With all the other Patagonian destinations that are great for hiking, Nahuel Huapi National Park seems to be a little overlooked. Should your trip take you to Bariloche, we recommend spending an extra couple of days in the area and do a hike or two in the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
We did a seven day hike combining two of the more famous treks. Namely the 4 Refugios and the 5 Lagunas. At least that was the plan, which we altered a bit along the way.
Barilochetrekking was a great resource for getting a grip of the area, since there a so many trails and huts and lakes and so on… On the site you’ll also find the registration form, you’re supposed to fill out before you start your hike.
Also, if you decide to stay at one of the refugios or on a campground that belongs to a refugio, you should check their respective websites for reservations and fees. Each refugio has their own website unfortunately, so reserve some time for planning.
Stats
We started our hike at the shore of Lago Gutiérrez and ended up at Pampa Linda covering a distance of 72km with 4380 meters of elevation.
How to get there
Once you’re in Bariloche, you’re pretty much there. It’s just around the corner so we took an uber to the trailhead. For our way back from Pampa Linda we booked a bus via Transitando lo Natural. It was 35$ pp. and we booked it in person at their office in Bariloche.
The hike
Day 1 – Camping Lago Gutiérrez to Refugio Frey (9,7km, 1038m)
As mentioned before, we took an uber to the trailhead and started walking – easy peasy. The first part is flat and runs along the western shore of Lago Gutiérrez. It then turns right and that’s where the uphill starts. We had great weather, which also meant that the sun was beating down, so we were glad that much of the incline is in the forest. One thing that stood out, compared to the other Patagonian treks, was the very dusty nature of the trails. Not that we’re complaining, it was just something we noticed. And the bamboo… we didn’t expect that much bamboo.
Refugio Frey is located right next to Laguna Tonchek, so we set up our tent, went for a little dip and watched the climbers on the rock faces around us.
When checking in at the refugio you can choose to have dinner and breakfast there. To save weight, we had dinner at our refugio stays. If you want to do the same, make sure to bring cash as they do not have card payment up there.
Day 2 – Refugio Frey to Refugio Jakob (9,2km, 818m)
After leaving Laguna Tonchek behind us, we started the climb up to Laguna Schmoll and then went up a little further across some apparently nameless pass. The downhill from said pass is rather steep with loose rocks, so we took it easy and watched our steps. Down at the Rocaco Valley we found some shade and creeks to refill our bottles for the next climb up to Paso Brecha Negra. From up there we could already see Refugio Jakob at the shore of Laguna Jakob. The downhill was again steep and rocky, but not overly dangerous.
Day 3 – Refugio Jakob to some place along Arroyo Casalata (8,7km 486m)
The original plan was to continue on the 4 Refugios trek to Laguna Negra. But this section includes a rather steep and apparently slightly technical climb. Some people said, you can only do that section with a guide, others just did it without one. The employees at Refugio Jakob also advised against it, mentioning snow on top of the climb. Consequently, we were going back and forth – quite literally – not knowing what to do. After all, it was the last trek of our three month trip through Patagonia, which we wanted to end on a high note rather than a downfall. These decisions are never easy, but thanks to the vast trail network of the national park, we just came up with an alternative route, turning south where we should have gone north. And so we ended up in some valley, at a quiet camping spot that we had all to ourselves next to the Arroyo Casalate. Good stuff!
Day 4 – That place next to Arroyo Casalate to Laguna Azul (14,4km, 915m)
On and on the valley went until we reached Lago Mascardi where we turned right. After crossing Arroyo Callvuco we made another right and went uphill towards Laguna Azul. The last part of the climb runs over some naked, but very grippy rock next to a waterfall, which made for some fun climbing. The campground at Laguna Azul has no toilets or anything, but it’s very well sheltered from the elements.
Day 5 – Laguna Azul to some place close to Laguna Ilón (7,6km, 644m)
Day five started with yet another steep incline above Laguna, and that lake really deserves it’s name. It is blue indeed. After that comes a little downhill to Laguna Jujuy, which is followed by yet another short incline. From that incline you get a great view of Cerro Tronador and it’s massive glacier. The mountains around Cerro Tronador very much reminded us of Cochamó Valley, which of course, is not too far away somewhere west across the Chilean border.
After the last downhill of the day we set up camp next to yet another creek, where we spent yet another evening and night in solitude.
Day 6 – That place where we set up camp to Laguna Ilón (12,7km, 422m)
Laguna Ilón and Refugio Ilón respectively were just around the corner so we set up camp and unloaded our packs. From there we hiked up to the Mirador del Doctor for some miradoring and then headed back to the campground.
After six days of spotless skies, the weather started to make a turn for the worse in the evening, so we were greatful that Refugio Ilón has such a cosy common area. Also, the pizza we had for dinner was very good and a welcome change from ramen and polenta.
Day 7 – Refugio Ilón to Pampa Linda (7,8km, 120m)
So it had started to rain heavily some time around the consumption of the delicious pizzas and it didn’t stop until four in the morning or so. Due to poor campsite choice and the formation of a little laguna under our tent, we had to reposition our shelter twice during the night. But no harm done. In fact, this was the only time in three months of Patagonian travel, where the rain caused some slight irritation.
The hike was more or less a long downhill into Pampa Linda, with a view of Glaciar Alerce thrown in. Since the weather had turned to blue skies and sunshine again, we passed the time until the bus left with drinks at Albergue Pampa Linda. Nothing like a cold draft or two after seven days of hiking.
