Outings and excursions · San Carlos de Bariloche
El Bolsón and Lago Puelo: a day trip south on Route 40
Photos: TitiNicola · CC BY-SA 4.0 / littletroll · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Route 40 heads south to El Bolsón, with its regional fair and the Cabeza del Indio rock, and on to Lago Puelo National Park, where the Patagonian forest meets the Valdivian rainforest.
The tour sets off early and heads south on Route 40. Past lakes Gutiérrez and Mascardi, the road, paved all the way, runs about 130 kilometers to El Bolsón, in the far southwest of Río Negro province. The town lies in a glacial valley a little over 300 meters above sea level, crossed by the Azul and Quemquemtreu rivers and watched over by Cerro Piltriquitrón, a 2,260-meter peak whose Mapudungun name is usually translated as “mountain hanging from the clouds.”
The first stop is usually the Regional Fair on Plaza Pagano. It began as an informal gathering of artisans and small farmers and became official in 1979; today it has around 400 stalls, rising to as many as 600 in summer. You will find work in wood, leather, wool, metal and ceramics, along with what the area is known for: berry preserves, cheeses, craft beer, chutneys and local produce. It is the place to taste, chat with the person who made it and take home something you will not find anywhere else.
West of the center, a ledge trail leads to the Cabeza del Indio, a rock formation that wind and erosion have shaped into the profile of a human face. From this natural balcony the view opens over the Azul River valley and the ranges that close it in.
A few kilometers further south you cross into Chubut and reach the town of Lago Puelo, about 4 kilometers from the lake that gives it its name. This is where Lago Puelo National Park begins: created in 1971, it protects more than 27,000 hectares all the way to the Chilean border. The lake sits at around 200 meters above sea level, one of the lowest points in the Andes, and drains through the Puelo River toward the Pacific. That low altitude and mild climate let the Andean-Patagonian forest mix with Valdivian rainforest species such as ulmo, avellano, lingue and tique.
Near the shore there are short, easy trails, like the Bosque de las Sombras, which winds through a damp patch of pitra trees with twisted trunks. It makes a good finish before heading back along Route 40, with the afternoon light on Lake Mascardi.
- Tour type: Sightseeing, local crafts and food, and short walks
- Difficulty level: Low
- Tip: The fair is not open every day: check with the El Bolsón tourist office which days it runs before you pick a date. Fishing in the lake requires a current fishing permit.
