A detour to the Laguna Verde in the province of Neuquen has a lot to offer for nature lovers. Among other things, many small and larger lakes that are embedded in the landscape or in extinct volcanoes. And their water is so clear and pure that you can use it as drinking water. This area is also a true paradise for fly fishing and other fishing specialists. But even without fishing rods and hooks we felt very comfortable here. From Aluminé we made a detour along the Rio Pulmari, where we spent a night on the rushing river. The next morning, we drove up beside the river – we were already at 1’800 meters above sea level to the Lake Rucachoroy, which is located in the Parque National Lanin. This is Mapuche country; the land of the aborigines. Mapuche means “The Land of Humans” and that refers to the Mapuches, who today are regaining back large parts of their former land. (The same thing happens in Australia with the Aborigines.)

Enrique, the Mapuche-Ranger, who works here as a park ranger, recommended that we climb up to Lagune Verde the next day. It would be a steep climb, but worth the effort. “Serià allà entre 10 y 11 de la mañana, porque el luz esta perfecto para sacar fotos” he gave us a chance to join him on our way to our camp by the river. It was so beautiful that despite the water temperature (16° C) we took a bath to wash the dust off our bodies. (We have been driving over dusty slopes for days and are covered with powdery dust in the evening! The next morning the started our ascent to the Green Lagoon. It was steep, very steep and a few times I thought about of turning back. But when we were standing at the lagoon after 1 1/4 hours, the stiff effort of the ascent, which led us through a fairytale Araucaria forest, was already forgotten. We looked into the crystal-clear water in which we saw some trout’s and enjoyed the absolute silence. La vida es chula!