LOS ALERCES NATIONAL PARK

Los Alerces is one of the most attractive tourist centres of Central Patagonia as its spectacular natural beauty alternates virgin woods with Lakes, falls and rapids, mountain ranges and majestic glaciers. Los Alarces is northhwest of Chubut, the city of Esquel being the major entrance point, sited about 300 km south of Bariloche, a part of the Andean region, and bordering Chile. It covers an extension of 263,000 hectares.

It is called Los Alerces ("the larches") because it has the larch wood in the country with the highest population of trees. It was created in 1937 with the purpose of protecting this tree, one of the biggest and longest-living in the world, since it had become an endangered species due to to the overexploitation of which it was a victim at the beginning of the century.

The larch or lahuán (Fitzroya cupressoides) are 30 m high, on average. However, some of them can reach 50 ms. In some cases, the trunk has as much as 3 to 4 ms in diameter. Some trees that are 2,000 to 3,000 years old show the incredible age of the forest. Even though its larches characterize the Park, there are some other species that are even more abundant than the larch itself: cinnamon, mountain range cypress, coihues, mañiúes, mutisias with orange flowers, chilcos with red flowers, virreinas with purplish flowers and liutos with yellow flowers.

With respect to the aboriginal fauna of the Park, there are pumas, "comadrejitas enanas" (small weasels), gray foxes, pudúes, huemules (a variety of deer), ratones-topos, and among the birds, hualas, grebes, black-crowned night-herons, peuquitos, patos espejo, chimango caracaras, Magellanic woodpeckers, Chilean flickers and Austral thrushes.

There is also an interesting variety of native fish, such as the Patagonian pejerrey, the puyén, the peladilla and the Creole trout, and other foreign species, such as some salmonids and trouts.

You get to Los Alerces National Park along RNº259 (or 258) and Nº 71 (partially paved). The average temperature in summer is 20º Celsius and the season extends from November 15 to April 15. The average temperature in winter time, -2º Celsius. Altitude: 520 m a s l. It snows from May to September.

LAKES AT LOS ALERCES
Los Alerces has a beautiful and intricate system of Lakes where many Rivers and Streams flow and have their source. The crystal clear lakes are surrounded by mountain ranges sheltered with thick woods of coihues, cypresses and lengas, and inhabited by a diverse fauna.

One of the most beautiful lakes in the area is Lake Futalaufquen, with silver-blue waters. Futalaufquen Lake reaches Lake Verde through the fast flowing Arrayanes River. From this spot you can follow a short path that will take you to Menendez Lake, with bluish green pure waters.

At the point where the three branches of Menéndez Lake meet, the holiday-maker can admire Torrecillas Icefield, a glacial block 2,200 ms high. The setting is completed with some more lakes, mountains, some of which are over 2,000 ms high, and falls and torrents that come down from the heights.

On the other hand, due to the construction of the Futaleufú hydroelectric power station, the Quiñé, Epú, Culá and Situación Lakes merge into a single Lake called Amutuy Quimey.

From Puerto Limonao you board to start the most attractive excursion in the region, sailing across the waters of Futalaufquen Lake, Arrayanes River, Menéndez and Verde Lakes.

When Arrayanes River is very low, and it is not possible to leave Puerto Limonao by boat, the excursion is done by land to the Arrayanes River, embarking at Puerto Chucao on Menéndez Lake.

On the right side of Futalaufquen Lake the visitor can find hostels, bungalows, cottages, camping grounds and small stores for tourists.

ROAD EXCURSIONS
At the "Centro de Interpretación" (Interpretation Center) in Villa Futalaufquen, you can get a lecture on the natural history of the Park as well as the information needed to enjoy your tour along the different "interpretation trails": cave painting, native flora, Mt. Alto El Dedal, Los Pumas, Cinco Saltos, Tío Mindo Fall and others.

The following are some of the trails:

Cinco Saltos Trail: The ascent takes two and a half hours and you depart from Puerto Limonao to get to the vantage point of Los Pumas Stream Waterfalls. The difficulty of its ascent is intermidiate.

Mt Alto El Dedal Trail: The ascent takes 5 to 6 hours. You depart from Puerto Bustillo and arrive at a vantage point located at the top of the hill, from which you can admire part of Futalaufquen Lake, Situación range and Desaguadero River valley. High, difficulty ascent.

Trail to Kruger Lake: A 12 hour walk that starts at Puerto Limonao and ends at Kruger Lake, where camping is permitted. Intermediate to low difficulty ascent.

Trail to the Cascada Brook: This is a track starting at Villa Futalaufquen and going next to the eastern slopes of Situación Range. There are several lookout points and the trip takes four to five hours, ending at Villa Futalaufquen. Intermediate to low difficulty ascent.

Trail to the Escondida Lagoon: this ascent takes 4 hours, departs from Arrayanes River and ends in Escondida Lagoon. Intermediate difficulty ascent.

Trail to Mt Alto el Petiso: this ascent takes 6 to 7 hours. It leaves from Puerto Mermoud, on the shore of Lake Verde and ends at the top of the hill. A high, difficult ascent.

CAVE PAINTINGS
The prehistoric inhabitants of this region are represented at the Park by the remains from two sites of hunter-collector groups, they are on the banks of Desaguadero River: the "Alero del Shamán" and the "Sendero de Interpretación" (they are 2,200 and 1,500 years old respectively.

The areas most commonly used for these drawings were the cave overhangs, with the main motifs being concentric circles, cruciform designs, squares, rectangles, mazes, and stylized human figures.

The guest can appreciate this evidence of cultural activity at the "Sendero de Interpretación", which has been specifically created to this purpose.