Glaciers
Up close.
Stevage — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zuarin — CC BY 3.0 · Philip Jama — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zuarin — CC BY 3.0 · Stevage — CC BY-SA 4.0
Refugio Otto Meiling is a mountain hut on the slopes of Cerro Tronador, the highest peak around Bariloche, at about two thousand metres between two glaciers, Castaño Overa and Alerce. It is named after Otto Meiling (1902-1989), the mountaineer who emigrated from Germany, settled in Bariloche, co-founded the Club Andino Bariloche in 1931, made the first ascents of many of the region's peaks, built this hut himself and climbed Tronador's summit more than fifteen times. It is reached by a trail of about fourteen kilometres from Pampa Linda, some ninety kilometres from Bariloche, climbing more than a thousand metres in five to seven hours, through forest and then along a rocky ridge above the glaciers. The hut looks out over crevassed ice, snowy summits and the valley lakes far below. The walk is free; beds and meals at the hut cost extra and need booking, and the national park fee applies on the Pampa Linda road. The season runs November to April, and registering with the rangers is advised.
Up close.
Above the ice.
Under Tronador.
Cerro Tronador, between the Castaño Overa and Alerce glaciers; trail from Pampa Linda
Five to seven hours from Pampa Linda, about fourteen kilometres with over a thousand metres of climb.