Private Climbing Trek to Cerro Lopez from Bariloche

Take advantage of a courtesy pickup from your hotel in Bariloche and transportation to the beginning of the trail. Tie up your shoes laces and begin a hike inside the magical tall forest of Coihues and Cipresses de la Cordillera (Southern beeches and Patagonian cypresses) along the Lopez stream. After approximately half an hour, the trail will get steeper and allow you to start admiring the huge blue lakes and the magnitude of the mountain that you are climbing while you hear the sound of waterfalls and singing birds. Your guide will take the chance to tell you about the wildlife you can find there, watch condors flying and you might be lucky to see woodpeckers "knocking" on tree trunks.

Gradually, the forest will turn into a different kind of trees, Lengas another variety of Southern beech that turns its leaves into a strong red color and drops them in winter. Your guide will make brief stops to drink water, have a snack or adjust clothes layers if necessary. You will continue gaining altitude inside the forest and cross the mountain road the leads to the mountain hut. At this height, about 1500 meters above see level, the same Lenga trees are much lower, adapted to the soil, weather and snow, looking like bushes. It takes approximately 3 to reach this pink painted, very particular mountain hut. From here, the trail becomes remarkably steeper. In some sections you will need to use your hands. It usually takes another 2 to 3 hours to reach the summit of Cerro Lopez. Once you reach the ridge you will be amazed by what you can see on the other side: the immense glaciers of Mount Tronador, the perfectly shaped volcanoes on the Chilean side and an uncountable number of snowed peaks.

You can enjoy your lunch while admiring the unbelievable views. Your guide will explain you about the geology of the place and you will learn to identify the signs of the glaciers that disappeared millions of years ago. Then, you will start to go down by the same trail that we went up. You will probably find useful to bring a trekking pole. The way down might take us 2 hours. Then, your guide will drive you back to your hotel in Bariloche.