Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
313
From Puerto Pañuelo to I sla Victoria, trips leav e at 10am and r eturn at 5:30pm. Book
via Cau-Cau, Mitre 139 (
&
2944/431372;
www.islavictoriayarrayanes.com).
Another boat trip heads to
Puerto Blest
at the far west of Nahuel Huapi Lake, sailing
through classic fiords and exuberant vegetation known as the Valdivian Forest. From this
point, there is a lovely hike up to a wide cascade and peaceful mountain lake, with a giant
alerce
tree next door that's more than 1,200 years old. Visitors can dine at the restaurant
at Puerto Blest or can bring a picnic lunch. These trips are very crowded in the summer.
An interesting alternative is to hir e a priv ate hiking or naturalist guide (see “O utdoor
Activities,” below), who will lead y ou away fr om the cr owds and deep in to the for est
while your boat is docked at P uerto Blest. From Puerto Pañuelo, trips to P uerto Blest
leave at 10am and r eturn at 5pm; trips fr om Puerto San Carlos leave at 9am and r eturn
at 6pm. This is the first leg of the Cruce Andino lake crossing to Chile (see earlier in this
chapter).
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
BIKING
Mountain bike r ental and information about bike trails and guided trips in
Nahuel Huapi are available from
Bike Way,
V.A. O'Connor 867 (
&
02944/425616
);
and
Dirty Bikes,
V. A. O'Connor 681 (
&
02944/425616
).
FISHING
This region provides anglers with excellent fly-fishing on the Manso, Limay,
Traful, and M achico rivers. Fishermen also tr oll on Lake N ahuel Huapi for intr oduced
species such as br own tr out, rainbo w tr out, and landlocked salmon. E ven har d-core
anglers will find enough to keep them busy her e for w eeks on end. The fishing season
opens in N ovember and r uns through April. You can pick up information and fishing
licenses at the
Baruzzi F ly S hop,
Urquiza 250 (
&
02944/424922
), or the office of
the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi in the Civic Center. Bariloche is home to doz ens of
fly-fishing guides. Be sure to choose one who is fully licensed and pr ovides lunch, trans-
fers, and the appr opriate gear. Recommended outfitters ar e Nico Martin at
Bariloche
Anglers
(
&
02944/462102;
www.barilocheanglers.com.ar) or
Ricigliano Fly Fishing
(
&
02944/420368;
www.riciglianoflyfishing.com). Costs generally r un ar ound $300
(£204) per day for up to two people. Trolling and spinning are also available. Tour agen-
cies such as
Huala Adventure Tourism,
San Martín 86 (
&
02944/522438;
www.huala.
com.ar), offer half-day and full-day fly-casting and tr olling excursions.
GOLF
There are three golf courses in the Bariloche area. The crème de la crème is the
par-70 18-hole course at the
Llao Llao Resort
(
&
02944/448530
). Above the shores of
Lago Gutierrez, the
Arelauquen Golf Resort
(
&
02944/431111
) is the newest 18-hole
course in the ar ea. There are 9 holes at the
Pinares Golf Club
(
&
02944/476122
) on
the road to the Llao Llao . Most are open fr om mid-September through mid-May, and
fees run from $35 to $50 (£24-£34).
HIKING
The Nahuel Huapi National Park has a w ell-developed trail system for day
hikes, multiple-day hikes, and loops that connect sev eral backcountry
refugios,
some of
which offer rustic lodging. The national park office in the Civic Center provides detailed
maps and guides to the difficulty lev el of each trail. Local hiking guides will shar e their
knowledge and make for a safe and rewarding outing. An excellent multilingual local hiking
guide and naturalist is
Max Schoffel
(
&
02944/15-669669
[cell]; www.patagoniatravelco.
com). Another great source for information is the
Club Andino,
Av. 20 de F ebrero 30
(
&
02944/422266;
www.clubandino.com.ar), which also has trails, guided trekking, ice
walks, and climbing trips on Cerr o Tronador.
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