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Tour's duration: 6 days- 5 nights
Total drive distance: about 325 km
Best months to travel: November to April
Visiting: San Carlos de Bariloche: Las Buitreras-Valle Encantado- Cuyín Manzano- Río Traful
Price: contact us





Description:


A few kilometers away from Bariloche, toward the east, in Patagonian Steppe area, we will go to the impressive thick walls of La Buitrera hill, that serves as shelter and nesting place of the Andean Condor. With lengths (open wing length) of more than 3 meters, these "hunters of the wind" take advantage of the ascending air currents for their majestic glide above the high peaks. These thick walls are toba rocks that were formed with volcanic ash. The erosive action of the water and the wind worked small circular holes in the thick walls that serve as nest to the Condors, this is one of the most important condor's shelters in the area. The exquisite patterns formed by erosion in the walls, captured with the first light in the morning, will inspire you the most sensitive abstract photographs that you may imagine. We will drive up to the refuge located up on the mountain at 1400 meters above sea level, where will stay for the night in a charming cabin with great fireplace, while we feast on patagonian typical food. We will have the opportunity to observe from the windows the majestic flight of the condors, having the lake Nahuel Huapi as stage scenery. Unique place to observe the condors in flight, you will be able to photograph them, after a short hiking, to the top of the hill at 1600 mts height. You may photograph the condors while they fly above us, listening the sweet melody that produces the graze of the wind through its spread wings. We will walk stealthy in the forest of thousand-year-old lenga, which in autumn will dazzle us with its palette of ochre and reddish colors, at the await of the patagonian woodpecker or some of the mammals such as the red deer, patagonian fox or puma.

Our photographic tour will continue toward the Northeast by the National route 237 along the Limay river. We will make a stop in our journey to hike through charming rural road spots and to explore other natural environments until arriving Valle Encantado. The erosion of the wind, rain and rivers carved strange forms on the volcanic origin rocks in a transition environment among the humid forest and the steppe. By their appearance, these fantasy formations carved in the stone come to life in the visitor's sights: "The Sentry of the Valley", "The God's Finger", "The lions". Forests and bushy vegetation dominate these environments, where the cypress of the cordillera has a privileged importance in these landscapes. Flying, above this scenery, the majestic Andean condor which finds here ideal locations for nesting and resting, as well as abundant food of dead animals (carrion) in nearby steppe. In an incomparable environment, we will hike and horseback ride where we will be able to photograph a great variety of flora and fauna. We will visit caves with aborigine paintings that give us testimony of an ancient culture of more than 9700 years old. After a day on the field, in intimate contact with nature, comfortable cabins will shelter us and we will have the opportunity to delight ourselves with a magnificent patagonian barbecue (asado). Taking as base camp the "Valle Encantado" (Enchanted Valley), we will visit the most important Condor nesting in the Patagonia, in the Cuyín Manzano area. A few kilometers from the confluence of the rivers Limay and Traful, entering the Nahuel Huapi National Park, we will walk thorough a stunning canyon carved in by the crystalline white waters of Cuyín Manzano river. We hike up to the condor nesting through the course of a small stream that flows down the mountain. From the summit of Guanaco hill, from there we will photograph Andean condors gliding at ours eye level and also take excellent pans of the surrounding mountains. As a closing of our photographic tour, we will undertake a crossing by the Minero stream, arriving at birth of Traful river in the homonymous lake, crossing a typical patagonian ranch. In this magical steppe environment we will be able to photograph landscapes, different species of birds and the magnificent salmons that have its habitat in the Traful river. We will witnesses events that take place every day in Nature, the only difference is that we will be there to contemplate, to learn and to capture them in many memorable images.

Federico Bechis - Photographs
Huilqui 12471 - (8400) San Carlos de Bariloche - R. N. Patagonia - Argentina
Phone: (++54-2944) 46-1207 -e-mail: info@federicobechis.com
http://www.federicobechis.com