Mountain Guides
Trek Piuke Huapi (Heart Island)
Sitting down to contemplate the Piuke Huapi is an experience that not all people have. To get there, we must cross paths with strawberries and apple trees, mighty streams, beautiful beaches and the Llum lagoon. In summer we will have an explosion of colors from our flora and a Mascardi Lake that will invite us to cool off.
Difficulty: Medium
Route (round trip): 22 km. (total)
Dates: September to May
Elevation gain: +800 m.
Duration: Full Day (4/5 hours one way)
Points of interest: Camping Relmu Lafken, Stream Fresco, Mascardi Lake, Leones Beach, Llum Lagoon, Tapera Mora Ruins, Piuke Huapi.
Others: You can extend the trekking down to Lake Mascardi and cross it by boat or make the crossing from Lagunas del Tronador to "Los Césares" in the Tronador Area.
An experience in a little known place, we will begin by walking the beautiful shores of Lake Mascardi in a southerly direction. We will enter a forest of huge coihues that will protect us from the sun and with a slight slope.
Half way we will arrive at "Playa Leones", a place chosen by people who want to have a day at the beach, we will arrive to a large apple tree where we will turn and begin to climb to the side of Arroyo Llum.
On the way we will find beautiful yellow Amancay (spanish) flowers covering the ground and many red strawberries that are food for the birds that we will see and listen to.
The love of trekking shown by nature. A heart-shaped island sums up everything we look for when walking through Bariloche: beautiful mountains, immense lakes and making our hearts beat.
We will arrive at the Llum Lagoon, where we can rest and have lunch while we cool off our feet and look for Hualas or Ducks that frequent the area.
We will carry water and continue the trekking, we will pass through an old abandoned tavern surrounded by huge apple trees, which was an old camping place.
From here, the slope increases and the vegetation grows on the path, for which it is essential to have long sleeves so as not to scratch ourselves.
From the Llum Lagoon to the viewpoint, the adventure will begin: the vegetation will take over the path and the pace will be slower. We will have to bend down a bit to pass under branches while the slope increases slightly.
The arrival at the viewpoint becomes very sudden and exciting. The view of the island is only won by those who walk 4 hours in search of it. It is an enormous pleasure to sit down and have a drink with the presence of the imposing Cerro Tronador, the immensity of Lake Mascardi and Pampa Linda in the background.
LEGEND OF THE PIUKE HUAPI
Legend has it that young people from two rival native tribes were madly in love, so they decided to escape from their communities. However, when their parents found out, they joined forces and launched a manhunt to find the young lovers and forcibly separate them.
In a desperate attempt to flee, the couple plunged into Lake Mascardi, but its waters were so cold that they died hugging each other, trying to keep warm. That hug was the one that gave rise to the heart-shaped island.
Do you dare to walk and make your heart beat a lot?
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