Argentina It is a country of multiple landscapes, it all depends on the cardinal point you point to. Heading south you will run into a lake landscape without equal, beautiful, mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and lagoons plus the odd town or city that seems partly taken from a Swiss canton.
This is where the Black Lagoona, destination for curious hikers. If you plan to visit Bariloche and you are looking for walks around this small and hidden lagoon can be added to your list.
Bariloche, destination in southern Argentina
The full name of this city is San Carlos de Bariloche and it is located in the Argentine province of Río Negro, about XXXXX from Buenos Aires. You can get there by plane or by long-distance bus, although the trip is quite long if you opt for this means of transport.
Bariloche is a very populated city and that is why its urban profile is a mixture of styles. Classical Alpine construction should have been better preserved but it was not done and so there are buildings that would be better if they had never been built. But the best and most classic is located in the so-called Civic Center around the main square and very close to the impressive and huge Nahuel Huapi lake.
It is a centuries-old city where the Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy, the famous bank robbers of the United States, even walked, and also, here, more than one Nazi criminal took refuge. It grew throughout the XNUMXth century and from the middle of that century it became a classic graduate travel destination for Argentine high school students.
It is on the outskirts of Bariloche that a small town called Colonia Suiza, the gateway to the Black Lagoon.
Colonia Suiza and the lagoon
It is a town located just 25 kilometers from Bariloche, built at the foot of a beautiful hill, Cerro Lopez. It is so named because it was populated by French-speaking Swiss immigrants. Today it is a classic destination to stay or go for tea and it is from here the road starts towards the Black Lagoon.
Specifically, the road starts at 300 to the east of the National Route 79 bridge, over the Goye stream. There are signs so you can't get lost.
On the other hand, if you do not have your own transport, do not worry because from the city you can take a bus No. 10, or collective as the Argentines tell them. This path covers a total of 14 kilometers and at the end of it the water mirror is located. The trail goes up the left bank of the Goye stream and is in the middle of a beautiful valley, whatever the season you go. It goes through forests of mallines and cohiue, crosses meadows that are sometimes dotted with wild flowers or reeds and passes through the occasional sharp and rocky slope.
Walking this path implies five to seven hours of walking so that's why it's perfect for hikers. The first kilometers are not very difficult, but almost upon arrival it begins to travel a steep spiral path that drains the last strength of the hiker. There are other options to get to the lagoon, a path that goes from the Cerro Lopez refuge or up the same mountain from another refuge, the Jackob.
The path is listed by experts as a easy / medium difficulty trail (between December and April), with an altitude difference of 800 meters.
The Black Lagoon is a water mirror of just 13 hectares, located at the foot of two hills, the Bailey Willis and the Negro. La NegraAs they say to the lagoon around here, it suddenly appears in the center of our visual field, as if it were a crater lake. Pride. In the winter months it is covered with a thick layer of snow. It is located at 1650 meters of altitude and it is surrounded by steep, vertical, rocky walls that seem to surround it, contain it.
It has a beach, small and pebbly, which is on the west coast and on the east coast there are some other beaches. On this coast is also located the refuge Italy - Manfredo Segre, owned by the Club Andino Argentino, which promotes mountain activities in Patagonia and dates back to the 30s. It is a simple stone shelter, painted ocher or dark red, in which about 60 people can spend the night with their own sleeping bags.
The refuge offers gastronomy services (breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks). It is about pizzas, sandwiches, coffee, sweets, beer, wine and homemade beer made with water from the Laguna Negra itself.
This site is open from November to mid-April and from May on it remains open but does not offer services, so then you have to bring your own equipment (sleeping bag, food, coat, heater). If your intention is to stay the best and most recommended is to go to the Club Andino Bariloche to get better advice. What rates drive? Full board (dinner, overnight, breakfast and use of the kitchen) costs $ 850 Argentines, half board, without dinner, $ 570 and overnight $ 300. Then each meal has its own price.
Considering the last great devaluation of the Argentine peso, prices, if you have euros or dollars, are a real bargain (27 pesos are equivalent to one euro, more or less).