Alerce trees
Among the oldest living.
littletroll — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Catagoras — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TitiNicola — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gabriel Miranda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · PatagoniaArgentina — CC BY-SA 3.0
Los Alerces National Park lies in the Andes of Chubut province, its western edge on the border with Chile, and is a World Heritage Site. Successive ice ages shaped it, leaving moraines, glacial cirques and clear lakes ringed by dense temperate forest that gives way to alpine meadows below rocky peaks. Its emblem is the alerce, the second longest-lived tree species in the world, some over 3,600 years old, and its alerce forests here are in excellent condition. Visitors reach a grove of these ancient trees by boat across the lakes, and the park has walking trails, beaches and campsites. The visitor centre is in the village of Villa Futalaufquen, about an hour from Esquel, partly on gravel. The park fee is paid at the entrance; boat trips cost extra and run in season.
Among the oldest living.
To the ancient grove.
Clear water.
Villa Futalaufquen, west of Esquel, Chubut
On a boat trip across the park's lakes to the ancient grove, run in season and paid separately from park entry.