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Chubut
A place that will take your breath away. A national park of extraordinary beauty that has been declared a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2017. With turquoise lakes and rivers, glaciers, waterfalls and the Alerzal Milenario, this park is part of the Valdivian forest with larch trees of more than 2500 years old.
You can visit all year round. From October through April, you can go camping and hiking. From June through September, you can go skiing or do activities in the snow in La Hoya. Park entry fees apply.
The park is ideal for camping, relaxing in a cottage, hiking, trekking, kayaking, lake navigation, horseback riding and enjoying nature at its best. You can visit it for the day, but it is best to spend more time exploring every corner. Provincial Route 71 crosses the park from north to south and borders its main lakes.
In the northern area of the park, the enormous Rivadavia Lake has a wide range of accommodation options and trails. You can camp or stay in dome tents in the small and beautiful Verde Lake, where you will find trails and viewpoints.
To the south, the surprising Arrayanes River starts flowing with incredibly clear waters, offering some of the most beautiful views of the park. Crossing its famous hanging bridge and following a half-hour trail, you will reach Chucao Port, on the shores of the Menéndez Lake, from where tours to the Alerzal Milenario depart.
The catamaran tour to the Alerzal Milenario departs from Chucao Port and sails across the Menéndez Lake to Sagrario Port. From there, you can take a 2-kilometre guided hike through the intangible area of the park in the middle of the Valdivian forest, which in our country, only grows in a few places along the mountain range.
In the Alerzal Milenario, you will find larch trees of all ages and sizes, from young trees of 100, 200 or 500 years old to trees of up to 60 metres high and 2000 years old. Along the way, you can visit the Cisne Lake and the river of the same name, which leads to the foot of the Lahuán or grandfather larch tree of over 2600 years old.
To the south, you will find the huge Futalaufquen Lake that offers accommodation and a variety of services (Villa Futalaufquen being the main city), and on the southern limit, you will find Futaleufú Lake, where you can visit a hydroelectric dam.
You can visit many small lakes, rivers and trails with different tours.
Outside the park, Cholila is a good place for walks in the forest, horseback riding, sport fishing, river and lake navigation, wildlife photography, mountain climbing and visiting historic sites, such as the cabin where the famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid hid away.
From Esquel airport and Trevelin, you can access the park by car, taxi, fixed-fare taxi or with a tour. Provincial Route 71 crosses the park from north to south and borders its main lakes.
From Esquel to Villa Futalaufquen, there are 52 km of paved road along National Route 259 and Provincial Route 71. There is a daily bus service departing from Esquel and passing through Villa Futalaufquen and some points of interest along Provincial Route 71.
From El Bolsón, in Río Negro, you can reach the north gate of the park following along National Route 40 and Provincial Route 71 (105 km in total, 28 km of gravel road), passing through Cholila and the Rivadavia Lake.
To get to the Alerzal Milenario, you need to take a boat navigation tour and a hiking tour.
In the park there are hostels, cottages, wild camping sites and camping sites with services. Villa Lago Futalaufquen and Villa Lago Rivadavia also offer accommodation.
Outside the park, Esquel and Trevelin, El Bolsón, Lago Puelo and Cholila offer different accommodation and cuisine options.
