How to see the Arrayanes Forest, Villa La Angostura

Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes is a tiny national park covering the Peninsula Quetrihué in Villa La Angostura, Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes.

The name – Los Arrayanes – refers to the peninsula’s famous forest of cinnamon barked myrtle trees.

This article goes into pain-staking detail on how to visit this fairy tale forest. I say fairy tale not to be cliche but because legend has it Walt Disney got the inspiration for Bambi right here in these woods.

We didn’t see Bambi or Thumper, but we did love our hike through this park.

There are actually a few different ways to visit this small national park – hiking, mountain biking, or by boat excursion.

How to visit Los Arrayanes National Park in Villa La Angostura

You can visit Arrayanes National Park from either Villa La Angostura or Bariloche, but it is much easier from VLA.

If you’re in Bariloche book this boat excursion that departs from Puerto Pañuelo. You’ll stop at Isla Victoria and the Arrayanes Forest.

Since Bariloche and VLA are both on Lago Nahuel Huapi, boat excursions allow you to visit from either city.

But to be honest, you can see more impressive arrayan trees right in Bariloche on this short trail on the Circuito Chico.

The actual entrance to the national park on the Peninsula Quetrihué in Villa La Angostura.

This is where you have a few more options to truly enjoy this park, compared to Bariloche where you’ll only visit the short boardwalk at the tip of the peninsula via catamaran.

From Villa La Angostura you can visit in a few different ways:

1. Hike: There is a 12 kilometer trail through the peninsula to reach the Arrayan Forest. The cheapest and most intensive way is to hike there and back all 24 kilometers.
2. Mountain bike: If you are into mountain biking, you can bike this trail. Note that you do have to carry your bike through parts, like the first two kilometers that are pure ascent.
3. Boat: There are boat excursions that depart from the pier in Bahia Mansa. Taking the boat excursion round trip is the easiest but most expensive way to see the park.
4. A boat & hike combo: Have the best of both worlds by taking the boat to the forest and hiking back (or the same in the reverse order, hiking there to take the boat back).

Los Arrayanes National Park 101

First, the logistics:

• 🥾Trail length is 11 kilometers each way (+ the kilometer around the boardwalk) → 3 hours on foot and 2 hours by mountain bike. (With small children it took us 4 hours).
• 🛥️ Hiking first, returning by catamaran? Reserve your catamaran return ticket before you hike. You can have your hotel arrange this in advance for you or reach out to them at least a day in advance here. Confirm return hours in advance and be aware of time throughout the hike.
• ⏱️There are time limits by which you must start the hike:
  • Summer (starting November 1 through Semana Santa): Hiking round trip, the latest you can start is 2 pm. Hiking there to take the catamaran back, latest start time is 3 pm.
  • Winter (from Semana Santa to October 31): Hiking round trip, the latest you can start is 11 am. Hiking there to take the catamaran back, latest start time is 12 pm.
• 🚲Mountain biking is popular on this trail. Know that there are portions – particularly the first two kilometers – where you have to carry your bike. The use of a helmet is obligatory and mountain biking experience is required (this is not for beginners). Start times are different if you are biking:
  • Summer (starting November 1 through Semana Santa): Biking round trip, the latest you can start is 3 pm. Hiking there to take the catamaran back, latest start time is 4 pm.
  • Winter (from Semana Santa to October 31): Hiking round trip, the latest you can start is 12 am. Hiking there to take the catamaran back, latest start time is 1 pm.
• Bring a water bottle and snacks for the hike.
• If visiting in summer, hike early to avoid the strong mid-day sun. Pack a sun hat like this, a sun hoodie, and sunscreen. Never underestimate the strength of the sun in Patagonia.

Kayaking Villa La Angostura: While in VLA, book a half or full day kayak tour with Dalca Kayak. Use code SOLSALUTE to save 10%. I did half a day but would have loved a full day to be able to visit other beaches and stops throughout the day.

Hiking to the Arrayanes Forest

I knew from the start I wanted to hike.

I’ve wanted to do this trail for years (we come quite often) but something always got in the way. One trip I even got pneumonia. Things just weren’t working out in my favor.

Not today, satan. I was determined.

We finally made it, hiking to Los Arrayanes in the morning and taking the afternoon catamaran back.

It is generally recommended to do this in the opposite order – take the morning catamaran to the Bosque de Arrayanes and then hike back.

This is the most logical, since you won’t have to worry about finishing your hike in time to catch the return boat. You can hike at your leisure.

I also recommend you do things in that order – first catamaran, then hike.

But we had a particular hurdle standing in our way. Our small children are at their peak energy in the morning. To start an 11 kilometer hike after 1 pm, in our case, was a suicide mission.

So we arrived at the Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes Visitor Center bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to hike right as the office opened.

At the visitor center you’ll pay your national park entrance fee and start your hike. There are clean and free bathrooms available here.

Just behind the visitor center is the trailhead and the entire trail is well marked. It is impossible to get lost.

The first kilometer is a constant ascent, so you’ll get the hard part out of the way at the start. Luckily, this is also the kilometer with the best views.

Clearly, this is another argument for the morning boat/afternoon hike itinerary, which would this your final kilometer instead of your first. You’d instead be descending, much better.

However, after this initial slog it is pretty easy going for the rest of the hike.

Just after the first kilometer you’ll see signs for a short detour to two different viewpoints.

Mirador Brazo Norte o Arrayán has views to the north, Isla Fray Menéndez and of Lago Nahuel Huapi.

From Mirador Messidor you see views to the south looking at Villa La Angostura, the isthmus and its two bays – Mansa and Brava.

If you only want to hike to these viewpoints, they are free of charge. If that is the case, tell the guides in the visitor center that you are only hiking to the miradores to avoid paying the park entry fee.

Following the advice of the park ranger, we skipped the viewpoints to not add extra distance to an already long hike with two small kids, especially considering we needed to make it in time for the catamaran home.

Minor rolling hills aside, the entire trail is basically a walk in the park, pun intended.

There are distance markers every 500 meters so we had dance parties at each one with my 5 year old and that really kept his motivation up.

You’ll see two lagoons on the map – Laguna La Patagua and Laguna Hua Huan. I have seen other blogs mention hiking to them in the past. But our park ranger said officials had closed access to these lagunas and were asking people to not go to them.

At the end of the hike, at kilometer 11 just before you reach the wooden boardwalks you will see the most impressive arrayan trees of the day.

They are much more beautiful than the ones on the official boardwalk so make sure to stop for your photos here.

El Circuito Principal & La Casita de Bambi

The end of the hike for us was the short 800 meter wooden boardwalk trail through the woods and the Bambi Casa de Te.

It takes about 30 minutes to walk the circuit. And if I’m honest, it is a bit underwhelming after the beauty of the hike. I know that comes off as pretentious (oh look at me, I HIKED). But, it’s true.

If you take the catamaran round trip, all you will see is this circuit and the tea house. Take my advice and leave the boardwalk for just 10 minutes to see the huge arrayan trees that are at the start of the long hike. It’s worth the short detour.

And as a nod to Walt Disney lore, you can get a hot drink, sandwiches, alfajores and homemade cakes at La Casita de Bambi, a tea house in historic log cabin that dates back to 1933.

It’s a beautiful tea house but a bit small for the large groups. It gets very crowded while the boat tours are at the pier. If you’re hiking back, go to the tea house after the catamaran departs to enjoy it in peace.

Cakes are priced fairly, as in not cheap but not any more expensive than any other tea house we visited in Bariloche.

You have beach access just by the pier, as well. If you hiked here and have time to kill before your catamaran home, sit on the beach and relax. This was our initial plan before rain literally rained on that parade.

Bosque Los Arrayanes: My Final Takeaway

I loved this hike, clearly. If you feel up to it, I highly recommend it.

But I don’t feel like I can really recommend the catamaran day tour. It’s an expensive ticket, at $45,000 pesos each way when we were there. That came to around $65 USD round trip per person.

If you’re the type of person to hesitate to go on big group tours, then you should skip this. If you LOVE a big group tour (hey, it can be fun!), then maybe it’s right up your alley.

We spent around 100 dollars for our three one way tickets, which is a lot for Argentina. Kids under 4 ride free (we did have to argue for this, the guy at the ticket booth didn’t realize and also did not want to make any effort to confirm).

The short walk around the boardwalk, in my honest opinion, isn’t worth 65 dollars and the time it takes out of your day. You can and will see arrayan trees elsewhere and without the crowd of a big catamaran tour. Check out this short and easy trail in Bariloche, for example.

And yes, the tea house is cute. But with the massive crowd, you won’t properly enjoy it.

If it were just my husband and I, we would have hiked the trail both ways to save money and also enjoy the beauty of the trail. But with two toddlers who had already pushed themselves, we were begrudgingly happy (oxymoron, sorry) to pay for our return fare.

If you’re going to spend the money and really want to see this, I would personally spend a little bit more for a private or smaller boat. There are plenty available during the summer season. You’ll see them in the port at Bahia Mansa.

Read More about Villa La Angostura

• Things to do in Villa La Angostura
• The 7 Lakes Route in Argentina: A Detailed Guide
• Argentina Lake District: Road Trip from San Martin de los Andes to Villa La Angostura
• The Best Hikes in Bariloche
• Things to do in Bariloche: A Complete Travel Guide
• Things to do in San Martin de los Andes, Argentina