From downtown Bariloche:

Bus: In summer season there is a minibus transfer to Pampa Linda. Get off at “Los Césares”, the trailhead is right across the road.

By car: 61 km total. Take route 40 towards El Bolsón, soon after Villa Mascardi at 36 km. there is a right turn off onto a gravel road. Another couple of hundred meters and you are at the Park Rangers Office “Mascardi”, where is the paid entrance fee to the National Park. From here there are 25 km. to Los Césares.

The road between Los Rápidos and Pampa Linda has timetables of restricted one direction:

• One way up: from 10:30 to 14 hs. from Los Rápidos.
• One way down: from 16 to 18 hs. from Pampa Linda.
• Two way road: from 19:30 to 9 hs.
• From 14 to 19:30 hs you cannot head towards Pampa Linda.

Close to Los Césares:

Camping area “The  3 poplars”- No services.

Tronador Hotel – Open from November to April.
www.hoteltronador.com

The trail starts at Los Césares, next to Mascardi lake on the road to Pampa Linda. Trail borders the Manso river up to a hanging bridge.  Soon it reaches the Claro creek and borders it up stream until it meets the Callvuco creek and continue up to the Blue Lagoon or Calvú.

Pay attention at the different marking and cairns, especially on the last part up the river bed.

This trail is best to do well into the summer, not in spring as there can be lots of water. Always have an extra pair of shoes in case of needing to wade through the creek.

Take the same trail back down.

The trail marked on the map, shows how to connect from the Blue lagoon up to the “Travesía de las 5 lagunas” (5 lagoons traverse). This section has a high difficulty level, very strenuous on a pretty steep loose rocky trail and very exposed to the sun. It is very important to pay attention to cairns and markings to stay on trail. In the reverse sense this is the escape route recommended from Cretón lagoon in case of bad weather.