Francisca
Marketing · Vivencias Travel
A myrtle forest that exists nowhere else, an island with century-old sequoias and a 40-minute boardwalk. Departure times, how much walking is involved, and why this trip runs all year.
This is the excursion that does not depend on the season. While Tronador closes in winter and rafting only exists in summer, the boat to Isla Victoria sails every day of the year, leaving Puerto Pañuelo on the Llao Llao peninsula at 10:15am and 2pm.
Worth knowing: you are asked to arrive an hour before departure. That is not operator padding, it is the real boarding time at the port.
The Arrayanes Forest
The arrayán, or Chilean myrtle, is normally a shrub. On the Quetrihue peninsula it grows as a tree and forms a forest that exists nowhere else on the planet at this density. The trunk is smooth, cinnamon-coloured and cold to the touch even on a sunny day, because the bark has no cork layer. That is the part photographs cannot convey.
The walk follows a wooden boardwalk and takes 30 to 40 minutes. No climbing, no effort: anyone who walks can do it.
The story that Walt Disney drew on this forest for Bambi appears in every Bariloche brochure. There is no record backing it up, but every guide will tell it, so it helps to know in advance that it is folklore.
Isla Victoria
After another 45 minutes on the water you reach the island. A nursery for exotic species operated here in the early twentieth century, and the result is a strange, beautiful forest where Patagonian cypress, European pines and sequoias over a hundred years old grow side by side, looking thoroughly out of place.
The walk takes about an hour on easy trails, and some paths reach Playa del Toro, where there are rock paintings left by Indigenous peoples. The island also has a café and stony beaches where, in January, the brave get in the water.
How long the whole thing takes
Half a day, five to six hours including sailing and both walks. The 10:15am departure finishes right around lunchtime; the 2pm one gives you the best afternoon light on the lake. If you have to choose and photography matters, take the afternoon.
What to bring
Sunscreen, even under cloud, because the glare off the lake doubles your exposure. A light windproof layer for the crossing, since the open deck catches the breeze. Water. And pesos in cash for the island café.
This is the trip that keeps running when Tronador closes, so if you are travelling in winter, see also what to do in Bariloche in winter.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Isla Victoria and Arrayanes Forest trip?
Five to six hours, including the sailing and both walks. Departures leave Puerto Pañuelo at 10:15am and 2pm, and you are asked to arrive an hour before departure.
How much walking is involved?
Very little, and none of it hard. The Arrayanes Forest is 30 to 40 minutes on a flat wooden boardwalk. Isla Victoria is about an hour on easy trails. Anyone who walks normally can manage it.
Does the trip run in winter?
It runs all year, which is exactly why it becomes Bariloche's main excursion once Cerro Tronador closes with snow. In winter bring a proper coat: the crossing is on an open deck and the wind off the lake is bitter.
Which departure is better, 10:15am or 2pm?
The afternoon one if you care about photographs: the light on the lake is better late in the day. The morning departure finishes around lunchtime, which suits anyone wanting the afternoon free in Bariloche.
