10 must-sees in Esquel to enjoy all year round

The absolute pre-eminence of the natural environment in the northwest of

, headed by the peaks of the Cordillera, is perceived as an eternal blessing by the inhabitants of

.

The urban design does not stop growing, but the panoramic view of the valley framed by the majestic silhouettes of the Nahuelpan, Zeta, Cruz, 21 and La Hoya hills is a kind of sacred treasure that no one dares to lay hands on.

The mountains, the lakes and the forest are essential pieces in this town crossed by

.

Here,

to take the pulse of Esquel and its surroundings, a suggested itinerary that includes the charms of Trevelin, about 24 kilometers to the southwest.

Los Alerces National Park, a World Heritage Site located in Chubut.

1. Los Alerces National Park

The captivating beauty of the sanctuary of the larches begins to take shape well before completing the more than 70 km of the paved and gravel route -full of abrupt ascents, descents, curves and counter-curves- that joins Esquel with the pedestrian suspension bridge

the Arrayanes River, within Los Alerces National Park, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

In the parking lot, the anxiety of the tourists grows to reach the biggest prize, the impressive sight of the

, a unique giant whose antiquity is estimated at

.

But first you have to test your ability to carry out, at a sustained pace, the 1.5 km trek along an interpretive path that overlooks the river and offers the first images -colored turquoise and green- of Lake Menéndez.

You also have to

in Puerto Chucao, to enjoy the view of the snow-capped peak of the hill and Torrecilla glacier, in a relaxed navigation of one hour and twenty minutes.

Alerce Abuelo in Los Alerces National Park.

The third and last section of the journey is a new 2 km walk through

covered with dry leaves, in the midst of a magnificent

(a variety of laurel), radales wrapped in lichens, larches, colihue canes, coihues, cypresses and myrtle.

Half hidden among the thicket, the rivers and streams are heard and, later, their beds appear vibrating before the eyes of the visitors.

Finally, about to complete the roundabout of the road, 50 meters from the jetty, the revered

(“grandfather”, in the Mapuche Mapudungún language) imposes his presence, the larch specimen of

, world famous for its imposing appearance and millennial life.

Cisne Lake, Alerzal Milenario area.

Esquel Tourism Photo

2. Futalaufquen Lodge

The historical value of the

is a good reason to extend your visit to Los Alerces park to the protected portion of the Andean forest around Puerto Limonao.

The solid structure of stone and wood stands out on the façade of the building, built between 1944 and 1950 and designed by the

.

Futalaufquen Inn, in Los Alerces National Park.

The work received a great boost with the construction of Puerto Limonao, the launching of the Inacayal boat and the inauguration of a soccer field in 1948. Initially, the concession was ceded to Alé Galliat, a hotel and gastronomic businessman who managed the

, in Buenos Aires.

The building, built mostly by Italian workers, until today has wooden floors, large windows with views of the forest and the lake, six wooden cabins, thirteen rooms and a cozy living room heated with a fireplace.

3. The Trochita

In these lands of Welsh pioneers, Isabel Freeman -descendant of the first immigrants of that origin who arrived in Chubut on the Mimosa ship in 1865- is the most suitable guide to link the splendor time of the Old Patagonian Express with the present, when

locomotive de La Trochita turns on its boiler to pull its

to the Nahuelpan station.

La Trochita, on its delicious journey from Esquel to Nahuelpan.

Esquel Tourism Photo.

About to start the 18-kilometer journey at no more than 30 kilometers per hour, an atmosphere of euphoria and joy is breathed on the Esquel platform, for which the departure seems prepared to exhibit the same pomp that surrounded the maiden voyage. the unforgettable epic of

.

Shortly after leaving the headland behind, Freeman announces the imminent crossing of the Esquel stream and anticipates the continuous crossings of the road with Route 259 cut off by banderilleros, while on the other side of the window the snowy peaks of the cordons appear in the foreground. and Esquel and, little by little, the transition zone

can be seen .

Museum of Original Patagonian Cultures in Nahuelpan.

The sharp honk of the diesel-powered Baldwin machine shoots out into the Patagonian immensity to warn of the arrival at destination, a silent

, whose past -in which the figure of the cacique Nahuelpan emerges- is recreated in the rooms of the

.

A few meters from the empanadas and homemade bread vendors and the simple houses of the weavers, silversmiths and potters, the locomotive begins its routine maneuver to reverse its course and the travelers prepare to resume the incomparable adventure of La Trochita on the return to Esquel.

4. La Zeta Lagoon

The La Zeta lagoon very close to the center of Esquel.

A winding road of three kilometers comes from Fontana avenue to leave the center of Esquel behind and climb the side of a

, which show the city, the valley and the compact mountain range that crowns the panorama without obstacles.

Right there where the gravel begins to become thick, the sharp curves follow one another and the dust covers the path of vehicles, the providential appearance of the La Zeta lagoon suggests setting foot on the intensely green shore or a 200-meter sandy

long.

Around it, the mountains and a coniferous forest end up shaping an

nuanced with fishing, kayaking and pirouettes on kitesurfing boards.

In summer, the sun and days of merciless heat lend themselves to seeking shelter and refreshment with a dip.

5. Lithuanian Olgbrun Museum

In the

neighborhood, an elegant appendage of Esquel extended to one side of the exit to the south on Route 259, the imprint of Bruno Lukosevicius revives in the rooms of a house packed with historical objects.

The Olgbrun Lithuanian Museum, created by Bruno Lukosevicius, son of immigrants.

The Olgbrun Lithuanian Museum -unique in South America- houses

, 2,000 Prussian books, the 1886 linotype, the guillotine and the printer from the "Balsas" printing house -the first Lithuanian newspaper published in the country-, documents and wooden crafts.

Despite this unusual display of collector's items, the greatest attraction lies in the endless sequence of

-Bruno's widow, who died in January 2022-, strings together in her story to tell the exciting stories of her husband -son of Lithuanians, born in an immigrant tenement in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo and seduced by the beauty of Esquel forty years ago- and from Lithuania, an Eastern European country spread out on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Olga's voice amplified between the walls of the Natural Sciences Room contrasts with the trills of the birds that fly over the house's garden, where a large group

succumb to the persistent perfume of blooming lavenders.

A few steps away, Luciano Lukosevicius -son of Olga and Bruno, a renowned breeder and trainer of horses in the area- adds loose data to the vast tour of Lithuanian culture.

6. Standing Stone

The turns that the green strip of the Chubut River Valley traces in the steppe accompany an excursion to the striking

that mark an abrupt scene 127 kilometers from Esquel.

Protected Natural Area

and the

show the traces of a devastating eruption that occurred 50 million years ago.

Standing Stone.

Esquel Tourism Photo

The main attraction is a

planted in the center of a field framed by geoforms and 150-meter-high walls, which protect cave paintings, a legacy of the original cultures.

Piedra Parada exhibits the remains of an ancient volcano, whose chimney was solidified.

7. Nant Fach Mill Museum

The old Nant Fach flour mill, near Trevelin, a key piece of Welsh history in the region.

Before ending at the international border that Chubut shares with Chile, Route 259 links Esquel with Trevelin (24 kilometers away) and covers another 20 kilometers of asphalt and gravel until it reaches one of the foundational landmarks left by the Welsh settlers in this region of

. prosperous.

The historic Nant Fach water flour mill refers to the

, which began at the end of the 19th century, when the legendary Colonia 16 de Octubre was laying its foundations, favored by the benefits of Cwn Hyfryd (“Valle Hermoso”). .

In the old Nant Fach flour mill there is a museum.

Mervyn Evans leads the

, revealing in detail the epic wooden wheel-powered mill, created by Lithuanian pioneer Stanislaus Grabauskas and run since 1894 by Marvyn's Welsh great-grandfather, Thomas Dalar Evans.

The tour includes a

populated with hundred-year-old machines that still work, a sawmill and replicas of a rural school and a general store.

8. Patagonian wines

Vineyards of Nant and Fall, near Trevelin.

The acute perception of the natural conditions of the Patagonian Andean region as a possible place to plant grape varietals led a family from Mar del Plata -headed by Maura Bianchi and her husband- to hit the mark with the production of the first wines from the Valley

.

Sergio Rodríguez, the son of the founders of the family business Viñas del Nant y Fall, recalls the first harvest, in 2016, with great pride: “That moment was key for us to start producing excellent pinot noir

.

Currently, we also specialize in three white varieties: gewursttraminer, riesling and chardonnay”, he says.

Rodríguez is a chef and settled with his parents 15 years ago in this detachment from the

in the Andean region of Chubut.

At that time, the land degraded by the activity of a quarry was

from the planting of 300 specimens of ñire on the banks of the Nant y Fall stream.

Little by little, the proposal diversified and added rental cabins, camping and a restaurant.

At this point, along with the wines, the masterpieces of the

cannot be ignored here : ravioli or sorrentinos (stuffed with lamb meat and pine mushrooms, deer with smoked cheese or trout) and the exquisite flavor pumpkin empanadas with mushrooms, pork with Parmesan cheese or meat, complemented with vegan, vegetarian and celiac options.

9. Nant and Fall Waterfalls

The Nant and Fall waterfalls, a major attraction near Trevelin.

A deep canyon rises in the middle of a forest of radales and cypresses and the narrow and silent channel of the Nant y Fall stream dissolves into

.

A path a thousand meters long makes its way through the forest and allows you to appreciate from viewpoints the spectacle offered by the La Petisa, Las Mellizas and La Larga waterfalls.

The walk was

by the pioneer Glennis Owen, who dedicated herself to selling her rural products to visitors and promoting rural tourism.

Four years after her death, her son Nelson Jones usually follows the footsteps of visitors and suggests they crown the visit with a walk along a path that leads to the impressive panoramic point of Valle 16 de

.

Nant and Fall waterfalls.

Esquel Tourism Photo

10. La Mutisia Tea House

The air impregnated with dust that emerges from the gravel roads vanishes on the boulevard San Martín de Trevelin.

Near the central plaza, brightly colored bunches of flowers, butterflies and birds court the entrance to La Mutisia tea house.

La Mutisia tea house, Welsh flavors in Trevelin.

The tables overflow with teapots and porcelain tableware, portions of

,

,

, banana, currants and walnuts, cream tarts, breads, sandwiches and scones.

The most

of Chubut dazzles the eye as an invitation to accompany the sunset in the best way in this cozy detachment of the Andean region.

For a long time, the palate rejoices and the return home is long overdue.

Tea time.

Esquel Tourism Photo

MINIGUIDE

How to get there

•

From Buenos Aires to Esquel it is 1,866 km by Riccheri, Autopista a Cañuelas, route 3 to Bahía Blanca, routes 22 and 237 to Bariloche and route 40. Option, route 3 to Trelew, route 25 to Tecka and routes 40 and 259 • Airlines fly direct from Aeroparque to Esquel (2

 . 30');

round trip with taxes, from $35,357.

 Chevallier semi-bed bus from Retiro to Bariloche (24 hours), $21,500 one way;

sleeping car, $23,900.

Micro Vía TAC from Bariloche to Esquel (5 hours 30'), $3,285 semi-bed and $3,790 bed.

One of the rooms of Hostería y Apart El Coirón, Esquel.

Where to stay

•

Hostería and apart El Coirón: double room with sauna, Scottish shower, hydromassage, breakfast, parking and wi-fi, $39,000;

apartment for 4 with breakfast, wi-fi, parking, washing machine, kitchen, dishes, hair dryer and microwave, $49,000 (02945-15596708 / reservas@hosteriaelcoiron.com.ar / www.hosteriaelcoiron.com.ar).

 Hostería Futalaufquen: double room with lake view, breakfast, DirecTV, wi-fi and parking, $50,400;

with a view of the forest, $45,000;

double suite, $70,200;

cabin for 4, $77,400;

breakfast, $1,500;

apartment for 4 with a view of the lake, $68,400;

with a view of the forest, $63,000;

for 5, $70,200 (02945-471-008/9 / info@hosteriafutalaufquen.com / www.hosteriafutalaufquen.com).

This is how the units of the apartaments sector of El Coirón look.

How much it costs

•

 Entrance to Los Alerces National Park, $1,000;

ages 6 to 16, $500;

retirees and pensioners, free;

parking for more than 3 hours, $1,000.

Roundtrip ride on the La Trochita train from Esquel to Nahuelpan, $9,500;

from 6 to 12 years old, $7,000;

retirees and university students, $7,200;

chocolate in the bar car, $600;

organic juice, $1,250;

portion of cake, $1,000.

Single kayak or surfboard rental in the Zeta Lagoon (30'), $2,000;

double kayak, $2,500 single.

Entrance to the Lithuanian Museum, $1,000;

up to 6 years, free.

Guided visit to the Nant Fach Mill Museum, in Trevelin, $1,500;

retirees, $1,000;

from 6 to 12 years old, $500.

Entrance to the Nant and Fall Waterfalls Nature Reserve, $800;

retirees, $500;

up to 10 years, free.

Set menu per person at the Mutisia tea house, $3,000.

Guided tour of the Nant y Fall winery and vineyard (40'), $600;

with tasting, $1,300;

7,500 cc bottle of pinot noir wine, $6,500;

double room in shelter, $18,000;

in the La Bodeguita department, $22,000;

camping, $2,500 per person (includes vehicle and tent).

View of Piedra Parada from the La Butirera canyon.

Where to find out

•

(02945) 451-927/453-145/455-652 / 15-529616

0800-3331083

infoturismo@esquel.gov.ar

 www.esquel.tur.ar

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