Day 1. (December 28th of 2006) Arrive at San Carlos de Bariloche airport.
You will be met by a Guide and transferred to your hotel. You will have some free time to explore the local town before the big welcome dinner. We will all meet at the most enjoyed    Parrilla (grill house) in Rio Negro- “The Boliche de Alberto”. Dez and your guides will brief you on the program for the following days to come. (Over night in Bariloche)

Day 2. Transfer to Cerro Lopez base. Hike to the mountain refuge of Cerro Lopez (1620 m.o.s.)  Where the amazing panoramic view of the lakes, snowy peaks and vegetation will take your breath away. From there you can hike to the summit (2050 m.o.s.) and enjoy one of the best and most beautiful views of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. On the way to back we'll travel past Colonial Suiza; an old settlement of Suisse immigrants who arrived when Bariloche was a small village. Their way of life was marked by the mix of the alpine and gaucho cultures which can be clearly seen in the architecture, handcrafts, and of course a good meal (return to Bariloche

Day 3. Transfer to Lago Steffen for rafting in the clear blue waters of the Manso River while being surrounded by one of the most beautiful valleys of the Andes mountain range. Leaving the hotel during morning we will head to the south of the National Park crossing the first section of the route leading to El Bolsón, passing near  Gutiérrez, Mascardi and Guillelmo lakes until arriving at the opening of the Steffen Lake. The Manso River continues its route from Lake Steffen and this is our departure point of adventure. In this section, between the Lake Steffen and the sawmill Villegas, the river present parts of calm descents, allowing the sighting of a vast amount of birds and enjoying the particular landscape of the Valdiviana forest that predominates the region: an elevated forest formed by colihues, cypresses and larches and a thick cane of underbrush colihues. We will see high waterfalls and will also swim next to the rafts using masks and snorkel to see the bottom of the river and its famous trout Maybe we can get a little fishing in. Raft Guides will set up camp and make a traditional parrilla dinner on the white sandy beach banks of the river.  (Over night stay in Tents)

Day 4. Descent of this river towards to Chilean border. Twelve kilometers down a clear water river, which flows all the way down the Pacific Ocean. Traveling down class III rapids, we'll see huge Coihue trees, surrounded by amazingly unspoiled wildlife; preserved by its special geography which limited the amount of human presence untll not long ago. One can see birds such as King Fishers and Cauquenes and sometimes the less frequent wild boar. We'll transfer back to the Pasarela Camp, once there we'll have a very tasty asado; one of the highlights of the trip.  (Transfer back to Bariloche s for a free night and lodging)

Day 5  free day.  This will be a good time to do some sight seeing and get some shopping done in the beautiful town of Bariloche. Recommendations if you wish to rent bikes and see the surrounding area.(Lodging in Bariloche)

Day 6. Transfer to Valle Encantado- We will travel toward the Northeast on National route 237 along the Limay River to Valle Encantado. The erosion from the wind, rain and rivers has carved strange forms on the volcanic origin rock in a transition environment among the humid forest and the dry steppe. By their appearance these fantasy formations carved in the stone come to life in the visitor's eyes: "The Sentry of the Valley", "The God's Finger", "The Lions". Forests and bushy vegetation dominate these environments, where the cypress of the cordillera has a privileged importance in these landscapes. Flying above this scenery, the majestic Andean condor finds ideal locations for nesting and resting on the nearby steppe. In an incomparable environment, we will hike where we will be able to visit caves with aborigine paintings that give us testimony of an ancient culture of more than 9700 years old. After a day in the field with intimate contact with nature, comfortable cabins await us and we will have the opportunity to delight ourselves with a magnificent asado of Patagonia Lamb (Early night big day ahead)

Day 7 We wake early and transfer to Pampa Linda, A valley that lays at the base of Cerro Tronador (3478 m.o.s.),and the associated glaciers Castaño Overo Glacier (2000 m.o.s.).. This will be a day to remember! For thousands of years a thick icecap has covered the summit of Cerro Tronador. From its three peaks, eight descending tongues of ice model the landscape. With incessant movement, they dig down and push everything out of their way, rolling away the stones, gravel and earth. This slow yet steady task can be seen by visiting the Black Snowfield.
This giant, called Anon by the aboriginal population, is 3,478 meters high and is the highest peak in Nahuel Huapi National Park. Its present name, Tronador, refers to the roaring sound produced by the constant breaking off of enormous blocks of ice.
We will arrive over Manso Superior River up to Pampa Linda where the gauchos will be waiting with horses to accompany us to up the mountain on an easy trail that is surrounded by cascading waterfalls and beautiful views of the Glacier and snow peak mountains.  The gauchos leave us were the vegetation ends and the track becomes more difficult for the horses
 We’ll continue to walk along the ridge to the refuge, enjoying a wonderful view of the glacier and the snowed peak mountain. We will spend the rest of the daylight relaxing and viewing the condors that fly close by so close you feel like you can touch them. We’ll spend night in tents next to refuge after enjoying a wonderful dinner with Nico the hut keeper.

Day 8. After eating breakfast, we will venture out onto to the glacier. We will discuss the basics of route finding and rope management. After putting on crampons we will Tour around on the glacier which will eventually lead us to beautiful crevasses that will take your breath away giving you the feeling of a true mountaineer without the dangers. After enjoying a nice trek we will have to say good buy to the mountain and Descent back to Pampa Linda where we will relax with dinner, spend the night at the Lodge in anticipation of the coming day.

Day 9. The gear will be loaded on the horses, and we'll start are trek north towards the valley that takes us to Paso de las Nubes (Passage of the Clouds). The path follows the course of the Alerces River, were we'll be able to appreciate the great diversity of the Andean-Patagonic forest, with it's enormous trees and highland marshes. After a five-hour walk, having been through the passage, we'll prepare our camp. From there we'll see Lake Frias, our next destination. Night will be spent in tents.

Day 10. Together with the bright morning light we'll start our way down the valley of the Frias River, from here we'll see the glacier that gives birth to this river. Suddenly the forest will change: It's the Valdivian rainforest, with the millenary arch trees, cypresses of the Guaitecas, giants ferns and moss that cover the ground, giving this part of the journey a fairytale feel. Walking amongst hundreds of century old trees makes this trekking very special.

Once we get to Lake Frias an embarkation will take us to Puerto Alegre. Close to there, in Puerto Blest, we'll get on to a ship and sail around the vast Lake Nahuel Huapi, towards Puerto Pañuelo in the Llao Llao peninsula. Dinner at the very special Kandahar Restaurant were we will reflect on the past adventures while enjoying some of the best food and wines of Argentina.  Lodging in Bariloche.

Day 11 (January 7th 2007)  Departure and transfers to the airport

Cost: U$S 1500

Included in this package:

• Dez Bartelt as personal guide (world class mountaineer with Bariloche as her 2nd home)
• Pedro as 2nd guide (Native Patagonian mountain guide and professional photographer)
• Porters for gear and supplies
• All transfers to and from Bariloche airport, day trips, and over night trips.
• Camping gear tents, cooking sets, stoves, etc…
• Horseback Transportation
• All meals accept for free days
• All hotel lodging in double rooms with breakfast
• Wine and soft drinks (limited)
• Park entry fees
• All adventures including rafting and raft guides

Not Included:

• International airfare or domestic flight to Bariloche
• Personal gear such as boots, outerwear, backpacks, sleeping bags.
• Extra stay lodging and food costs
• Any non organized transportation taxi etc. for free time

To make a reservation please contact:

Dez Bartelt
email: Dez@surfandboard.com
phone: 787-823-0610.

She will guide you step by step to make your adventure travel an easy process. The Adventure is by invitation only with a maximum of 12 people per trip. Due to weather a day’s event may change. Booking details will be sent upon request. Space is very limited so book early!