Traverse 2 Refuges (López / Laguna Negra)

The beginning of the traverse is in the Arroyo López, where you will see the water falling incessantly as a result of the melting of the snow that has fallen in the winter. The first meters we will travel along a slightly inclined path through a wooded area with huge, green coihues. If you raise your head you can see the Llao-Llao mushrooms that decorate its branches like a Christmas tree.

After several minutes, you will stop hearing the water of the stream as we move away from it. The environment will become drier and rockier, the trails will have a lot of loose soil and we will travel among other trees called cypresses, smaller in size, lighter green and conifer-shaped. The slope will be greater, so the pace will be slower and when we stop to hydrate, we will be able to see small waterfalls to our right that fall hundreds of meters.

The reward for walking along this steep path will be when you reach "Roca Negra", an obligatory stop where you will have an incredible view of Lake Nahuel Huapi and its islands.

You will walk visiting 2 well-known refuges in Bariloche. You will have beautiful views of the hills and lakes of our Patagonia and you will be able to completely connect with nature.

From here, narrow paths will alternate with wide roads until you reach the Refuge López. Upon arriving there, you can take the opportunity to rest, cool off and have a drink while you see the incredible sky over the lake.

The second day the trekking continues and the slope increases considerably. The landscape will completely change, we will leave behind the forests of the previous day and enter the "High Andean" environment characterized by enormous rock blocks.

In the summer we will cross nevés (snow patches protected by the shadow and shape of the terrain) so it will be the experience of stepping on snow at this time of year. We will visit La Hoya and Pico Turista, two beautiful places with excellent views. There will be very little vegetation along the way, although you may be able to see some Serrano Gauchos, very social birds that will keep us company.

By walking you can connect with nature and share the mountain atmosphere that is created in the refuges of Bariloche.

After lunch, we will cross mallines and small forests and see the Black Lagoon, where you can roll up your pants and cool your feet after several hours of walking.

Here the most adventurous part of the outing will begin, we will border the Black Lagoon and we will help ourselves with some ropes and steps nailed to the rock to advance to discover the beautiful refugio (not recommended if you suffer from vertigo).

From the refuge we will take the path to Colonia Suiza, we will cross the stream where the lagoon flows over a windy bridge and we will begin to go down the “Caracoles”, zigzagging paths between the Lenga bushes, where we will have to circulate slowly.

On the second day you will visit the Refugio Italia Manfredo Segre (better known as Refuge Laguna Negra). This is an old refuge with many people who share the love of the mountains.

We will arrive at “Rancho Manolo”, an obligatory stop on the side of Arroyo Goye, to rest and continue enjoying nature. Then, we will continue traveling through the forest for several hours, always close to the stream.

The final destination will be Colonia Suiza, an ideal place to celebrate the journey with a craft beer or smoothie.

Do you dare to make this traverse?