4 Best Sights in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, The Lake District

This stunning national park is notable for having the highest concentration of lakes in Argentina. The largest of them, Lago Nahuel Huapi, covers 550 square km (212 square miles) and has eight arms—the longest of which runs 18 by 3 km (11 by 2 miles)—reaching deep into forests of coihue, cypress, and lenga trees. Intensely blue across its vast expanse and aqua green in its shallow bays, the lake meanders into lagoons and misty inlets where the mountains, covered with vegetation at their base, rise straight up out of the water.

Inside the park, nearly every water sport imaginable can be arranged through travel agencies, tour offices, or hotels. Boating is particularly popular, with options ranging from a placid Isla Victoria outing to challenging white-water rafting adventures. Information offices throughout the park offer tips about tackling the miles of mountain and woodland trails. For the more enterprising, small towns like Villa La Angostura and Villa Traful afford opportunities for off-the-tourist-trail explorations on foot or horseback. Since most of the park is at a low elevation (under 1,829 meters, or 6,000 feet), getting around in winter is not difficult—just cold. Visits in other seasons bring the rewards of spring flowers, long summer days, and spectacular fall foliage.

This 3,491-meter (11,500-foot) extinct volcano—the highest mountain in the northern Lake District—straddles the frontier with Chile, with peaks on either side. Home to eight different glaciers, it owes its name ("Thunder Hill") to the icy seracs that periodically crash down from its slopes.

A visit to Cerro Tronador is an all-day affair, traversing some 170 km (105 miles) round trip from Bariloche. To get there, take Ruta Nacional 40 south along the shores of Lagos Gutiérrez and Mascardi; between the two lakes, the road crosses from the Atlantic to the Pacific watershed. At Km 35, turn right onto Ruta Provincial 82, which is unpaved and marked "Tronador" and "Los Rápidos"; very soon you'll hit the pay station to enter Parque Nahuel Huapi. From there, continue along the shores of Lago Mascardi until the road forks about 6 km (4 miles) on. The left branch is Ruta Provincial 81, which goes to Lago Hess and Cascada Los Alerces—a detour you might want to take on your way out. Your path, however, lies to the right, which takes you the 40 km (25 miles) to the foot of Cerro Tronador itself.  

After crossing Los Rápidos Bridge, the roadway narrows; note that it’s one way inbound between 10:30 am and 2 pm, one way outbound between 4 pm and 6 pm, and two ways from 7:30 pm to 9 am. The lake ends in a narrow arm (Brazo Tronador) at the Hotel Tronador, which has a dock for tours arriving by boat. From there, the path follows the Río Manso to Pampa Linda, which has a lodge, restaurant, park ranger's office, campsite, and trailhead for the climb up to the Refugio Otto Meiling at the snow line. Guided horseback rides can be organized at the lodge. The road ends 7 km (4½ miles) beyond Pampa Linda in a parking lot that was once at the tip of the receding Ventisquero Negro (Black Glacier). As the glacier flows down from the mountain, the dirt and black sediment of its lateral moraines get ground up and cover its frozen core. At first glance, it's hard to imagine the tons of ice that lie beneath its black cap.

The most popular excursion on Lago Nahuel Huapi is the 30-minute boat ride from Puerto Pañuelo on the Llao Llao Peninsula to Isla Victoria, the lake's largest island. Here, amidst a grove of redwoods transplanted from California, trails branch off to enchanting views of emerald bays and still lagoons. When you've taken it all in, you can reboard your vessel and continue on to the Parque Nacional los Arrayanes to the north. Launches depart daily at 10:30 am and 2 pm (more frequently in high season). The earlier departure includes time for lunch in a cafeteria on the island. Cau Cau is one of several firms offering this tour.  

Lago Nahuel Huapi's entire Quetrihué Peninsula, with its unique forest of arrayanes (myrtle trees), is protected by the Parque Nacional los Arrayanes. These trees absorb so much water through their thin skins that all other vegetation around them dies, leaving a barren thicket of peeling, cinnamon-colored trunks. A stroll along the park's wide wooden steps and walkways is a memorable experience, as light filters through the twisted, naked trunks, projecting a weird red glow. You can make this excursion from the pier at Bahía Brava in Villa La Angostura, or by boat from Bariloche via Isla Victoria. In summer, you can take a three-hour walk or cycle through the forest, after registering at the guardaparque office (ranger station) near the pier.  Leave in the morning, as the park entrance closes at 2 pm (11 am in winter). A nice way to optimize your time is to go by boat and come back by bike--this way, the return stretch is all downhill. If returning by boat, buy your ticket back at the pier before you leave.