Complejo Los Baqueanos
To reach Lago Gutiérrez, you leave Bariloche heading south on Ruta 40, trading the city’s pavement for the Patagonian forest. About 15 kilometres from the centre, where the native woodland closes in on the road and the lake starts appearing through the trees, you find Complejo Los Baqueanos: a parcel of land inside Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi combining lakeside camping, guided horseback rides, and a restaurant overlooking the water.
The name is deliberate. A baqueano, in the criollo tradition, is someone who knows the landscape by feel — the natural guide who reads the terrain, tracks water, and navigates without a map. That role defines the spirit of the complex’s horseback excursions, where guides lead visitors through circuits that cover the three typical environments of this sector of the Patagonian Andes: native coihue and ñire forests, mallínes (the damp riverside meadows characteristic of the region), and open hillsides with wide views over the lake.
The riding circuits are organised by difficulty and duration. The Mallín route is a two-hour ride that crosses native forest, climbs to the watershed ridge, and descends back along the shore of Lago Gutiérrez. The Mirador circuit climbs the slopes of Cerro Pontoneros with more accumulated elevation gain; two hours of riding that end at a viewpoint where you can see the lake and the silhouette of Cerro Catedral — the region’s most recognisable landmark — at the same time. For families with children there is a one-hour ride on easier terrain, designed as a first contact with horses in a sheltered setting.
The campground covers eight continuous hectares — no individual plots — along 800 metres of lake shoreline. That open layout gives the place a more spontaneous character than reserved campsites: access works on a first-come basis except during public holidays and certain January weekends when the site fills up. Three distinct zones are available: a day-use-only area for visitors who want to spend the day by the water, a powered section with electrical hookups for motorhomes and caravans, and a wild camping area without electricity, suited to those seeking quiet and an unobstructed night sky. Because the complex sits within a National Park, Parques Nacionales regulations apply: no pets are permitted anywhere on the property, amplified music is prohibited, and two-stroke motors cannot be used on the lake. The complex makes sit-on-top kayaks available for free use along the shore.
The restaurant completes the picture. Built in mountain style with timber and an architecture that fits its surroundings, it serves traditional cuisine at the lake’s edge. The dining room also hosts private and corporate events, extending its use beyond the summer season.
No private vehicle is needed to get here. The ViaBariloche bus line running the corridor toward El Bolsón stops on Ruta 40, about 800 metres from the complex entrance. That final stretch on foot through native forest is a fitting introduction to what waits inside.
