Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
255
Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito
Quebrada del C ondorito
(w ww.quebradacondorito.com.ar) is a spec tacular
800m (2,624-ft.) ravine and popular haunt f or condors and their fledgling off-
spring learning t o fly. It is the most east ern habitat in S outh America f or this
giant bird, and the area is littered with waterfalls, sierra grassland, and sloping
hills. In 1995, the Quebrada and 40,000 hectares (98,900 acres) of the surround-
ing Pampa de Achala (a high-altitude plateau) became a national park.
The park's infrastructure is minimal, to say the least. There are three camp-
sites, but they offer little in the way of facilities. Visitors enter the park from La
Pampilla, 55k m (34 miles) of stunning sc enery southeast of Villa C arlos Paz.
From t wo lookout posts , you can sometimes sp y the bir ds bathing beneath
waterfalls. The first is called
balcón norte,
and it's a 3-hour walk fr om the park
entrance. The next vantage point is called
balcón sur,
which is another 2 hours
into the park. Condors are shy birds, and sightings are not guaranteed, yet the
area itself is a very special hiker's paradise. The park is home to 20 animal spe-
cies unique to the area.
Nativo Viajes
(
&
351/424-5341
) runs an 8-hour trek,
in Spanish only , thr ough the park .
Itati V iajes,
27 de Abril 220, C órdoba
(
&
351/422-5020;
www.itati.com.ar), staff s English-speak ing guides who
conduct different kinds of tours, all involving trekking and bird-watching. One-
day tours start at $50 (£34).
WHERE TO DINE
Villa Carlos P az lacks gourmet r estaurants with the dining-out emphasis firmly on
steakhouses—this is Argentina after all. There are plenty of good, casual eateries in the
city's center. The two best
parrillas
in town are
Carilo,
Yrigoyen 44 (
&
354/143-1346
),
and
La Volanta,
San Martín 1262 (
&
354/142-2954
). The latter is easy to spot—look
for loud green-and-yellow paint and the carriage sitting on the roof. For excellent Italian
dishes, try
Il Gato Trattoria,
at Libertad and Belgrano (
&
354/143-9500
), and
Parrilla
Los Gauchos,
Bd. S armiento 1007 (
&
354/143-2814
), both of which offer fish and
meat dishes, too. The latter one has got a beautiful vie w of the lake. I f Mexican is your
thing, try Oaxaca, Uruguay 93 (
&
354/143-7550
).
Junior B,
Av. Libertad 200 (
&
354/
143-3559;
www.juniorb.com.ar), dispenses decent pizza and pasta. Ask for
9
lomito de
mollejas,
a sweetbreads sandwich.
VILLA CARLOS PAZ AFTER DARK
Many young—and even not-so-young—people come to Villa Carlos Paz from Córdoba
to drink and dance, and some of the discos arrange private caravans from the city. Expect
a late night out—dancing begins after 2am and continues past dawn. B y far, the most
famous disco is
Keop's,
R.S. Peña and Seneca (
&
354/143-3553
), with
Zebra Restobar
Disco,
Bernardo D'Elia 150 (
&
354/142-7130
), placing second.
Terrazzo,
Av. Atlán-
tica 400 (no phone), is a tr endy disco open only in summer time. For something tamer,
visit the
Punta Hidalgo
piano bar, at the corner of Uruguay and Hidalgo (
&
354/142-
1127
).
Casino Carlos Paz
is located at Liniers and U ruguay (
&
354/142-5772
).
