This beautiful, easy hike from the village of Llao Llao, just down the road from Bariloche, can be done in just 4-5 hours. Shorter if you don't want to include the climb up Cerro Llao Llao which sits at 1,020m, or you can take longer if you fancy a dip in one of the beautiful lakes along the way.
The walk is mostly through lush forest that houses a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. When we were there in November all the paths were lined with Scotch Broom, showing off their brilliant yellow bloom and giving off a beautiful scent. The trail skates the edges of stunning glacier lakes where there are many access points for a quick dip, and even a 'beach' you could while away a few hours on.
The climb to Cerro Llao LLao is steep and a little tough in the sun, but the top can be reached in about 30-40 minutes. The views you are rewarded with make the challenge more than worth it!
Table of Contents
1 - Best time of year to hike Llao Llao
The hiking season in Patagonia officially runs from December to February but this hike is accessible all year round.
2 - The Llao Llao loop route
Distance - 15.10km**
Difficult - Easy (the climb up to Cerro Llao Llao is more towards moderate)
Total elevation gain - 599m**
Time taken - 4 hours 50 mins**
**Data taken from our AllTrails app tracking our actual walk**
Fancy taking on a little more challenging hike, check out the Refugio Frey day hike. Or even better, do both!!
Toilets
There are public toilets at Puerto Pañuelo near the bus stop at Llao Llao you can use before and after your walk. It is open 9am - 6pm every day (from 8am on a Sunday).
3 - How to get to the start of the trail
You need to take Mi Bus number 20 out to Llao Llao. This bus is really frequent, passing through the town centre roughly every 20 mins. Wait at the San Martin - Independencia stop on San Martin, which is opposite the national park office, Intendencia Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.
You get off near the port, Puerto Pañuelo. The bus stop is not marked on google maps but the bus will definitely stop here.
4 - How to get back to town at the end of your hike
You can hop back on the bus on the other side of the road to where you got off. The stop is called Bustillo - Giuseppe Verdi. Don't worry there will be other people waiting too no doubt, so you can follow the crowd!
SUBE cards - to ride the buses in most towns and cities in Argentina you need a SUBE travel card. It is easy to get one and top it up for journeys, but read our SUBE card section on our Argentina overview page for more information.
5 - What to take with you
Plenty of water - it can still get pretty hot here in the summer months, even in the mountains.
Sun screen, sun glasses and sun hat in the warmer months.
Packed lunch - not a massively long walk but lots of beautiful spots to make a day of it and eat a packed lunch while you are out.
Swim wear & towel or sarong - make the most of the lakes and take a refreshing dip
Camera - make sure to savour the views with your eyes but you are going to want to take a couple of souvenir shots.
An extra layer during the winter months for the top of Cerro Llao LLao.
Your SUBE card for the bus.
6 - Our hike
We started our walk (after nipping into Puerto Pañuelo to use the loos!) by walking along the tarmac road towards the woods. The road was lined with beautiful tree lupins that were giving off the most incredible scent!
Walking through the woods was mostly shaded, so nice and cool. It was an easy walk with the terrain mostly flat, on a well marked path. These paths were lined with stunning yellow Scotch Broom. The path is waymarked but you will also notice a few offshoots that go to look out points and places you can sit by, or even swim in the lakes. They are not far off route at all and the views are stunning.
We were sad we hadn't thought to bring our swim stuff as there were lots of opportunities for a refreshing dip. The best of which is just before you embark on the climb up to Cerro Llao Llao. There is even a beautiful lakeside beach there that families were enjoying the day on.
We were keen to climb up to Cerro Llao Llao as we had heard the views were fabulous but although there was some dappled shade, it was pretty hot and sweaty. The climb doesn't take long, about 30-40 minutes but it was relentless and we were relieved to reach the top! The views did not disappoint though and the challenge of the climb was soon forgotten!
The walk back down is extremely easy (always the way!) and we soon re-joined the path we had deviated from to go up to Cerro Llao Llao. The final stretch of the walk was mostly downhill, again through forested woodland. After just a couple of kilometres you reach the road you walked up initially to start the trail.
There is a small carpark here and (hopefully) a lovely little coffee van selling delicious coffees, cold drinks and tempting snacks. You can treat yourself here before heading back towards the bus stop.
7 - Summary
A really enjoyable, relatively easy walk with incredible views! There is no preparation needed, except maybe some sandwiches, and it is really straight-forward to reach the trail head. We would definitely recommend fitting this walk into your Bariloche itinerary. If you have time for a 2nd walk or fancy something a little more challenging, check out the hike to Refugio Frey. Again, only a day hike, but a harder, wilder and more mountainous, but with the most stunning views.
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