Lago del Desierto by car

The road to Lago del Desierto

• 37 kmfrom town
• Gravelall the way
• Half a dayor more, with walks

From El Chaltén to Lago del Desierto stretches the De las Vueltas river valley, which you can drive end to end on Provincial Route 41. On 14 July 2017 this stretch was declared a Scenic Route, «De la Soberanía Nacional en la Senda del Huemul» (National Sovereignty on the Huemul Trail).

The valley is carpeted with the ancient sub-Antarctic forest of lenga and ñire beeches, an almost untouched environment where the huemul deer lives, crossed by rivers, waterfalls, mountain streams and lagoons, with glaciers close by. Along the road there are points of interest, trailheads and businesses offering tourist services.

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Depending on how much time you have

• Half a day: with short stops along the way, no walks.
• Full day: adding one or more walks or excursions.
• More than a day: spending the night at the Puesto Cagliero refuge, halfway along; at the Estancia Lago del Desierto campsite, with a fire pit and restaurant, by the lake; or at the Hostería y Restaurante Punta Sur, open from November to March.

Kilometre by kilometre

The points of interest, in the order they appear from El Chaltén:

1. 4.5 km2.8 miChorrillo del Salto: a waterfall inside the National Park, a few minutes from the car park.
2. 11 km6.8 miBonanza: lodging, restaurant and outdoor activities: horseback riding, mountain biking and via ferrata.
3. 13 km8.1 miHostería El Pilar, a mountain lodge.
4. 15 km9.3 miRío Eléctrico: access to the National Park's Río Eléctrico Portal (an alternative trail to Laguna de los Tres past the Piedras Blancas Glacier viewpoint) and also the trailhead to Piedra del Fraile, with lodging and restaurant.
5. 16 km9.9 miEstancia Los Huemules: private nature reserve with trails to Laguna Azul and Laguna Diablo.
6. 20 km12.4 miLaguna Cóndor: a good spot for birdwatching, with Chilean flamingos, ducks and swans.
7. 35 km21.7 miCascada del Anillo: a beautiful waterfall right by the road.
8. 37 km23 miEstancia Lago del Desierto: campsite.
9. 37 km23 miPunta Sur of Lago del Desierto, where the De las Vueltas river begins. Parking area and access to the Huemul Glacier and lagoon.
10. 37.5 km23.3 miPier: boat to Punta Norte (regular departures from November to May) and the Vespignani range excursion. Boat transfers to Aguas Arriba Lodge leave from here.

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At the lake

The road ends at Lago del Desierto, a turquoise lake boxed into a narrow valley that gives it its long shape: 10 km long and just under 1 km wide. The southern end, as far as you can drive, is called Punta Sur, and the De las Vueltas river begins there.

• Walks: from Estancia Lago del Desierto starts the trail to the Huemul Glacier and lagoon, with one of the best views of the lake.
• Boat trips: boats leave the pier for Punta Norte, with regular departures from November to May, as well as the Vespignani range excursion. From Punta Norte you can walk to the border marker with Chile.
• Kayaking: you can also explore the lake by paddling, on a guided excursion.
• Where to stay: the Estancia Lago del Desierto campsite, the Hostería y Restaurante Punta Sur (November to March) and, across the lake, Aguas Arriba Lodge, reached by boat from Punta Sur.

Flora and fauna along the road

The ride crosses the Andean Patagonian forest, a very different environment from the steppe that surrounds the town to the east. With a little patience and a slow pace, the road is a good chance to get to know it. These are just some of the plants and animals you may come across.

The forest

• Lenga and ñire: the beech trees that make up almost the whole forest. In autumn, from March to April, they turn yellow, orange and red.
• Guindo: the evergreen Magellan's beech (coihue de Magallanes), more common near the lake, where it rains more.
• Notro: the Chilean firebush, which in spring is covered in bright red flowers by the roadside.
• Calafate: the thorny shrub with yellow flowers and purple berries that gives its name to the neighbouring town.
• Old man's beard: the greyish-green lichen hanging from the branches, a sign of clean air.
• Flowers: slipper flowers (topa-topa), lilies, wild peas and many more.
• Orchids: small treasures of the forest, such as the porcelain orchid, the palomita and the yellow orchid.

The animals

• Huemul: the endangered south Andean deer that gives the Scenic Route its name. If you are lucky enough to see one, stay in the car, do not approach it and let the park rangers know.
• Puma and culpeo fox: the valley's hunters; the fox is often seen, the puma hardly ever.
• Woodpeckers: the Magellanic woodpecker, whose male has a red head, and the Chilean flicker; often their tapping on the trunks gives them away.
• Austral parakeets (cachañas): the southernmost parrots in the world, moving in noisy flocks among the lengas.
• Huet-huet: it hardly flies; it walks near streams and waterfalls, such as Cascada del Anillo.
• Torrent duck: it swims against the current in the rapids of the De las Vueltas river.
• Chilean flamingos and black-necked swans: at Laguna Cóndor.

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