On our last day in Junin de los Andes we decided to explore yet another national park, Laguna Blanca. It is a very minute park, basically consisting of a high desert lake, where (usually) many species of aquatic birds can be seen, albeit not today. It is located about 210 kilometers from here, so it was quite a journey for a day trip, but the scenery along the way made the time pass quite pleasantly.
We went up on Route 40, a paved highway along the high Patagonian desert, until we reached the sleepy town of Zapala, where we had another excellent lunch. Along the way we saw a number of Guanacos (related to the llama) and Rheas, the South American relative of the ostrich. A fox crossed our path on the road, but I was unable to catch it on film. Also several small condors and hawks.
The lake itself, as I mentioned, did not provide much in the way of wildlife, but it was in a stunning location, and several sheep were grazing along the shore. Small Amerindian communities are located here, which is a rarity in Argentina, where most indigenous tribes were wiped out during early colonial days.
As for the flora, there is plenty of it. Even though waterfall here is scarce, there is an abundance of perfectly adapted plants. What surprises us is that there's no type of cactus that we've encountered.
Higher up, this tree, the Monkey Puzzle Tree, is said to be the oldest surviving arbor, pre-dating even the dinosaur, based on fossils found.
For the way back we chose an alternative road, no longer paved, but very gravelly and tortuous, and we are glad we did. The vistas were absolutely stunning, as the road took many twists and turns along the Alumine River, taking us through beautiful canyons, as we descended several hundred feet from the high desert.
We have now spent a full week in Northern Patagonia, and I feel that we have experienced much of its essence. Tomorrow will be pretty much a down day, as we return to Bariloche where we will spend the night and get organized for the continuation of our trip, as we head south.
No camera accidents today, just bad timing.
So glad you are tagging along with us. Until tomorrow night, CIAO!
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