[The Globe and Mail / October 2005]
PUERTO VARAS, CHILE — Most tourists travelling between Argentina and Chile choose to fly. The reason is obvious: The Andes, one of the longest and highest mountain ranges in the world, forms a natural barrier between the two countries. No passenger trains traverse the 5,100-kilometre border and, while buses do, travelling for hours in a sealed metal container over winding mountain roads can be a tedious — not to mention stomach-churning — experience.
But, while on an extended trip through South America, I came across another option that offered the best of both worlds — the opportunity to experience the rugged beauty of the Andes while travelling in relative comfort and style.
Cruce de Lagos, or Lake Crossing, a service operated by a consortium of Chilean and Argentine companies, consists of a series of boat and bus rides linking San Carlos de Bariloche, a popular resort city in the heart of Argentina's Lake Country, with Puerto Varas, a small city on the south shore of Lago Llanquihue near Chile's Pacific coast.
Travellers have the option of making the 193-kilometre trip through northern Patagonia in one long day or breaking up the journey by staying overnight in one or more towns along the way.
I arrived in Bariloche in mid-April — autumn in South America — an ideal time to visit the region because the busy summer tourist season ends in March and the ski season doesn't begin until June. If you are a skier, of course, you might prefer to go in winter because the area around Bariloche boasts some of the best skiing in South America.
I had spent the previous week exploring the congested, cacophonous streets of Buenos Aires, and the crisp alpine air and sweeping vistas of water and mountains in Bariloche were a soothing tonic. The city, straddling the south shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi, is a pleasant if touristy outpost of 110,000 people. The main street is lined with shops selling T-shirts, outdoor clothing and equipment, and chocolates — one of Bariloche's signature products.
“Cruce de Lagos offers the best of both worlds — the opportunity to experience the rugged beauty of the Andes while travelling in relative comfort and style. ”
My Andean cruise began with a cab ride to Catedral Turismo, the exclusive agent for Cruce de Lagos in Bariloche, where I boarded a bus to Puerto Panuelo, about 32 kilometres west of the city. The bus took a circuitous route, stopping at a half-dozen or more hotels to pick up passengers. The last stop before we reached the port was Hotel Llao Llao, one of Latin America's most famous hotels, a sprawling stucco and stone complex perched on a windswept promontory between lakes Nahuel Huapi and Moreno.
The forecast had called for overcast skies with a chance of rain, but by the time we reached the port the sun had burned through the clouds and it was a picture-perfect fall day. Our vessel — a sleek and spacious catamaran that accommodates about 300 passengers — was furnished with comfortable, upholstered seats and a snack bar selling predictably overpriced coffee and pastries.
As we motored across the calm, emerald-green waters, a guide gave a detailed commentary, first in Spanish and then in halting English, on the history of the region and the multitude of plants and animals — condors and pumas among them — that inhabit it. Further information was provided by a slickly produced video that played in a continuous loop on a large screen in the front of the cabin.
We glided past evergreen-clad mountains that gently sloped into the lake, small, uninhabited islands, and tiny fishing hamlets whose only access to the outside world is by boat. In the distance, snow-capped peaks glistened in the sun. The dramatic landscape reminded me of the fiords in Norway. On deck, a squadron of screeching seagulls, like trained circus animals, swooped down to snatch crackers out of the outstretched hands of giggling passengers. As we passed the gravesite of Perito Moreno, an Argentine explorer and naturalist, the ship blew its whistle three times in tribute.
Our first stop was Puerto Blest, a speck of a town on a spit of land about an hour east of Puerto Panuelo. Most of the passengers used the 90-minute layover to have lunch at the Puerto Blest Hotel, a stout, barn-like building overlooking the dock. I decided to steal away from the group and take a solitary stroll along the shore. I followed a muddy trail through the forest that led to a waterfall, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to hike all the way to the falls and back.
The next leg of our trip was a short bus ride through the woods to Puerto Alegre, where we boarded a smaller boat for a 20-minute cruise across Lago Frias. The jaunt was highlighted by striking views of white-helmeted Mount Tronador, which, at 3,490 metres, is one of the tallest peaks in Patagonia. After clearing the Argentine border control in Puerto Frias, we continued on a narrow, twisting road through Parque Vicente Perez Rosales, the oldest national park in Chile. We passed thick stands of conifers that blotted out the sun and desolate boulder-strewn valleys.
“We passed thick stands of conifers that blotted out the sun and desolate boulder-strewn valleys. ”
It was nearly 4 p.m. by the time we arrived in Peulla, a remote town of 120 residents nestled between the mountains and Lago Todos Los Santos. After a brief stop at the Chilean border post, we were dropped off at Hotel Peulla. I was glad I had decided to spend the night in Peulla rather than travelling straight through to Puerto Varas. Although I did little more than get on and off buses and boats all day, I was tired and looking forward to a relaxing evening. The hotel is a sprawling, somewhat dowdy country lodge, but it felt like the Ritz compared with my humble quarters in Bariloche, where I stayed in an unheated cottage.
Dinner was served in a cavernous, kitschy-looking dining room with hardwood floors, a stone fireplace, and tacky wood panelling on the walls. Considering we were a captive audience (there were no other restaurants in town or, indeed, within 50 kilometres), the food was surprisingly good. The set menu included tasty salmon paté, onion soup, a generous helping of baked hake with boiled potatoes, apple strudel with whipped cream and raspberry sauce, and coffee. All of which went down nicely with a pisco aperitif and a glass of Chilean syrah.
Our voyage across the Andes did not resume until 3 p.m. the next afternoon, which left ample time for some exploration. After lunch at the hotel, a bus shuttled us to the dock to resume our Andean crossing. We boarded another catamaran for a leisurely two-hour voyage across the pristine waters of Todos Los Santos. In the distance, we could see the misty heights of the Puntiagudo and Osorno volcanoes, both long inactive but still formidable looking. At Petrohue, on the eastern shore of the lake, we boarded yet another bus for the final leg of our trip. We made a brief stop at the Petrohue River falls, where we took a short stroll to view the cascading water as the sun set behind Osorno.
If your objective is to get from one side of the Andes to the other, hopping on a plane is obviously the fastest and possibly the most economical way to go. But if you have the time for a more leisurely and scenic crossing — and one that is likely to provide some memorable surprises along the way — Cruce de Lagos is a trip well worth making.
Pack your bags
GETTING THERE
Cruce de Lagos operates between Bariloche, Argentina and Puerto Varas (or Puerto Montt), Chile, and the trip can be taken in either direction. The cruise operates seven days a week year-round and costs $170. There are several two-hour flights daily between Buenos Aires and Bariloche.
WHERE TO STAY
Llao Llao Hotel: Bariloche; 54 (2944) 44-8530; www.llaollao.com . Located about 25 kilometres west of town, opposite Puerto Panuelo. Offers spectacular views from one of Latin America's premier hotels. Rates in 2006 will range from about $235 a night for a mountain-view room to $2,640 for the massive presidential suite.
Tres Reyes: 12 de Octubre 135, Bariloche; 54 (2944) 42-6121; www.hoteltresreyes.com . Traditional stone-and-stucco lakeside hotel with splendid views of Lago Nahuel Huapi. Rooms cost about $80.
Hosteria Guemes: Martin Guemes 715, Bariloche; 54 (2944) 42-4785. Warm, cozy and located on a quiet street. Rooms with view for about $30.
Hotel Peulla (in Chile): 56 (2) 196-4182; www.chile-hotels.com/
peulla.htm. Rooms (including breakfast) range from $92 for a standard single to $196 for a superior double. You can book through Cruce de Lagos.
WHERE TO EAT
Kandahar: 20 de Febrero 698, Bariloche; 54 (2944) 42-4702. A rustic and cozy spot owned by a former Argentine skiing champion. Excellent food and first-rate pisco sours.
Top: Osorno, Chile. Horst Goertz.
