Francisca
Marketing · Vivencias Travel
Six kilometres along the south-western shore, a stop on a stony beach, and no experience required. Why kayaking is the water trip that gives most to people who want scenery rather than adrenaline.
Gutiérrez is the lake closest to central Bariloche, wedged between Cerro Otto and the Catedral range. It has something the other lakes nearby do not have to the same degree: it is usually sheltered from the wind for much of the day, which is exactly why it works so well for paddling.
No experience needed, and that is literal
Before you get on the water the guide runs a technical paddling and safety briefing. The difficulty is rated easy, with no age limit or particular fitness required. Anyone who has never paddled completes the route without trouble.
The kayaks are usually stable touring boats, and many departures offer doubles, which solves it for anyone wanting to paddle with a child or with someone who would rather not go alone.
The route
It is around 6 kilometres along the south-western shore, with a stop halfway at a beach for a snack. Half a day, usually leaving in the afternoon, somewhere between one and five.
What you see from the water is the point of the trip: the Gutiérrez shoreline is rock and dense forest running right down to the water, with no houses along most of the stretch, and the Catedral rising behind. It is a perspective no roadside lookout gives you, because from the road you see the lake, and from the lake you see the whole mountain.
Why choose kayaking over rafting
They are different things, and it is worth saying plainly:
- Rafting is excitement: rapids, shouting, everyone soaked
- Kayaking is scenery and quiet: you paddle at your own pace, stop when you want, hear the forest
If the group is split between people who want adrenaline and people who want calm, kayaking is the one that keeps everyone happy, and it is the only one of the two that works equally well alone, as a couple or as a family.
The other option: Lake Moreno
Moreno, on the Colonia Suiza side, is the alternative. It uses sit-on-top kayaks, difficulty is also low, and it has an advantage of its own: conditions are usually friendly almost all year, not only in summer.
Between the two, Gutiérrez has the more dramatic shoreline and Moreno is more sheltered and shorter.
What to bring
Clothes that can get wet and dry fast, not cotton. Proper sunscreen, because exposure doubles on the water and people underestimate the sun in Bariloche. Sunglasses on a cord, the object most likely to end up at the bottom of a Patagonian lake. A dry change for afterwards. And water.
If you are still deciding between water activities, the rafting and kayaking comparison puts them side by side, and Circuito Chico is the classic that pairs well with an afternoon on the water.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience to kayak on Lake Gutiérrez?
No. The difficulty is rated easy and the guide runs a technical paddling and safety briefing before you get on the water. Anyone who has never paddled completes the roughly 6-kilometre route without trouble.
How long is the trip?
Half a day, usually leaving in the afternoon. It is around 6 kilometres along the south-western shore of the lake, with a stop halfway at a beach for a snack.
Kayaking or rafting, which should I pick?
They are different things. Rafting is excitement, with rapids and everyone soaked. Kayaking is scenery and quiet, at your own pace. If the group is split between people wanting adrenaline and people wanting calm, kayaking keeps everyone happy.
What is the difference between Lake Gutiérrez and Lake Moreno?
Gutiérrez has the more dramatic shoreline, rock and dense forest with the Catedral rising behind. Moreno, on the Colonia Suiza side, is more sheltered and shorter, and its conditions are usually friendly almost all year.
