Few visitors know them but there are 4×4 excursions specially designed to visit them in southern Argentina.
50 kilometers from Esquel, in the province of Chubut, you can explore one of the most surprising natural phenomena in Patagonia: the Ice Tunnels, which are ascended along the slopes of La Torta hill.
With the aim of highlighting this amazing formation, the mayor of Esquel, Matías Taccetta, and the Minister of Tourism of Chubut, Diego Lapenna, announced the creation of the Ice Tunnels Protected Natural Area.
As explained by the Secretariat of Tourism, Culture and Sports of Esquel, it consists of a project that combines environmental conservation with tourism development in the region.
It is important to clarify that you reach the tunnels in a 4×4 journey through lenga forests and trekking.
Once at the summit, you advance to the foot of a waterfall, at the base of which snow during the winter that will give rise to the Ice Tunnels.
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A Protected Natural Area will be created.
Why do ice tunnels form?
In few places in the world there are ice tunnels like those in this region of Chubut, with tubular formations of natural origin that They can be traveled along 100 meters.
“The tunnels are formed due to particular characteristics of the ice in the upper area of the mountain,” they explain in Esquel.
While the white surface exposed to the surface is refractory and can withstand exposure to the sun, it is the temperature that the mountain floor acquires that melts the ice layer “from the bottom up.”
In this way, a kind of tunnel is formed with an ice roof, which becomes the star of the excursion.
That is, ice tunnels form at 1,900 meters above sea level, and are due to a unique reverse defrosting processin which they begin to melt from the inside out, generating structures that seem from another world.
Of course, in the summer months The most favorable conditions exist to visit this place.
When the weather conditions are not suitable for the emergence of the tunnels, this tour can be done combining trekking and 4×4, with fantastic panoramic views of the Los Alerces National Park and bird watching (many times, condors are seen).
What is the tunnel protection project like?
“We began the process to establish a protected area within the municipal ejido, specifically, in the ice tunnels.” The intention is to preserve this natural wonder and enhance its tourist attraction,” said the mayor of Esquel, Matías Taccetta about the creation of the Ice Tunnels Protected Natural Area.
For his part, the Minister of Tourism of Chubut, Diego Lapenna, stressed the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in the co-administration of protected areas.
“From the Ministry, we view this joint work very favorably, which will allow us to properly care for and value this attraction,” he commented.
Meanwhile, Mariano Riquelme, Secretary of Tourism, Sports and Culture of the Municipality, explained that “this project focuses on tourism development towards the Alto Río Percy area and on connecting this sector with the National Park.”
The promoters of the creation of the Ice Tunnels APN highlighted that it is “an important step for the conservation of the environment, and at the same time, a boost for the sustainable tourism in the region. With this project, Esquel not only reaffirms its commitment to the conservation of natural heritage, but also positions itself as a benchmark in nature and adventure tourism.”