This small national park, encompassing the entire Quetrihué Peninsula that juts out into the waters of Lago Nahuel Huapi, protects remaining stands of the cinnamon-barked arrayán, a member of the myrtle family. In Mapudungun (language of the Mapuche) the peninsula’s name means ‘place of the arrayánes.’ Regulations require hikers to enter the park before noon and leave by 4pm in winter, and around 6pm to 7pm in summer. It's off Blvd Nahuel Huapi, a 12km drive or bike ride from Villa la Angostura.
The park headquarters is at the southern end of the peninsula, near the largest concentration of arrayánes, in an area known as El Bosque. There's an enchanted-wood feel to the place, with some of the slow-growing trees at least 600 years old. It’s a three-hour, 12km hike to the tip of the peninsula, on an excellent interpretive nature trail that passes by two lakes. Several sightseeing boats per day run to the tip of the peninsula from the two small bays to either side of the park entrance; you can take a boat out and hike back.
From the park’s northern entrance at La Villa, a very steep 20-minute hike leads to two panoramic overlooks of Lago Nahuel Huapi.
