For
a place so close to the exuberant Andean forests of Parque
Nacional Los Alerces,
Esquel, 180km south of El Bolsón,
can surprise you on arrival for the aridity of its setting. Enclosed
in a bowl of dusty ochre mountains, it has something of the feel
of a cowboy town, but a pleasant one nonetheless. Few sites of
tourist interest exist in town, although there's the tiny, under-funded
Museo Indigenista (Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat & Sun 5-9pm),
Belgrano 330, which has a small collection of artefacts from
Mapuche, Tehuelche and pre-Tehuelche cultures. The reason why
most people make the trip to Esquel, however, is to visit the
nearby Parque Nacional Los Alerces , with the trip on the Trochita
as the next biggest attraction.
Some 13km to the northeast is the skiing centre of La Hoya
, which sometimes has later snow than larger, more challenging
complexes such as Chapelco, lasting on occasion into early
October. It has eight lifts, is good for powder snow, and
is promoted as a low-key family skiing centre. Hostels in Esquel |
ROOMS ARGENTINA
