Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(mains from AR$40; 12-3pm & 6-11pm)
will stave off your hunger - on offer are tasty em-
panadas and good-value set meals.
Two buses a day roll through town, heading for San Juan (AR$70, 3½ hours) and Bar-
real (AR$12, 30 minutes).
Barreal
02648 / POP 3460 / ELEV 1650M
Barreal's divine location makes it one of the most beautifully situated towns you'll likely
ever come across. Sauces (weeping willows), álamos and eucalyptus trees drape lazily
over the dirt roads that meander through town, and views of the Cordillera de Ansilta - a
stretch of the Andes with seven majestic peaks ranging from 5130m to 5885m - are
simply astonishing. Wandering along Barreal's back roads is an exercise in dreamy lazi-
ness.
Presidente Roca is the main drag through town, a continuation of RP149 that leads
from Calingasta to Barreal and on to Parque Nacional El Leoncito. Only a few streets
have names; businesses listed without them simply require asking directions.
Sights & Activities
Wander down to the
Río de los Patos
and take in the sweeping views of the valley and
the
Cordillera de Ansilta
, whose highest peak,
Ansilta
, tops out at 5885m. To the south,
Aconcagua
and
Tupungato
are both visible, as is the peak of
Cerro Mercedario
(6770m).
At the south end of Presidente Roca is a sort of triangular roundabout. Follow the road
east (away from the Andes) until it leads into the hills; you'll see a small shrine and you
can
hike
into the foothills for more stunning views. Follow this road for 3km and you'll
come to a mining site (the gate should be open). Enter and continue for 1km to reach a
petrified forest
.
White-water rafting
is excellent - more for the scenery than for the rapids themselves
- and most trips start 50km upriver at
Las Hornillas
. Contact
Barreal Rafting
(
0264-15-530-7764)
, the best-established rafting operator in town.
Las Hornillas (site of two
refugios
- rustic shelters - and a military outpost) also
provides
climbing
access to the Cordón de la Rameda, which boasts five peaks over
6000m, including Cerro Mercedario. Climbing here is more technical than Aconcagua
and many mountaineers prefer the area. Ramon Ossa, a Barreal native, is a highly recom-
mended mountain guide and excursion operator who knows the cordillera intimately;
