Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
350
The capital of Chubut pr ovince is the nearb y r esidential to wn of
R awson
(only
20,000 inhabitants), wher e there's not much to see. N earby, the bigger city of
Trelew
serves as a gateway to the area, with an airport capable of handling bigger jets. Trelew has
a good museum and a fe w hotels, but it 's not of much inter est to visitors. The Welsh
town of
Gaiman
is much mor e interesting and makes for an ex cellent afternoon excur-
sion. Settled primarily from 1865 to 1870, this is one of the fe w places outside of Wales
where Welsh is still spoken. Houses here are reminiscent of those in the Welsh country-
side. A handful of teahouses offer traditional tea service (which came in handy when the
late Princess Diana visited in 1995).
EXPLORING SOUTHERN ARGENTINE PATAGONIA
The popular image of Patagonia—wind-swept plains, towering granite spires, hardwork-
ing pioneers, endless str etches of dir t r oad—still exists today in the southern par t of
Argentina. It's way down there, though. The main tourist center is E l Calafate, which is
2,727km (1,691 miles) southwest of Buenos Aires. It's easier than ever to get here, how-
ever, which means an increasing number of visitors from North America and Europe are
making a pilgrimage to see the glaciers, peaks, and emptiness of Patagonia. The two main
destinations in southern Argentine Patagonia are El Calafate—the jumping-off point for
seeing the beautiful glaciers of Los G laciares National Park—and El Chaltén, a hiking
town at the base of Cerr o Torre and Mt. F itzRoy. You could feasibly see this ar ea in a
short week, which would giv e you 2 full trav el days to get ther e and back fr om Buenos
Aires, from where all international flights depart.
Start in El Calafate, and spend a fe w days exploring the glaciers—Perito Moreno and
the more remote ones such as Upsala. Then head to El Chaltén for some hiking; to make
it worthwhile, you need at least 1 full day and 2 half-days ther e.
Many people visit this ar ea on a trip combined with Torres del Paine National Park,
next door in Chile. It's worthwhile, given that they are so close. “Paine,” however, as the
park is known here, is much busier and mor e expensive.
You'll also find a gr owing list of inns and some v ery good r estaurants. If you're any-
thing like me, y ou'll find y ourself deeply mo ved and inspir ed b y the v ast stretches of
wilderness unique to this remote part of the world.
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PUERTO MADRYN
1,374km (852 miles) S of Buenos Aires; 62km (38 miles) N of Trelew; 1,798km (1,115 miles) N of Ushuaia
A laid-back city of 70,000, P uerto Madryn's population boom came in the mid-1970s.
Until then, the city had only 6,000 inhabitants, but the Aloar aluminum factor y com-
pletely changed the town when it opened its doors here in 1973. Now, there are tile, fish,
and ceramic factories on the outskir ts of town. Tourism, too, is booming. And Aloar is
still expanding. In fact, Puerto Madryn is now one of the fastest-growing cities in Argen-
tina. Mostly used by foreign visitors, the coastal str eet, Avenida Roca, is lined with r es-
taurants, bars, and hotels. Locals tend to patronize establishments at least 1 block inland.
The wide beach is great, with frequently calm waters that make swimming possible from
mid-December to mid-M arch. I also r ecommend that y ou take 30 minutes to str oll to
the tip of the O ld Dock for a great vie w of the area. The streets a few blocks inland ar e
buzzing with locals. Here you'll find inexpensive clothing stores, and cafes and bars catering
