*Access to Start
La Golondrina bus runs every hour in daylight from the bus stand outside La Anonima supermerket in El Bolson to Lago Puelo. Via Tac also go there. You can get a direct bus Bariloche-Lago Puelo with Via Tac.
La Golondrina have buses Bolson-Epuyen Mon-Sat at 7:30, 1PM & 18:30 leaving from the same bus stand.
Via Tac go El Bolson-Lago Puelo-Epuyen-Esquel every day leaving El Bolson at 9:40 from the Via Tac office in El Bolson. They also have an evening bus.
La Golondrina have occasional vans going Epuyen-Cholila.
===Regular Packrafting Route===
*2019-11-10 / Jan Dudeck / Regular Hiking and Packrafting Route
Severe wild fires in recent years destroyed the trail west of Lago Puelo and north of Lago Cholila. This makes a traverse much more demanding in particular when hiking and not packrafting Lago Puelo. Therefore I currently do not recommend to hike this section. Traversing this section with a packraft is also very demanding but the rewards are pristine water routes on Lago Puelo, Lago Cholila and Rio Carrileufu.
*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:
There is a boat ramp and nice beach at the docks on the north shore of Lago Puelo. Located at put-in is an Argentine Coast Guard outpost so don’t be surprised if an official asks you where you’re planning on paddling. While paddling, the occasional small sandy beach may be spotted on the east side of the lake, but for the most part the shore is very steep. The official route follows the west side, where there are obvious beaches.
If wind makes passage across the lake impossible, hiking the well maintained Camino al Desemboque is a good option. It is possible to access the trail from the lake if need be, but be prepared to bushwack up through some hard terrain. Be aware of the signs along Camino al Desemboque that say camping is prohibited in Parque Nacional Lago Puelo.
=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=
