Tronador — “the thunderer” — is the extinct volcano of roughly 3,470 m that marks the border with Chile at the western edge of the park. Its name comes from the thunderous crash of ice avalanches falling from its hanging glaciers, which you can often hear from the valley floor.
A gravel road leaves Route 40 near Lago Mascardi and climbs the Manso valley to Pampa Linda, a meadow at the foot of the mountain with a small hotel and campsite, then continues to the Ventisquero Negro — a “black” glacier covered in rock debris that calves into a grey lake. Tronador day tours make the round trip from Bariloche.
Top things to do at Cerro Tronador
Ventisquero Negro
The road ends near the lake below the black glacier; a short walk leads to the shore, where lumps of dirty ice float among the grey water.
Garganta del Diablo
From the end of the road a trail of roughly an hour each way leads up a gorge to waterfalls pouring off the Tronador glaciers — the best short hike in the area.
Pampa Linda
The meadow at the heart of the valley has a hostería, a ranger station and the trailhead for the long climb to Refugio Otto Meiling, perched between two glaciers.
Lago Mascardi
On the way you pass the turquoise Lago Mascardi and the Isla Corazón viewpoint — beautiful in the morning light.
How to get to Cerro Tronador
- Distance: about 80–90 km from Bariloche, around half on gravel. Allow 2–2.5 hours each way.
- One-way schedule: the narrow upper road runs on a timed one-way system (uphill in the morning, downhill in the afternoon). Check the current times with the park before you drive.
- Park fee: charged at the entry checkpoint on the Pampa Linda road.
- A day tour avoids the gravel driving and timetable planning.
Insider tips
- Access is usually open from late spring to autumn (roughly November–April); winter snow closes the road.
- There is no fuel after Route 40 — fill up in Bariloche.
- Bring lunch or eat at Pampa Linda; there is nothing at the glacier.
- Dust is intense in dry weather: close car windows when vehicles pass.
Best tours & tickets for Cerro Tronador
These experiences are the easiest way to see Cerro Tronador and the landscapes around it:
Day trip From Bariloche: Cerro Tronador Full-Day Tour
Tronador — “the thunderer” — is the extinct volcano of roughly 3,470 m on the Chilean border whose hanging glaciers crack and rumble all summer. This day trip follows Route 40 past Lago Mascardi and a long gravel road up the Manso valley to Pampa Linda and the Ventisquero Negro, with free time for lunch and short walks.
- Lagos Gutiérrez and Mascardi on the way south
- Pampa Linda meadow at the foot of the volcano
- Ventisquero Negro, the “black glacier”
Rafting Bariloche: Rafting in Manso River up to the Border with Chile
The best adrenaline day around Bariloche. After a drive south on Route 40 and a gravel road through the Manso valley, you gear up and run the lower Manso — a clear, cold glacial river with a string of named rapids — down towards the Chilean border, finishing with lunch in the valley.
- White water on the lower Río Manso
- Wetsuits, breakfast and lunch included
- Paddle to within sight of the Chilean frontier
