Bariloche & the Lake District - Argentina - page 711

A good source of information about the park is the Nahuel Huapi national park office in -
Bariloche.
For trekking maps and information about hiking in the region, see Lonely Planet's
Trekking in the Patagonian Andes by Carolyn McCarthy or, if you read Spanish, the loc-
ally published Las Montañas de Bariloche by Toncek Arko and Raúl Izaguirre.

Getting There & Around
For road conditions in and around the national parks, call Parque Nacional Estado de
Rutas (

105) toll-free.

THE CRUCE DE LAGOS

One of Argentina's classic journeys is the Cruce de Lagos, a scenic 12-hour bus-
and-boat trip over the Andes to Puerto Montt, Chile. Operated exclusively by Turis-
ur ( 0294-442-6109; www.cruceandino.com ; Mitre 219; per person AR$1650) , the trip begins
around 8am in Bariloche (departure times vary) with a shuttle from Turisur's office
to Puerto Pañuelo near Hotel Llao Llao. The passenger ferry from Puerto Pañuelo
leaves immediately after the shuttle arrives so, if you want to have tea at Llao Llao,
get there ahead of time on your own (but make sure you bought your ticket in ad-
vance). Service is daily in the summer, Monday to Friday the rest of the year. In
winter (mid-April to September) the trip takes two days and passengers are re-
quired to stay the night in Peulla, Chile, where you have the choice of Hotel Natura
Patagonica ( in Chile 65-972289; www.hotelnatura.cl ; s/d US$190/198; ) or the Hotel
Peulla ( in Chile 65-972288; www.hotelpeulla.cl ; s/d US$124/131; ) . There used to be a
more economical option at Puerto Blest, but it was closed at time of research. Ask
about this option at Turisur.
Bicycles are allowed on the boats, and sometimes on the buses (provided you
dismantle them), so cyclists may end up having to ride the stretches between Bari-
loche and Pañuelo (25km), Puerto Blest and Puerto Alegre (15km), Puerto Frías
and Peulla (27km), and Petrohué and Puerto Montt (76km); the tourist office may
have info about alternative transportation between Petrohué and Puerto Montt for
cyclists hoping to avoid the ride.
In winter it's not possible to purchase tickets only for segments of the trip (ex-
cept between Puerto Pañuelo and Puerto Blest; AR$402). In summer (December
to April) it's possible to buy just the boat sections (AR$523). Either way, if you're
cycling Turisur will cut your rate slightly since you won't be riding the buses.
Though the trip rarely sells out, it's best to book it at least a day or two in advance.