San Carlos de Bariloche. — Ten months after massive forest fires affected about 4,000 hectares of forest, Río Azul-Lago Escondido Natural Protected Area (Anbral). Given the summer season and with the risk of forest fires remaining high, the area is once again welcoming visitors with strict entry conditions.
It reopened a few days ago. “The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has ordered the partial reopening of the protected natural area, allowing only the sectors that were not mainly affected by the forest fires of the summer of 2025 and to proceed with the delivery of in-process certificates to the shelters that comply with the unified protocol for the 2025/26 season. This measure is based on safety standards, scientific opinions and the extensive operational work carried out in recent months,” they noted from the Rio Negro government.
The new licensing system includes unified standards on infrastructure, waste management, safety, food science, water use and fire prevention, among other priority aspects.
The process included technical tours, geo-environmental risk analysis, inspections of existing infrastructure, brigade work, a Conicet assessment (through the “Anprale Final Report – Preliminary Diagnosis and Post-Fire Guidance”) and meetings with residents and shelters to define public use and conservation criteria.
For visitors arriving in the protected natural area, a mandatory virtual registration has been created, as well as quotas for each constituency and restricted capacity. For daytime activities without overnight stays, a pilot capacity of 300 visitors per day has been set, while nighttime capacity is limited to 1,000 beds in shelters that are in the process of being accredited. The registration system will also allow the ban to be implemented in case of weather alerts, regulate the flow of visitors and reduce risks in sensitive areas.
In order to reopen, two new lanes were built to improve traffic and ensure safer access. The suspended pedestrian walkways over the Río Azul are located in the Hue-Nin and La Tronconada sectors: the first is 65 meters long and 1.54 meters wide, while the one in La Tronconada is 50 meters long and 1.10 meters wide.
All updated information is available on the official website: where you can access the registration form, entry requirements and the digital map with details of the enabled routes. The authorities reminded that closed sectors remain in place, including the Portal Doña Rosa-Refugio Hielo Azul and Conexión Laguna Natación-Encajonamiento del Azul tracks, due to damage sustained after the fire and high environmental risk conditions.
These two routes were among the most chosen by tourists every summer and were the most affected by the fire that broke out at the end of last January at the entrance to Anberalli, located at the confluence of the Encanto Blanco and Azul rivers. This summer, visitors will be able to choose other walking tours such as the Trunk Circuit (from the meeting point to the Los Lajitos Refuge), the Encanto Blanco River Valley Circuit (from Malin Ahogado to the refuge of the same name), the Cerro Hilo Azul – Laguna Natacion Circuit (from the meeting point to the Hilo Azul Refuge) and the Cerro Dedo Gordo Circuit (which allows you to connect to the Trunk Circuit in El Retamal).
Last summer, the Confluencia forest fires damaged about 3,800 hectares (2,100 native forests, the rest being forest plantations, wetlands and farms with about 150 agricultural facilities). On the other hand, 220 homes were damaged, more than 700 tourists were evacuated, and reconstruction and production losses are estimated at billions.
After the event, the Rio Negro Environmental Secretariat invited Conicet to provide technical assistance for risk management and management, and to restore and rehabilitate the affected area. He said, “This fire is very distinctive in two respects: The first is that it affected the natural environments, but then it spread to the rural forest front, affecting lives, goods, and production. The other feature of this fire is its great speed of spread and its danger.” Thomas Kitzbergera researcher at the Biodiversity and Environment Research Institute (Inibioma) and coordinator of the group of scientists who spatially measured the factor called “fire severity.”
Meanwhile, Gustavo VillarosaThe researcher at the Andean Patagonian Institute of Bio-Environmental Geotechnologies (IPATEC) added the importance of identifying and monitoring factors such as soil erosion and mass removal in areas affected by fires: “These processes are important for studying environmental risks, as fires can significantly change soil stability and increase the possibility of landslides, flows moving across the bottoms of river valleys, and even floods and other dangerous geological phenomena such as falling rocks, erosion of roads or bridge supports and walkways.”
It was the conclusions of the Conset report that led to the closure of some areas of the protected natural area.
“The balance is positive: we have resumed activity with operational optimism and with the necessary technical caution to protect an area that is still in the process of restoration,” the Environment and Climate Change Minister said. Judith Jimenez.
The goal is to ensure an orderly reopening and responsible tourism. Likewise, it was highlighted that compliance with existing regulations is essential to avoid new impacts in the area that continue the process of ecological restoration.
The Rio Negro government stressed that to enter the area, it is necessary to register in advance, review the updated condition of the trails, have the appropriate mountain equipment: appropriate shoes, shelter, water, food, sunscreen, and plan in advance. They added, “Being informed, prepared, and respecting the instructions of the Environmental Guard Authority is essential. Responsible visiting is the key to preserving the area that is still recovering from the fire.”