Argentina

November 6-29, 2009

November 22: Parque Nacional Lanin - Lago Lacar and the Condor Roost

We had a tough time deciding what to do with our last day in Parque Nacional Lanin and once again, had a tough time finding any good information or maps online. We had found a few references to some thermal springs in the area but nothing very detailed. Finally we opted for the route described online as "On the Way to the Hua Hum Pass". The Hua Hum Pass is one of the most scenic of international passes between Argentina and Chile but we figured we wouldn't go that far since crossing the border was not possible anyway. The route however did seem pretty scenic, with beautiful beaches along the way and at the end of the road there were some natural thermal springs which seemed much more enticing to us than the regular built up tourist traps. The website however did mention that the roads were pretty rough and so we decided not to get our hopes too high.

After stopping off for a quick geocache, we continued along and came to a picnic area which turned out to be Area Yuco, the spot famous for its beaches. OK, not quite the warm sunny swimming spot we were expecting but being off season we had the place to ourselves and with the waters absolutely calm, we enjoyed the scenery and let the kids play for a while.

It was a pretty cool day and when we finally came to what was almost the end of the road at the western tip of Lago Nonthué, we were really hankering for a nice hot meal. So we decided to stop at the restaurant to see if it was open and although we were the only ones there, we were led to a nice rustic dining area and seated next to the window with a great view of the lake.

Bellies filled and bodies warmed, we headed off to check out the road for the thermal springs. It was indeed pretty rough and we bounced along at a pretty slow pace. Eventually we got to a sign which indicated another 8km to get to a camp from where the hike to the springs would start and we realized it was not going to happen. Luckily however the little waterfall that barely got any mention on the website turned out to have a lovely little hike leading up to a spectacular 30m waterfall.

As a final little adventure for the day, we decided to head to a nearby condor roost rather than waiting for the next day when we'd pass by it on our way to Neuquen. After all, during the day the condors fly high up in the mountain and this was the perfect time to see them coming in to roost for the night. And we did manage to spot quite a few condors, but the real highlight for the kids ended up being the ant superhighway that passed right under the condor observation platform. :)

the photos: