Ventisquero Negro
The Black Glacier.
Wernerluis — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stevage — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fernando Pascullo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stevage — CC BY-SA 4.0
Tronador is an extinct volcano on the border between Argentina and Chile, 3,470 metres high and more than a thousand metres above its neighbours. Its name means «Thunderer» in Spanish, after the roar of ice blocks breaking from its glaciers and echoing down the valley. It carries eight glaciers, all retreating as temperatures rise. Visitors drive to Pampa Linda, a meadow at the foot of the mountain, and on to the viewpoint of the Ventisquero Negro, the Black Glacier, darkened by rock and mud, which ends in a grey lake dotted with ice. From there trails climb to waterfalls and viewpoints closer to the hanging glaciers. It is a full-day trip from Bariloche, the last 50 kilometres on gravel. In season the road runs one way at fixed times: up 10:30-14:00 and down 16:00-18:00, so plan around them. In autumn and winter the services close and access is limited to the Ventisquero Negro viewpoint.
The Black Glacier.
A meadow below the peak.
That gave the name.
Pampa Linda, Nahuel Huapi National Park, west of Bariloche
In season the road is one way: up from 10:30 to 14:00 and down from 16:00 to 18:00, with no driving up between 14:00 and 19:30.