Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
328
Shopping in “La Villa”: Worth the Drive
Around the Lake
More compact and stylish than its sprawling neighbor Bariloche, Villa la Angos-
tura's main drag , Avenida Arrayanes, makes a g reat destination f or shopping.
Brand-name stores, such as K ill and C ardon, have shops her e. The
Paseo de
Compras
at Av. Arrayanes 172 (no phone) has lo vely upscale silver and leath-
erwear. Also tr y
La Candela
(Av. Arrayanes 188;
&
02944/495686
) and
Ala-
dino
(Av. Arrayanes 193;
&
02944/15-607529
[cell]). Just down Las Mutisias is
Blumenhaus
(Las Mutisias 192;
&
02944/495752
) f or lo vely candles and
ceramics.
Patagonia Exquisiteces
(Av. Arrayanes 231;
&
02944/495084
) has
such gourmet f ood pr oducts as smoked meats and choc olate, as w ell as
Patagonian wines. At the western end of Arra yanes is the handicraf ts market.
Even nonshoppers will delight in the lo vely architecture, and don 't forget to
stop in at
Jauja
(Av. Arrayanes 40; no phone) for an ice-cream cone!
Visitor Information
The
Secretaría de Turismo
is at Av. Siete Lagos 93 (
&
02944/494124
), open daily from
8am to 8pm. It offers accommodations listings and prices, and information about excur-
sions around the ar ea. For information about N ahuel Huapi National Park or P arque
Nacional Los Arrayanes, tr y the
Oficína de Turismo
at the pier (
&
02944/494152
),
open Monday through Friday from 11am to 4pm ( Wed until 2pm), and S aturday and
holidays from 2:30 to 5pm.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes
The Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes is home to the only two
arrayán
forests in the world
(although the
arrayán
can be found thr oughout this region, including in Chile), one of
which can be visited at the tip of P enínsula Quetrihué. This fascinating bush gr ows as
high as 20m (66 ft.) and looks to the untrained ey e like a tr ee, with slick cinnamon-
colored trunks that are cool to the touch.They are especially beautiful in the spring when
in bloom.
The peninsula itself offers a pleasant 24km (15-mile) round-trip moderate hiking and
biking trail to the
arrayán
forest. Most visitors either walk (2-3 hr.) or bike (1-2 hr.) half
the trail and then boat to or back fr om the park; you can also take the boat both ways
(trip time: 2
1
/
2
hr.). From the interior side of the por t at Bahía Mansa, the
Catamaran
Futaleufú
(
&
02944/494004,
or 02944/494405 at the dock; www.bosquelosarrayanes.
com.ar) departs daily at 2pm, and in high season at 10:30am, 2pm, and 5:30pm. The
return trip costs $32 (£22) per person; one-way costs $18 (£12).
Bettanso Excursiones
has a 50-person boat with daily depar tures at 2:30pm, and six to sev en trips during the
summer for the same price as P aisano (
&
02944/495024
). Bettanso also offers ex cur-
sions to I sla Victoria and P uerto B lest, a trip that is described in “Boat E
11
xcursions,”
earlier in this chapter.
Villa La Angostura is a main stop on the popular R uta de los S iete Lagos fr om
Bariloche. It's also the last stop on the road to the border with Chile. That, unfortunately,
