What to see
Troncal circuit and Cajón del río Azul
The main trekking path of the protected area begins at the La Confluencia access (also known as the Wharton farm, where there is no telephone or Wi-Fi signal).
After two hours of walking with beautiful views, you arrive at the La Playita refuge with several pools of blue-green water. If you continue for another hour, you can get to know one of the most iconic sites in ANPRALE: the Cajón del río Azul, a fault in the rock where the river is boxed in, forming an attraction of great beauty. In total, there are 8 km of walking and approximately three hours.
From the Cajón del Río Azul, and along the Circuito Troncal for about 15 km, you go up to Los Laguitos, the last refuge of this route, from which you can see the Lahuan lagoon and the Soberanía, Montes and Escondido lakes (if you have experience, you can summit Mount Año Nuevo). Another option, from the Cajón del Río Azul, is to connect with the Cerro Hielo Azul Circuit - Laguna Natación.
Cerro Hielo Azul - Natación Lake circuit and Azul River Pools
To tour the Cerro Hielo Azul Circuit, you can enter through the La Confluencia access (located at the junction of the Encanto Blanco and Azul rivers, also known as the Wharton farm) or through the “Doña Rosa” access, on the Azul river coast.
Either entering through one of the entrances and exiting through the other, or entering and exiting through the same path, you can discover the pools of the Azul River, where crystal clear and turquoise water runs between walls of millions of years ago. A tip: the shortest way to get there is entering through “Doña Rosa”.
After more than three hours of walking, and before reaching the Hielo Azul refuge, a detour leads to the path that leads to the lagoon and Natación refuge, from where you can see more attractions. In the vicinity of the lagoon, a path connects with the Circuito Troncal.
Other trekking circuits
In the vicinity of El Bolsón, there are more accesses to visit other circuits within the ANPRALE:
- Circuit of the Valley of Encanto Blanco: the tour begins at the house of the Tillería family, located in the area of Mallín Ahogado (17 km from El Bolsón). It lasts approximately three hours and ends at the Encanto Blanco refuge. From there, you can reach two viewpoints, the river and a waterfall.
- Cerro Lindo circuit: it starts at the footbridge over the Azul river, located in the municipal campsite, about 5 km from the center of El Bolsón. It lasts approximately seven hours. From the Cerro Lindo refuge, at the end of the route, you can reach lagoons, waterfalls and viewpoints, and even the top of the hill.
- Valle del Motoco Circuit: starts at the Azul River footbridge, located in Lago Puelo (Chubut), about 12 km south of El Bolsón. After seven hours of walking, you will arrive at the Motoco refuge from where you can see the Alerzal Milenario, the Mallín Grande, among other attractions.
- Dedo Gordo hill circuit: starts at the La Confluencia access (located at the junction of the Encanto Blanco and Azul rivers, also known as the Wharton farm). You can go up and down this path, or combine part of it with the Circuito Troncal. It lasts for almost five hours. From the Dedo Gordo refuge, at the end of the route, you can reach different panoramic points, a viewpoint and La Veranada, a large high-altitude mall.
Perito Moreno Hill
25 km north of El Bolsón, the Perito Moreno hill invites you to practice alpine and Nordic skiing and snowboarding among snowy forests. It has 24 skiable km distributed in 16 slopes. You can also snowshoe, cross-country ski and go sledding. It has a gastronomic area and a mountain refuge of the local Club Andino, with rooms to accommodate 60 people.