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The most popular excursion in the park takes you to the far end of Lago Menendez's northern channel to see El Abuelo ("The Grandfather", also named El Alerzal ), a gigantic alerce 2.2m in diameter, and 57m tall. This magnificent tree is an estimated 2600 years old, making it more venerable than four of the five most important religions in the world (only Hinduism is older). It was already a sapling when Pythagoras and Confucius taught, but a mere hundred years ago it almost became roof shingles: only the fact that settlers deemed its wood to be rotten inside saved it from the saw. The boat trip to El Abuelo departs from Puerto Chucao, halfway round the Lago Verde/Rio Arrayanes trail loop that starts at the pasarela , 34km from the Intendencia. You should count on thirty minutes to walk from the road, and you won't want to rush it. The morning boat (9am) is $10 cheaper than the afternoon one (1pm; $35) and, even better, it's usually less crowded. The excursion is guided, but in Spanish only: if you want an English translation, you'll need to organize a tour from Esquel rather than just turn up at the pier. Either way, you should book in advance - boats are generally full in peak season and go only when demand is sufficient in low season. On the ninety-minute trip across the pristine blue waters of Lago Menendez you get fine views of the Cerro Torrecillas glacier, which is receding fast and may last only another seventy years. To get to El Abuelo a three-kilometre trail takes you through dense Valdivian temperate rainforest ( selva Valdiviana ), a habitat distinguished from the surrounding Patagonian forests by the presence of different layers to the canopy, in addition to the growth of lianas, epiphytes, surface roots and species more commonly found in Chile. Here a mass of vegetation is engaged in the eternal struggle of the jungle: height equals light. In addition to the alerces , you'll see fuchsia bushes and myrtles ( arrayan ), with trunks like rough-chiselled cinnamon sticks that are cold to the touch. The introduced mink is the culprit for the fact that enchanting, aquamarine Lago Cisne has none of the birds it was named after - the black-necked swan (cisne de cuello negro).
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