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  Marcelo Sola |
18 km. from Bariloche city in a south east direction is the shelter of Club Andino Dr. Juan Neumeyer, in Nahuel Huapi National Reserve, where you can do eight interesting walks through the Challhuaco valley accessible for the whole family.
To do these outings you must go to the shelter on your own, or else hire the service of a guide in any of the tourist agencies in town.
In case you hire a guide, he will call on you at the appointed time in a 4x4 vehicle. During the trip you will see the mountains around the city: mounts Otto, Catedral, Ventana, Ñireco and Carbon, while the guide tells you about the different activities you can do in the shelter area.
The word "Challhuaco" is a Mapuche term meaning "good fishing waters". |
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The 4 x 4 vehicle turns on a dust road and drives 12 km. to where adventure starts.
In the shelter they will be waiting for you with a big breakfast before the first outing.
The shelter has a capacity for 45 people. It is heated with fire wood and has a kitchen equipped to serve visitors, men and women's toilets, hot water, games table, musical instruments and an attractive library.
In summer, apart from botany interpretative walks, you can do mountain biking, climbing and rafting, while in the winter, you can practise off-track, nordic or cross-country ski and snowboard. You can also go on a racket walk or use a sleigh. |
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After breakfast, you can choose one of the eight strolls in the valley, each one signalled in a different color. In the shelter you will be given some leaflets for a better interpretation of the area, or you can go with the guide, who can give more specific information. |
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Trails marked with different colors include:
1- Valle del Challhuaco - panoramic view (self-guided yellow trail) –20 minutes.
2- Valle de los Perdidos - (botany interpretation blue trail) – 1 hour.
3- Laguna Verde - Mirador Pedregoso (panoramic view - red) – 1 hour.
4- Mirador del Ñirihuau - Ventana (Andean flora trail- marked in orange) – 1h 30 minutes.
5- Cerro Challhuaco - (red and yellow) – 2 hs 30 minutes.
6- From the lagoon to "Twin Bridges"(pink) – 4 hours.
7- Arroyo Tristeza to Park Ranger's Station (orange and ivory white) ideal for bicycles.
8- Arroyo Botella (ivory white).
In all these trails you have wonderful vistas of steppe and high Andes vegetation, and can observe birds like woodpeckers, or the worms which decompose the fallen logs. |
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You will see Cuyin Manzano mountain range, with mount Anecon Grande, where the Mapuche people celebrate a ritual Nguillatun. Then you will cross lagoons and see different color flowers in the forest and all the wild life in the area.
Mount Challhuaco is 1.900 meters above sea level. It has a typical High Andes ecosystem, while in Valle de los Perdidos you can see all the species typical of the Andes, steppe and forest ecosystems. |
We recommend you do one of the outings and then return to the shelter for a home-made lunch and some rest before you go on another walk. If you stay overnight, you can do 2 or 3 walks a day.
After the second hike you have tea with some delicious pancakes with milk jam cooked by the chef of the shelter. Then if you decide to return to the city, you can get on the 4x4 and go back to civilization.
We recommend you always walk through the trails and do not cut flowers, plants and berries; you carry your trash back to the shelter; you listen to the silence of the forest, so that you can connect with the wild life of the place. |
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2050 Travel.com
Rolando 263 (8400) San Carlos de Bariloche - Río Negro - Argentina
Tel: +54 2944 43-7527 / 43-3899
 
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