Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Landscape just south of the sleepy town of El Bolsón
k El Bolsón
Road map B4. 75 miles (120 km) S
of Bariloche. * 20,000. @ n Ave
San Martín y Roca, (0294) 449-2604.
( Tue, Thu, & Sat. _ La Fiesta
Nacional del Lúpulo (Mar).
 turismoelbolson.gob.ar
area. It offers great opportunities
for adventure sport. Mirador
Plataforma is a lookout point
offering vistas of the Andean
mountains and Lago Puelo. A
further 40-minute walk away is
the Bosque Tallado , a carved
forest comprising sculptures
worked from the trunks of trees
burned by a forest fire in the
early 1980s. A 3-hour trek
leads hikers to the
mountain's summit.
today, these workshops can
be visited on the old station
grounds, where a small, efficient
work force hand-manufactures
locomotive parts from old
machinery to rebuild coaches.
La Trochita is believed to be
the world's oldest functioning
steam train. It was built in
1922 to transport local wool
and timber. Also on the station
grounds is Museo Ferroviario ,
a small museum dedicated
to the town's railroad heritage.
La Trochita departs from
El Maitén six times a week
in summer.
Gaining its reputation as a hippy
retreat in the 1970s, El Bolsón is
a laid-back town, where a
relaxed atmosphere
lingers to this day.
Buskers, backpackers,
and street vendors all
converge in this town
during summer, joined
by an increasing num-
ber of families seeking
a quieter alternative to
Bariloche in the north.
Although tourism is
growing in El Bolsón, the local
economy has traditionally relied
on forestry and hops grown on
small farms called chacras .
These chacras also produce
excellent organic honey, jams,
and soft fruits, and can be
visited through the year.
Good beers made from local
harvests can be sampled at the
well-known brewery nearby,
Cervecería El Bolsón . The
town's popular market
place, Feria Artesanal , sells
an assortment of woolen
and leather products, jewelry,
and ceramics, all made by
local craftspeople.
Offering great walks and
views is the nearby Cerro
Piltriquitrón . Towering over El
Bolsón, this summit, at 7,415 ft
(2,260 m), is the highest in the
Environs
Around 10 miles
(16 km) from El Bolsón,
Parque Nacional Lago
Puelo was created to
protect trees such as
the hazel and the ulmo
native to Chile. The
short Bosque de las Sombras
nature trail is popular, and rafting,
horse riding, and fly-fishing are
also possible in the park.
E Museo Ferroviario
Estación El Maitén. Te l (02945) 495-
190. Open Dec−Mar: 8am−8pm daily;
Apr−Nov: 9am−5pm daily. & 8
on request.
Spinning tops at Feria
Artesanal
} Parque Nacional Lago Puelo
n Oficina de Informes, (02944) 499-
232. &  parquesnacionales.
gob.ar
l El Maitén
Road map B4. 43 miles (70 km) N of
El Bolson. * 5,000. @ n Ave San
Martín y Guido, (02945) 495-016. _
Fiesta Nacional del Tren a Vapor (Feb).
 turismoelmaiten.com.ar
An old railroad town, El Maitén
is where the workshops for the
La Trochita (Little Gauge) steam
trains are located. First built in
the early 1940s and still in use
La Trochita steam train halted at
El Maitén station
For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99
 
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