During the winter season, mototourism is yet another different option to enjoy the snow and the amazing Patagonic landscapes. The only thing required is a good jacket and a bit of courage.
It is eleven o’clock on a lovely day. I leave San Martín de los Andés in direction to Junín, approximately 10 km after leaving I find a gate to the famous climb of Pío Proto that invites me to adventure. To my surprise, Beto –the guide- was waiting for us with a cup of hot chocolate.
All of us that were about to start this unforgettable experience were gathered there. We started our journey to the Termas de Queñi which is only meters away from the limit with Chile.
The first fifteen minutes I felt I was going to freeze. While searching for air, I remembered the words our guide said before leaving: “The best places can only be reached by motorbike or walking” To our left we could see the white peaks of the Cerro Chapelco. We took a stony road while we went across the Curruhinca Mapuche community. We could see the sheep grazing, the millenary Cohiue forests (native trees) and the thin smoke coming out of isolated chimneys in the mountains; which gave this site a special charm. I suddenly forgot that I had been cold. During this part of the journey there wasn’t yet any snow. The winter season was about to start in a couple of days.
Alter 40 minutes of ups and downs; we decided to stop to take some panoramic pictures of the Lácar Lake and the beaches. The silence and the imposing landscape stole a couple of tears from me. I was excited at being alive and silently I thanked having the courage and sense to take advantage of this opportunity. I live in San Martín, for two years now, but I never had the chance to enjoy these sceneries.
Once we were finished with our photo session we started our engines and carried on with our trip. The forest started getting thicker and more attractive. There were still some ocher and reds, that have lasted from autumn, scattered around which blended in with the white snow at the edge of the road.
We reached Hua Hum, point where the Lácar Lake becomes a river and where Chile starts a couple of meters ahead. We crossed the bridge that goes across this river and we went to the park-ranger’s house to let him know our plans. On our way to Pucará, an abandoned port, we found a trail that took us to the Chacín cascade, a 30 meter fall, where because of the season the water flow makes a stronger noise than in summer.
We decided to stop for lunch and enjoy this place surrounded by jungle. It is a bit weird to find tropical plants in the middle of the Patagonia, but the humidity conditions are ideal for moss, ferns and nalcas; which have leaves nearly 70 cm wide; to grow energetically.
The trail got harder. We went across 15 fords, a precarious slippery bridge and a long climb placed us on 50 meters high cliffs, which allowed an amazing view of the Queñi Lake. The road has still more surprises set for us. The riskier part of the whole trip was to cross the Queñi River. At a simple glance it didn’t look hard at all, but reading the warning sign “SUV’s and vans, do not attempt to cross” gave me the chills.
“Follow me in a line and do not deviate because you may end in a hole ” the guide said in a serious and concentrated tone. The water must have been freezing at this point, but the adrenaline level was so high we did not feel it.
After this moment we enjoyed a great scene of the beaches of the Queñi Lake and some paradisiacal places to camp during the summer and enjoy a big barbecue.
The road finished, so we parked our motorbikes and started a nearly 50 minutes walk at a slow pace into the thickening jungle. We found some pumas footprints and some fresh ones of wild boars and pudus (a kind of small deer, unique in the world, which is in extinction)
All of a sudden I saw how a dense vapor rose from the ground. It wasn’t an illusion, just the contact of the thermal waters with the low atmospheric temperature. It seemed like a science fiction movie. The dense vegetation, the sound of a cascade near us but which we still couldn’t see, the vapor and the certainty of being very far away from civilization, intimidated me. When I slid my feet into the hot water I automatically felt rewarded.
The hot baths of Queñi are formed by 4 natural pools were the water gets warmer as you ascend. This place deserved a feast, so we slid a bottle of wine into one of the pools and enjoyed the famous Patagonic hot wine. This is how we celebrated having reached our goal.
Coming back was rewarding too. We stopped for a while to have some mate with the Fosbery’s, a very unique couple. She is Mapuche, and he has Scottish blood. Between torta fritas * and mates Beto told us about the tours he does during the summer months where during a couple of days you have the chance to camp in some of the most amazing sites of Patagonia.
No doubt I am coming back for another session of this show, which only some privileged people have the opportunity to enjoy. You are all invited 365 days of the year.
Agustina Ingouville
Information: betoxr600r@hotmail.com or motoxoffroad@hotmail.com 02972-426332.
Content courtesy of Nomada Magazine
