Esquel l National Park Los Alerces
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On the way from Esquel to the lakes of the national park Los Alerces you will enjoy the transformation of the arid Patagonian steppe into humid Andean forests. The first part of the road crosses the arid hillsides, where once mystic Butch Cassidy lived his Argentine adventures. Soon, you reach unpaved roads and you enter the national park Los Alerces, which is said to be one of the most beautiful parks in the country. It was founded in 1937, in order to protect the old alerce trees and the surrounding untouched forests and lakes. Here, the woods and the Andean-Patagonian mountain chain already dominate the landscape. From here onwards, you will enjoy a magnificent landscape, painted in green hues, with lakes and many spectacular view points – this is pure nature. When you reach the Futalaufquen lake you can marvel at the most beautiful water mirrors of this park. On the left of the lake, you will reach the spot Futalaufquen. There you can find the stone and wood constructions of the park guards and the information centre. Then, 4 km further, on the east arm of the lake, you reach the harbour Puerto Limonao with its nice stone construction of the Hostería Futalaufquen. From there you will take a boat to the Alerzales, the alerce forest. You sail over the Futalaufquen lake and through the Arrayanes river (in summer) you enter the Verde lake. During winter, the tour starts from Puerto Chucao as combined tour, as the waterlevel of the river does not allow navigation. The views from the boat are incredible, green hillsides everywhere, covered by lush forests contrasting with the emerald water. The boat brings you to the more than one thousand year old Alerce wood. Some of these giant trees reach heights of 70m and have trunks of up to 4m diameter at the base. The oldest among them is about 3,000 years old. The wood of these trees is highly appreciated. Due to its slow growth, it has a very regular texture and great strength. In the beginning of the 20th century, it was considered as the "gold" of the woods. Fortunately, the trees are protected now. From the wood, you can walk to the Swan lake (lago Cisne) and enjoy the magnificent view with the glaciers of mount Torrecillas. Depending on the season, you will either sail back on the Futulaufquen lake or to Puerto Chucao at the Menéndez lake. You return to Esquel by bus. |
