NATURAL RESOURCES
Landscapes. Flora and fauna

Nahuel Huapi National Park keeps specimens of three natural units: altoandino, andino-patagonico forest and patagonic steppe.

The vegetation that lives 1.600 over the sea level belongs to the altoandina nature's type, which is sparse and it is composed by little herbs that are adapted to lows temperatures, snow and winds.

The Altos Andes eco-region has hill chains and slopes. The climate is cold, with permanent snow. The rains vary between 100 and 200 mm. The floors are skinny and have an incipient evolution.

The low parts of the mountains and valleys of this Park are covered by vast andino-patagonico forests. Different trees like "lengas", "coihues" and "ñires" composed them.

During the spring these forests offer one of the most coloured wild landscapes of Argentina: native plants like the “notro”, with beautiful red flowers, the “mutisia”, a climbing plant with orange flowers, the “virreina”, similar to the “mutisia” but with lile flowers, and the “amancay”, which upholds the “sotobosque” with his yellow flowers.

In Puerto Blest zone, which is almost in the limit with Chile, rains 4.000 mm a year. There develops the “valdiviana” rainforest, with his own specimens like the “cipres de la guaitecas”, the male and female “maniu” and the “fuinque”.

There are many lakes between the forests. The outstanding is Nahuel Huapi, which has a 560 km2 surface and a 454 metres deep. Other smaller lakes are Traful, Gutierrez, Mascardi and Guillermo. Vegetables specimens of wet places, like “arrayanes” and “pataguas”, inhabit the riversides.

In the cliffs of many islands of the Nahuel Huapi lives the “comorran imperial”, a marine specimen. It is also frequent to see the “gaviota cocinera” following ships. One of the typical fauna's specimen of the region is the “huillin”, a carnivorous mammal that has in this Park the biggest population in Argentina. It is a native otter with short forelegs and long tail, who lives in riversides and has a long body covered by a brown fur with orangey or reedy highlights.

Other interesting specimen is the colonial “tuco-tuco”. It is a rodder who lives in subterranean burrows, which are their natural distribution is restrict in Nahuel Huapi National Park.

In the east side of patagonic forests there is transition strip with the patagonic steppe. There is an opened “cipreses” forests next to “radales”, “ñires” y “maitenes”. The most important specimen here is the “cipres”, which slender conical figure emphasizes in rocky slopes, as can be saw in Encantado valley, a very scenic beautiful place.

Taking the east rains slow down, so there is a drier landscape, dominated by patagonic steppe. This eco-region represents the media and lower basin of Atlantic slope's rivers and of certain slopes.

There is a cold and dry climate with wintered rains lower than 400 mm. The strong west winds are as typical as dry summers and frost during almost all the year.

The patagonic steppe is the kingdom of yellow and orange grass, typical of the most occidental and wettest area of the steppe. Wolves, “guanacos” and bird of prey like the “ceniciento” sparrow hawk and the “halconcito Colorado” characterize the fauna .

ACCESS
To San Carlos de Bariloche city, surrounded by the National Park, visitors can get to San Martin de los Andes through National Route Nº 231, communication way known as “Camino de los Siete Lagos”.

Another way to get from San Martín de los Andes is the Provincial route Nº 63. From Neuquen visitors can get through National Route Nº 237. From the south of the National Park through the National Route Nº 258 visitors can get to San Carlos de Bariloche.

By air, planes arrive to San Carlos de Bariloche airport.

The Park has three ways to get to Chile: two by foot, through National Route Nº 231, “Paso Puyehue; and the third through the lake, “Paso Perez Rosales”.

CONTACTS
Nahuel Huapi National Park


24, San Martin St.
(8.400)
San Carlos de Bariloche
Río Negro
Argentina
Telephone number: (02944) 4-23111
E-mail address: nahuelhuapi@apn.gov.ar
Telephone numbers:
(02944) 4-23121/11 Maintenance
(02944) 422989 Fax
(02944) 422734 Foresters Sectional
(02944) 422366 Administration
(02944) 448096 Victoria Island
(02944) 479033 Traful Village
(02944) 422857 Mobility
(02944) 436227 Environmental Education educambientalnh@apn.gov.ar

Administración de Parques Nacionales


690, Santa Fe St.
(1059)
Buenos Aires
Argentine Republic
Telephone numbers: (011) 4311-6633/0303
E-mail address: informes@apn.gov.ar

WALKS AND SERVICES
The National Park's maintenance is in San Carlos de Bariloche, a 100.000 habitants city that is located by the Nahuel Huapi Lake riverside. There are other populated cities around the area with tourist services like Villa Langostura and Villa Traful.
Inside the protected area there many free and organized camping zones, hotels, hostels, cabins and bungalows. In that area different tourist and recreational activities develop, like sport fishing, camping, sailing, rowing, trekking, rafting, diving, cavalcading, cycling trips, and relax activities like “pic nic”, sightseeing, and walks in a tour or by car. From November to April extends the sport fishing season of fishes like the stream's or brown trout and the salmon (consult for annual fishing rules).
Different paths allow making walks, trips by bike or horse and mountaineering. From some possible alternatives there spare information in National Park dependences. The most important are:

Trip that links the Frey Refuge and the General San Martin Refuge: along the path visitors can walk around the Catedral Hill and Brecha Negra Hill edges, and the Del Rucaco Valley. It has middle difficulty and it takes 8 hours.

Descendant from the General San Martin refuge through Casalata River to the Tronador Hotel zone: the way goes through Schweitzer Path. It has middle difficulty and takes 8 hours.

Trip from Tronador Hotel zone to Creton Little Lake: From Tronador Hotel zone to Creton Little Lake, where it connects to that trip, passing across Azul Little Lake. Up to Azul Little Lake presents middle difficulty and takes 3 hours. From Azul Little Lake to Creton Little Lake it has middle difficulty too and it takes 3 hours.

Route from the water division to Tronador Hotel zone in the Higher Manso River mouth: Passing across Llum Little Lake and the Mora Hill edge. The last part links with the Casalata stream descendant. The difficulty is medium and it takes a day and a half.

Route that joins Segre and Lopez Refuges, passing across Lopez hill path, Mallin del Goye and Bailey Willis Hill: It has high difficulty and it takes 5 hours.

Route that joins General San Martin and Segre Refuges: It presents high difficulty, takes 12 hours and requires a mountain guide's company.

La Carne Little Lake descendant up to Pampa Linda: It takes 3 hours and presents low difficulty.

Walk around the Castaño Overo Valley: It has low difficulty and it takes 3 hours.

Trip that joins Pampa Linda zone with Frias Lake: Passing across Paso de las Nubes. It requires two days, with low difficulty.

Pampa Linda is the beginning of short and long duration routes, like:
Saltillo de las Nalcas Path: It starts 500 metres from the Guardaparques Section, on the way to the basement to the Tronador Hill base. It takes half an hour.

Path to the Ventisquero Negro: It starts 7 km far from Guardaparques Sectional, in the way to the Tronador Hill basement, getting to Ventisquero Negro viewpoint.

Path to the Tronador Hill basement: It starts at the end of the car's route and from there visitors can watched the Garganta del Diablo waterfall.

Path to Ilon Little Lake: It starts 300 metres far from the Guardaparques Sectional. It continues in direction to the Otto Meiling Refuge, up to the signposted detour, to the right. The ascendant requires 6 hours approximately.

Path to the Otto Meiling Refuge (Andino Bariloche Club): Visitors leave from the Guardaparques Sectional in direction to the Castaño Overo River. After crossing it the path ascend to the “pedrero”. Getting to the refuge takes 5 hours.

Trip to Paso de las Nubes: Starts in the dive to Otto Meiling Refuge. It is a high mountain trip and offers the chance to see condors. It finishes in the valdiviana rainforests in Frias Lake and Blest Port. It requires two days to do it.

The National Park dependences give a complete information about these an other alternatives. The excursion along the lake's services let make possible to learn the history, nature and tradition of the Parks; the trips to Victoria Island, Los Arrayanes National Park, Blest Port and Mascardi Lake are some of the many alternatives that offer the local tourist agencies.
There are more than 500 km routes that cross the Park and let visitors get to the principal tourist attraction that are described below by car:
- In the north zone the area has different circuits. One gets to the Limay and Traful Rivers confluence, and to the attractive Valle Encantado, with his spectacular geological formations. Other option is the Siete Lagos Route, with circuits inside the Lanin National Park, where can be admired forests and lake landscapes as wonderful as varied.
- In the south zone, from Bariloche, paving route Nº 258 takes us to Mascardi Lake. There starts a road that bifurcates into the Manso River rapids- one goes to the Roca Lake and Los Alerces waterfall- and the other to the Tronador Hill and its glaciers.
- In the way to El Bolson there is the Guillermo Lake. In the right side of the route starts a descendant way that arrives to Steffen Lake; some kilometres far from this detour there is the Steffen Lake riverside, where many aquatic birds meet.