Nahuel Huapi Lake Cruise with Victoria Island and Arrayan Forest Walk
Description
Embark on a scenic day trip from Bariloche with a sightseeing cruise on Nahuel Huapi Lake. Explore the unique arrayán forest of Los Arrayanes National Park on Quetrihué Peninsula with a nature walk, surrounded by cinnamon-hued trees. Continue your journey with a stroll through the serene coniferous forest on Victoria Island, offering breathtaking views of the lake and its picturesque surroundings. This expedition encapsulates the beauty of both arrayán and coniferous habitats, creating a memorable experience against the backdrop of Nahuel Huapi Lake.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We start the tour by picking up passengers at the selected hotels.
After pickup from your hotel in Bariloche by your guide, enjoy a comfortable catamaran ride from Puerto Pañuelo, located at the base of the renowned Llao Llao Hotel. The hotel, known for its distinctive Patagonian and architecture, offers stunning views of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and the Andes mountains.
Set sail for an hour-long ride on beautiful Nahuel Huapi Lake – located within Nahuel Huapi National Park – and admire the scenic views from every angle as you enjoy a lunch break aboard the boat (available for purchase or bring your own).
First, head to Victoria Island, the largest island on Nahuel Huapi Lake, and disembark at Puerto Anchorena. Enjoy a guided walk along several trails through the lush coniferous forest; your guide will show you a variety of trees – both native and introduced – including sequoias, birches, firs, aromos and pines. If you visit during summer months, dip into the lake at Toro Beach if you’d like, or take the chair lift up Cerro Bella Vista (Bella Vista Hill), situated 2,950 feet (900 meters) above sea level and flanked by enormous coihue and cypress trees. Enjoy panoramic views of Victoria Island and magnificent Nahuel Huapi Lake, followed by a break at an island snack bar (own expense).
Next, disembark at Quetrihué Peninsula for a guided walk through the arrayán forest in Los Arrayanes National Park – a unique forest growing on the southern tip of the peninsula. A narrow isthmus to the mainland, in which the picturesque town of Villa Angostura resides, joins 2,470 acres (1,000 hectares) that comprise the Quetrihué Peninsula – the only place in the world where the arrayáns grow into full-sized trees.
Stroll along 2,000 feet (600 meters) of walkway and admire the singular beauty of the hundred-year-old arrayán trees, whose cinnamon-colored bark is cold to the touch and peels off in flakes, giving the trunk its unique appearance. Depending on the season, keep an eye out for their white flowers and pleasant-tasting purple fruit, popular in Argentina and Chile. Your guide will point out a small cabin built in the middle of the forest, where you might also glimpse the pudú (a miniature species of South American deer) that inhabit the area. The world’s smallest deer, they are said to have inspired the famous Walt Disney character Bambi.
After a full day exploring, you'll be transported back to Bariloche.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The pick up transfer is only from selected centrally located hotels. If your hotel is outside the geographic area, we will confirm you the closest meeting point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(52)
Viator cooperates with Tanglo Guardia Agency (locally). The company that runs this excursion is called Turisur. Booked tour in the morning, 9 hours with English speaking guide. In the afternoon before the tour you will receive a message that the booked tour with Get Your Guide will be done in the morning without an English guide for technical reasons and whether you want to change your booking to the afternoon with an English-speaking guide. My question whether it is the same service as the booked excursion was answered in the affirmative. We received a tour for 6 hours and guide spoke almost only Spanish. The explanations of the guide on board the ship were 10 minutes Spanish and 1 minute concise execution in English (we now arrive and depart again... ) No further information e.g. origin history etc. or even where the toilets are... only for Spanish speaking people. The guide (she) deliberately sent us on two tours (alone) and did not tell us that she was taking a tour. When we met you (on our tours) with a group of Spanish-speaking people, she even wanted to send us on. She pointed me to signs that I could read, that the information would be in English and explained everything further in Spanish, although the signs also said everything in Spanish. There is not much to see on the two islands. You can really save that. The ship itself and the view is quite nice... that's all. I've done some tours in Argentina and was happy with everyone, but this tour is overpriced, doesn't stop what's on offer: Described chairlift did not exist at all and English speaking guide also not really. All in all, this is an outrage. Viator should take this out of the program or only offer it in Spanish!
This was an interesting trip. What we saw was beautiful but the tour was awful and we would not recommend it. This trip was advertised as being 6 hours on a catamaran with an English speaking guide. The reality was we were on a boat that was built in 1938 and looked like the African Queen. The 1 guide who spoke English barely spoke English. The trip actually lasted from pick up to drop off took 10 hours! We missed the evening tour and dinner scheduled with the rest of our group!
Dear Gayle Agnew, Thank you very much for your comments. We are truly sorry that some aspects of the experience did not meet your expectations. We would like to clarify that the tour includes an audio guide in English, and this information is clearly specified on the booking page at the time of reservation. At no point is the excursion advertised as being led by a live English-speaking guide. We regret if this detail was not clear enough. Regarding the duration, there are two different options available on the website: the morning departure, which is the longer option, and the midday departure, which is shorter. The full experience, including transfers, can extend to approximately 9–10 hours depending on the operational conditions on the day. We understand this may have affected your evening plans, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this caused. We truly value your feedback and will take it into account to continue improving the clarity of our tour descriptions and the overall experience we provide. Kind regards, Tangol Tours
The ride was nice. Victoria Island is a must see. These trees are impressive in their size.
Hello, I am planning a 6 night Caribbean cruise and have 2 options, Montego Bay with Grand Cayman or Amber Cove and Grand Turk. I do not know any of them and we are a family with 2 young people and 1 teenager, who recommend me???
Lake Nahuel Huapi is charming, with spectacular scenery. The boat Modesta Victoria is from 1939 and is beautiful and very well maintained. I made this crossing five times. The staff is very friendly and attentive. You always want to come back.
Hotel Mouradi kantaoui club is a hotel with a very beautiful soul and a superb beach .. with bungalows very close to the beach and a driveway exuding enormous charm leading to the sea , the hotel is run by very professional and very kind employees . We really feel that the machine is very well run and that there is a know-how of the craft that has been going on for a very long time. We eat well and enjoy this beautiful beach to the fullest
It was a Funeral, 98 % of all of the trees on Crape Myrtle Island "arrayanes" were dead! No Joke, When I pointed this out to the tour Leader Fernandez, he said there was still hope, pointing to a meesly living sprig on a giant dead arrayanes tree!!! This is called deception, the photos for the tour pictures beautiful Arrayans Trees! Please refund my money.
We sincerely appreciate you sharing your experience on our tour to the Myrtle Island. We deeply regret your impression of visiting the island and understand your disappointment with the perceived condition of the trees. Isla de los Arrayanes is a unique and valuable ecosystem, and as such, it is subject to natural cycles and environmental conditions that can affect the appearance of its flora at different times. It is possible that during your visit, conditions may not have been ideal and this may have affected your experience. we understand your reference to promotional photographs. These images try to show the characteristic beauty of the island in optimal conditions. However, nature is constantly changing, and we cannot always guarantee that every visit will exactly match these images. We are very sorry to hear that your experience was so negative and that you feel it did not meet your expectations.
We were hoping to learn more about the Parque Nacional. The boat was comfortable, but the tour guide and the audio tour on the boat were disappointing as well as the poorly marked trails. The tour guide gave no instructions on the bus trip. You couldn't really hear the boat's audio. The boat had a TV screen where a translation of the guide could be scrolled. The one area which did have guides no English guides were available. So if you are looking to learn about Parque Nacional this may not be the tour to choose.
Dear PloPiano, Thank you for sharing your feedback about your visit to the National Park. We sincerely regret that the experience did not fully meet your expectations, particularly regarding the information provided by the guide and the onboard audio system. The excursion you participated in is primarily designed as a panoramic boat tour through the park, and the commentary provided is general. In certain areas of the park, the availability of guides may be limited, and they are not always available in all languages, which can affect the experience for non-Spanish-speaking visitors. Regarding the audio and translated content, we apologize for any technical issues that may have made it difficult to follow the narration. We have already shared your feedback with the operator so that steps can be taken to improve accessibility and the informative experience for future guests. Despite these inconveniences, we hope you were still able to enjoy the natural surroundings, the peaceful navigation, and the unique views offered by this experience—something many travelers appreciate for its beauty and distinctiveness. We truly value your comments, as they help us continue improving the quality of service in collaboration with our local partners. Best regards, Tangol Tours.
The tour guides, boat crew and photographers were very professional and friendly. The ride on the vintage boat was great to enjoy the panoramic views. The guide was very knowledgeable about the history and biology of the forest. The whole tour was very organized and fun.
The tour guides, boat crew and photographers were very professional and friendly. The ride on the vintage boat was great to enjoy the panoramic views. The guide was very knowledgeable about the history and biology of the forest. The whole tour was very organized and fun.
