 |
 |
|
 |
  |
|
 |
  |
|
  Marcelo Sola |
||
| An outing packed with sceneries, panoramic points and forests. We navigated Lake Nahuel Huapi on the Futaleufú catamaran to go on this combined excursion to Victoria Island and the Arrayanes National Park. |
 |
|
The myrtle forest, in the Quetrihué peninsula, is a mandatory outing for those who visit Villa La Angostura. Fortunately, we arrived in the city on a Wednesday, when an excursion to the forest is done along with a tour across the legendary Victoria island. The excursion would take all day, which made us happy because, in addition to being amused by the navigation and the scenery, we would find peace and relaxation.
The date was at ten in the morning at the Angostura harbor pier. Very punctually, we got on board the Futaleufú catamaran, which belongs to the Greenleaf Turismo agency, and let adventure be our only guide. We began to sail up Lake Nahuel Huapi across Mansa Bay. Immediately, the excursion gave us beautiful sights of the surrounding mounts, of the Messidor residence and of the three bays in the village: Kraft, Cumelén and Manzano. The Futaleufú is a passenger catamaran which has an on-board bar service to enjoy a deliciuos cup of coffee or tea or some cold drink. There is an upper deck from where contact with nature is strengthened as passengers sunbathe. |
 |
 |
|
From the boat, we could appreciate some cypresses, coihues, radales and ñires, as well as Chilean fire trees, barberries and chapeles that form shrubs closed by the caña colihue over the peninsula.
We sailed on the crystal-clear waters of the lake. The seagulls began to escort our course, waiting for some intrepid tourist who would dare to hand feed them a cookie. We soon left the southern side of the peninsula behind, which we would visit on our way back from Victoria Island. After an hour's sail, we arrived in the Anchorena harbor on the island. The cave paintings and the archeological remains give evidence of aborigin presence in the area, which since 1935 has been part of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. Its proximity to the mountain range, where the winds from the Pacific discharge their humidity, causes its vegetation to be quite leafy. In the early XX century, the Argentinian government granted the island franchise to Aarón Anchorena. Aaron settled a sawmill and a shipyard where the first watercrafts that sailed the lake during the early 1900s were built. The Hostería Nacional Isla Victoria was inaugurated in 1946 and for years it was the ideal destination for honeymooners and pleasure trips until it caught fire in 1982. Nowadays, a new inn has been built in the same spot as the original one and is managed by the Tunquelén Hotel in Bariloche. |
 |
 |
|
As we landed, we were invited to go up 900-meter-high Mount Bella Vista on the chairlift. On the top, we beheld unforgettable panoramic sights of the lake, the vegetation and, in the distance, we made out the red roofs of the Llao Llao Hotel on the shores of the Pañuelo harbor in Bariloche.
We went down to have lunch at the “La Esmeralda” coffee-shop. After recovering our energies, we set out on a hike to the old exotic trees nursery, whose species were introduced in the area in the 1950s. The giant sequoias were breathtaking, as well as the juniper tree and the giant thuja. We took off our shoes and embraced the trees in order to get charged with the positive energy locked up inside the magnificent forest. Afterwards, we passed by the old sawmill and the Anchorena house, to end up the tour on the pier bearing the same name. It was time to go back. |
 |
 |
|
In the Lands of the “Ketri”
Once again, the Futaleufú set sail, but this time heading for the Quetrihué Peninsula -the myrtle trees were waiting for us. The charm of the myrtle trees distinguishes the scenery at the very moment one leaves the boat. From the Mapuche term ketri, “myrtle” and hué, “place”, the peninsula forest has features that turn it into something unique in the world: its specimens flaunt more than 15 meters of height and 400 years of age. The National Parks Administration has built new footbridges so that visitors of the area move about more easily and free of all risks both for themselves and the myrtle trees, of course. Therefore, using those brand-new footbridges, we got ready to contemplate the famous forest with a delicate cinnamon color. As ancient as beautiful, the thick myrtle tree trunks are covered by soft thin sheets that make up their cold bark. Through the trail, we came across sign posts that explained to us the various stages of growth of the myrtle tree and its co-existence with other vegetable and animal species. |
 |
|
Finally, the path led us to a cabin built in 1933, which seems to have escaped from a fairy tale. Many people assert that Walt Disney's cartoon “Bambi” was inspired in this beautiful place. The truth is that there is less certainty about the presence of the American cartoonist in the forest. Disney traveled to Argentina in 1942 invited by Antonio Lynch, former owner of the lands of the peninsula. This created the myth. Everything is lost in time and this theory has more critics than supporters. This cabin works as a tea-house in the forest. We took some time to taste a delicious cup of hot chocolate with a piece of cake.
After some photographic shots and playing with memories from childhood, when maybe Bambi would get lost in a similar forest, we returned to the Futaleufú catamaran. Once again, the Huapi sheltered us with its peace and quietness, the sun began to set behind the village mountain ranges painting incredible pink skies. Useful Data How to Get There: the lake excursion leaves from the La Mansa Bay harbor, heading for the Anchorena harbor on the island and the Quetrihué Peninsula harbor. Timetable: the catamaran sets sail every Wednesday at 10.00am Approximate Duration: 8 hours. Level of Difficulty: low Recommendations: an interesting option is to go on the lake excursion and then cycle back across the peninsula main road. Remember this is a protected area. Therefore, the regulations set forth by National Parks not to alter the environment should be complied with. |
 |
See also: Hotels in Villa La Angostura and other accommodation venues |
| Contact: Greenleaf - Bosque de Arrayanes Cerro Inacayal 13 - 1º Dto. 2 (8407) Villa La Angostura - Neuquén Tel: +54 (2944) 49-4405 / 004 |
| Back to Villa La Angostura |
© 2003-2008 Total or partial reproduction forbidden. Derechos de Autor 675246 Ley 11723