Puerto Blest - Lake Ortíz Basualdo

TRAIL MAP

High Difficulty

November - April
Very High (May - October)

Distance

18 km.
(return trip)

Elevation gain

360 m.

Duration

7 - 8 hs.
(return trip)

How to get there

HOW TO GET THERE

From downtown Bariloche:

Bus: Line 20, descend at Puerto Pañuelo, Llao Llao.

SUBE card needed to pay bus fare. Check timetable.

Turisur, a travel agent, offers the transfer to the Port.
Navigation from Puerto Pañuelo to Puerto Blest, then a short bus ride (3km.) with the same company Turisur to Puerto Alegre, where another boat will cross the Frias Lake to Puerto Frias.

Catamaran departure timetable:

  • Puerto Pañuelo – Puerto Blest:
    10 hs. all year round. Be at the port at 9 hs.
  • Puerto Blest – Puerto Pañuelo:
    November 1st through end March: 18.30 hs.
    April 1st to end October: 16.30 hs.

The entrance fee to the National Park and the boarding fee must be paid at the port prior to boarding.

SERVICES

Turisur
www.turisur.com.ar

Navegación Lago Nahuel Huapi y Lago Frías.

Es la única empresa de Bariloche concesionaria de la navegación con servicio regular y turístico entre Puerto Pañuelo (LLao LLao) y Puerto Blest. La misma empresa brinda el servicio de navegación en el Lago Frías entre Puerto Alegre y Puerto Frías, sumado al traslado en bus entre Puerto Blest y Puerto Alegre. Este servicio en todos los casos se abona extra a la navegación a Puerto Blest. En caso de utilizar un solo tramo de navegación, este se tiene que abonar en su totalidad (ida y vuelta).

Para este trayecto de navegación también se pueden contratar servicios privados de navegación. En tal caso es importante verificar que las embarcaciones y las empresas estén debidamente habilitadas por la Administración de Parques Nacionales para brindar el servicio.

Hotel Puerto Blest
www.hotelpuertoblest.com.ar

Temporada baja. Desde Semana Santa hasta el 14 de diciembre. En este período puede haber días en que el Hotel permanezca cerrado. El resto del año se considera temporada alta. En caso de reservar el hotel el costo del viaje en catamarán se encuentra incluido en la tarifa, ya sea que se utilicen los dos tramos (ida y vuelta) o sólo uno de ellos.

WARNING
  • This trail can only be done if you sleep at the Puerto Blest Hotel, so you must have a reservation at the hotel beforehand.
  • Camping is not allowed at Puerto Blest nor at Puerto Frias.
  • Bear in mind what season you are in, daylight hours, when planning your trip. Also be aware that in the rainy season the trails get very muddy and slippery making it a lot harder.

DESCRIPTION

The trailhead is right next to the Hotel Puerto Blest. It goes around the bay, crosses a hanging bridge and joins into the boardwalk to Cántaros Lake.

After heading up the steps, continue to the end where you will see the old Alerce tree. Next to it is the trail that continues on to the Ortiz Basualdo lake.

The trail is well marked and crosses part of the Valdivian forest, with lots of vegetation, moss and lichens and you can observe many of these huge Alerces. This is a very humid ambient due to the high amount of rainfall and snowmelt, lots of lagoons and marshland where bridges and boardwalks have been built to avoid having to wade through all the creeks.

Roughly after 4 km. you will reach what is known as “La Heladera”, a huge granite vertical wall, where there is almost permanent snow and ice. Further on you can observe the Cántaros creek waterfalls, after passing a unique forest of Alerces and 9 km. you arrive at “Playa de los palos”, at the shores of the Ortiz Basualdo lake, at the mouth of Cántaros river which drains into the bay at Puerto Blest, Nahuel Huapi Lake.

Follow the same way down.

To improve the trekking experience, it is recommended to contact a Mountain Guide authorized by the AAGM (Argentine Association of Mountain Guides)

PHOTO GALLERY

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