, as seen from Cerro Campanario.]]
is the oldest
Argentine National Park , in
Patagonia in the foothills of the
Andes mountains. It was established in
1934 , but the nucleus of the park is the land donated to the federal government by
Perito Moreno in
1903 .
The park covers approximately 7050
Km² and is located in the southwest corner of the
Río Negro and
Neuquén provinces on the border with
Chile . The largest city within the park and a base for
Tourism is the city of
San Carlos De Bariloche .
Villa La Angostura is an exclusive lakeside resort also within the boundaries of the park.
The park is famous for its rich wildlife and it covers many
Biotope s, due to altitudes ranging from 700 to 3,000
M and
Precipitation ranging from
Rain Forest s with 4,000
Mm /yr on the western slopes to
Steppe s with less than 300 mm/yr on the eastern side. The
Alerce or Patagonian cypress is a slow-growing
Conifer seen in the park. Other flora seen in the park include
Arrayanes ,
Coihue s,
Fern s, the
Caña Colihue Reed ,
Lenga s,
ñire s,
Amancay es and
Arvejilla s. The
Llao Llao fungus is seen as beautiful irregular growths on the trees and is a symbol of the area and the name of the Hotel Llao Llao, a famous resort. Animals include
River Otter s,
Huemul ,
Pudu s,
Guanaco s,
Mara s,
Parakeet s and
Condor s.
There are many lakes in the park, including
Lago Nahuel Huapi , Lago Mascardi, Lago Gutiérrez, Lago Traful, Lago Moreno, and Lago Guillelmo. The area is known as the Argentine Lake District. Lake Nahuel Huapi contains several islands, including Isla Huemul, which hosted the
Huemul Project , the Argentinian secret research project on
Nuclear Fusion in 1949-1952. The
Quetrihué Peninsula in the north of the lake has been set aside as a separate national park,
Los Arrayanes National Park .
Cerro Catedral is a 2,388m high peak within the Park and an important ski resort.
Cerro Tronador , on the Chilean border, is the highest mountain in the park at 3,491m. Bordering the National Park to the north is the
Lanín National Park .
