Argentina

November 6-29, 2009

November 17: Cerro Tronador: Driving to Cascada Los Alerces

We headed off fairly early towards the southern part of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi to where the road branched to go to Cerro Tronador and Cascada Los Alerces. Shortly after we turned off the main road we came to the park intendencia where we had to pay an entrance fee and were given a map with an explanation of the timetable - due to the nature of the roads, they are one-way only for specific times of the day.

On the way in Rubby was happy to follow a 4x4 towing a boat so that he could better judge the depth of the potholes and streams we had to forge. The scenery was amazing with the trees on the mountains still dusted with fresh snow and the lakes and rivers shimmering emerald green.

Time to pack a snack... mmmmmm! Joy!

The rain from last night came down as snow in the mountains.

If we hadn't been following another car, we would never have believed this "beach" was actually the road!

Why is poppa driving on the beach mommy?

The sign indicates not only which way to the waterfall but also the times and directions of the 'one-ways'.

A bridge across the Rio Manso.

A sharp turn at Balcon de la suegra reveals a beautiful view over the valley.

A panoramic view from Balcon de la suegra.

The clouds are still hanging on to the mountain tops... hopefully they'll dissipate by the time we get to Cerro Tronador.

On a bridge crossing a mountain run-off stream.

The 4x4 pulling the boat was not only our pace car, but also enabled us to judge the
depth of the water to know where to drive and whether it was passable.