wheeled around the shoreline of Lake Lacar and descended into town. There's a lovely waterfront, some really good eateries and micro-breweries... a great place for Canadian snowbirds if it wasn't so far away!
Making our way back to Bariloche along the main highway we spent the rest of the day exploring the remainder of the Seven Lakes. As one would expect, there were many campsites along the way. We enjoyed watching a game of soccer-volleyball and spotted some Ashy-Headed Geese at Little Chico Lake. What a wonderful day!
Nahuel Huapi's signature hike is a trek to Refugio Frey. Beginning at the Cerro Cathedral ski resort, the first ninety minutes paralleled Lake Gutierrez. Swathes of colihue canes that are similar to bamboo framed the views. They are used for making furniture. Once inside the forest we were treated to dazzling pockets of Peruvian lilies.
In addition to Refugio Frey there are other shelters in the mountains. The idea of providing a safe haven is sensitive here. German immigration was instrumental in the development of this region. This trend continued after World War II when about 9000 Third Reich collaborators relocated to Argentina. Juan Peron supported the Nazi regime and was eager to acquire its technical expertise. He arranged safe passage for leading officials. Many came to Bariloche, including Josef Mengele. A 2011 book claims that Hitler and Eva Braun lived outside of Bariloche until he died in 1962. In 1994 former SS commander Erich Priebke was found living here. He was extradited to Italy to face charges.
I don't imagine that too many people get away with much in these parts though with this sentinel supervising the approach to Refugio Frey. Laguna Tonchek lingers below the conglomeration of jagged needles atop Cerro Cathedral.
On the way back to Bariloche we took the longer route and were rewarded with a close encounter with a pygmy owl which didn't seem to mind our presence at all. It was a great finish to our adventure!
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