Cerro Otto

Information

It is a hill with a height of 1405 metres above sea level that lies within the Nahuel Huapi National Park. There are neighbourhoods of Bariloche that are located on its northern slope.

To get to the top there are 2 ways:
- By car: there is a dirt road that leaves from the Avenida de los Pioneros. It is 7 km to a car park at the summit.
- By cable car: the Inferior departure station is located at the base of the hill about 5 km from the centre of Bariloche. After a ride of about 2 km you reach the upper station at the summit where there is a revolving cafeteria (only accessible to those arriving by cable car).

At the summit there are 2 trails to follow on foot and get to know the place:
- Sendero al Nido del Águila (Trail to the Eagle's Nest): this is a short trail of low difficulty but with a steep climb, lasting 1 hour round trip. It leads to some rocks with a great panoramic view.
- Sendero a la Piedra de Habsburgo (Hapsburg Stone Trail): this is a low-difficulty trail that takes about 2 hours round trip. From the car park at the top of the Otto hill, there is a barrier where on your left there is a small path that is the beginning of the trail (be aware that it is not the vehicular road). The path is narrow for the first few metres through a forest and then becomes so wide that it looks like a vehicle path. Be careful because there are no signs and there are bifurcations. To avoid getting lost, you should always follow the path at the same height and never go down or up secondary paths (if in doubt, it is advisable to go back). At one point you come to a gate with a turnstile where you continue along a private property, where the time I was there were signs saying that you were allowed to enter to follow the path to the stone. You arrive at a path with railings and then a metal staircase leading up to the Habsburg stone, which has two viewpoints with panoramic views.