To the west of the small town of El Boson is the Area Natural Protegida Rio Azul Lago Escondido. Here the mountains of the Comarca Andina rise to well over 2000m, to reach the prominent peak of Cerro Hielo Azul (2248m). There are a number of small glaciers in the alpine zone and several long steep sided valleys split the peaks on an east to west axis. Several trekking routes head in to these valleys which are linked together with a network of Refugio's. The bush itself is particularly diverse with a variety of tree species, but it is the understory of bamboo that really catches the trekkers attention.

Photographs from one visit.

In March 2008 we spent five days exploring the valleys around Hielo Azul. After heading in to Refugio Hielo Azul, we took a short side trip to its namesake glacier at the head of the valley before heading to Refugio El Retamal and Refugio Laguitos. We returned over a newly cut and opened track to Refugio Valle del Encanto before walking out to the road end. The Refugio's along this route mean that it is possible to complete this route without a tent, though there is plenty of scope for camping at or around the Refugio's. In particular the Valle del Encanto is a beautiful place to pitch the tent.  After leaving El Boson we headed up to San Martin de los Andes before crossing back in to Chile. On the way we managed to catch a glimpse of Volcan Lanin, just before the cloud closed in.

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