Los Antiguos: Accommodation and Travel Info

Accommodation in Los Antiguos

Lodging in Los Antiguos is not hard to come by although it is advisable to book ahead around the summer festivals.

Prices are reasonable but tend to fluctuate depending on the season.

Hotel Refugio de Rocas is the highest-end option boasting a spa and fruit farm.
Tel: (54)(297)-15-401-0787

A number of hostels such as Sol de Mayo cater to budget travelers with dormitory beds in a basic room.
Tel: (54)(2963)-491-232

For those looking to convene with nature or on an ultra shoestring budget, Municipal Camping offers lakeside pitches for a very reasonable amount.

Food

Viva el Viento is perhaps Los Antiguos busiest restaurant, offering pastas, sandwiches and salads as well as barbecued beef, chicken and the local favorite, grilled Patagonian lamb.
Tel: (54)(2963)-491-109

There are plenty of pizza parlors and steak houses along the main road too. Be sure to try the local variety of an empanada, minced meat or vegetables wrapped in pastry and baked until golden.

Getting To Los Antiguos

Several bus companies go to Los Antiguos from Perito Moreno, 57 kilometers away. Several times a week there is a bus that makes the six-hour bus trip from Comodoro Rivadavia. Alternately, you can arrive by commercial airline to Santa Cruz’s capital, Rio Gallegos and rent a car or take a 16-hour bus ride.

-By ferry from Chile:

El Pichero runs a car ferry from Puerto Ibañez to Chile Chico, eight kilometers across the border from Los Antiguos
Tel: 56-67-411864 (in Chile)

In-town Transport

It is possible to walk anywhere in the Los Antiguos within fifteen minutes or so, although there are plenty of taxis for those burdened with fresh fruit products. The tourist office and the majority of the restaurants cluster around the main street, 11 de Julio.

Tourist Office & Activities

The useful tourist office will assist those in need and is a good starting point for those interested in excellent fishing here. Los Antiguos claims to be the only place where you can fish all year around thanks to the mild climate. There’s excellent fly-fishing in Jeinimeni River for trout and Los Antiguos River, predominately for salmon. Besides visiting the fruit farms you can also ask the tourist office about photo safaris or hiking in the nearby mountains.

What to buy

Fruit, conserves, jams, homemade liqueurs and sweets made from fresh fruit.

Chacra Don Neno – (54)(2963)-491-403

When to go

The best time to travel to Los Antigous is between October and April. During the last weekend in October is the Lake Buenos Aires festival, celebrating the discover of the lake in 1880. The event includes nautical and beach events, a biathlon, skating competitions, live music and a street fair. During the first week of January is Los Antiguos biggest event of the year, the Cherry Festival when everyone in the surrounding locales comes out to play, there is a jineteada, a type of Argentine rodeo competition and big name music acts that in the past have included groups such as Initi illimani, Vicentino, León Gieco.

Los Antiguos Tourist Office Tel:(54) (2963) 491-261

Los Antiguos: A Shangri-La in the Heart of Patagonia

The word ‘Patagonia’ conjures up images of communities of amorous penguins waddling off to sea with their one true love or groaning glaciers heaving gigantic chunks of ice into clear lakes, ringed by snow-capped peaks piercing the skyline.

What tourists often overlook is the vast expanse of dusty nothingness that occupies so much of this region. In the shadow of the Andes, thousands of kilometers of anonymous, featureless landscape roll on, occasionally interrupted by a ‘town,’ which is little more than a petrol pump.

Los Antiguos is a charming anomaly, appearing like a mirage out of the dusty purgatory that occupies much of the Santa Cruz Province, on the popular route from Bariloche to El Chalten.

Patagonia’s Healing ‘Place of Elders’

Los Antiguos enjoys abundant sunshine and an ideal micro-climate for growing fruit thanks to its location at the base of the Andes, on the shore of South America’s second largest lake, Lago Buenos Aires.

The local, indigenous Tehuelche tribe named Los Antiguos, or ‘place of elders’. The legend goes that the elderly tribe members would come here and rest, extending their lives thanks to the mystical powers of the climate and the freshest fruit in Patagonia.

Argentina’s ‘Cherry Capital’

The town is located just 7km from the Chilean border at Chile Chico and 57km west of Perito Moreno (the glorified petrol pump, not the glacier), from where a rather unreliable bus service makes the one-hour trip several times a day.

What’s initially striking here is the abundant vegetation.

Scrambling up to one of the town’s several lookout points, visitors will see a town of 2,000 inhabitants with a skyline consisting predominantly of leaves.

Most of the land in the town houses the charcas, family-run fruit farms who export their produce all over the country.

The people of Los Antiguos proudly remind visitors that the town is the ‘Cherry Capital of Argentina’. While famed for its cherries, the town also produces a considerable amount of apples, apricots, peaches and strawberries.

Visiting the Cherry Farms

Setting aside a morning to meander along the sleepy, tree-lined avenues and visit the fruit farms is a must for any visitor. The people in Los Antiguos are known for their friendliness and the sense of warmth there that will last longer than the sugar-rush from the dozens of cherries you scoff along the way.

At Charcra Don Neno, it is easy to lose track of time sampling just a few of the many wonderful jams, chutneys, liquors and marmalade on offer. With the typical Patagonian charm, the hostess walks you through all the home-grown produce and upon request, guide you around the farm offering tasters of delicious strawberries, raspberries, Calafate berries, redcurrants and, of course, plenty of cherries. Don Neno is a family-run business, with daughters helping to bake the bread and make the tarts with homegrown ingredients.

Chacra La Nueva Shepetovka open daily from 2 p.m.—9 p.m., is another welcoming family-run farm. Here you can enjoy a cherry extravaganza in their café (cherry pie, a bowl of cherries and cherry juice, naturally) and a chat with Ricardo Jomñuk, the fascinating archaeologist owner. His discourse will probably cover fruit, the history of the town and his semi-precious stone collection.

Visitors who hang around long enough will be invited to stroll the cherry orchards and take some free samples. Don’t get carried away though—fifty cherries in fifteen minutes is not recommended after cherry pie, a bowl of cherries and cherry juice.

Annual Celebrations in Los Antiguos

The best time of the year to visit Los Antiguos is between October and April, although the town really comes alive in mid-summer. A pleasant climate and sunshine is virtually guaranteed and fruit stocks will be high.

• Cherry Festival

– In January (this year, 2020, the 10th-12th) is the big event of the year here, the Cherry Festival when people from all over the region come here to celebrate in a sort of Patagonia-family reunion. The party, now in its 30th edition, features big name Argentine folk music acts, activities for kids and lots of cherries.

• Los Antigous Birthday Celebration

– On every fifth of February the inhabitants of Los Antiguos celebrate the now 67-year-old town’s birthday with music, dancing, drink and of course, food. The birthday celebrations include a ‘barbecue for the people,’ slow-cooked lambs cooked ‘criollo style’ offered to the hungry masses while local musicians sing and gauchos (Argentine cowboys) dance the night away.

-by George Warren

• Los Antiguos Travel & Accommodation Information

→ Read about driving and renting a car in Argentina

See all tours available around Perito Moreno

Esquel: A Relaxed Pueblo in Patagonia

Esquel is a relaxed Patagonian town in Chubut. It’s refreshing change from the sometimes tourist-inundated bustle of Bariloche.

Founded by adventurous Welsh immigrants who arrived in 1865, the little 28,000-person pueblo has a reputation as a sleepy place, but it’s a good place to stay to explore the surrounding area.

Scientists may be familiar with the name Esquel because of the Esquel pallasite meteorite found here in 1951 by a local farmer.

A close-up of the Pallasite meteorite found in Esquel/photo courtesy of NASA — The Pallasite meteorite found in Esquel, Chubut

Oddly enough in chilly Patagonia, homeowners in Esquel seems to take huge pride in their front garden, and a stroll through town one will probably encounter several of the green-fingered inhabitants snipping away.

Aside from the rumbling antiquity of La Trochita, the town is a great base from which to enjoy some world-class Patagonia fishing and to explore the fabulous Alerces National Park, 50 km away.

The park is home to tranquil lakes and formidable hiking trails which wind past some of the world’s oldest Alcere (Fitzroy) trees. The park is named for the lovely species, which can live to be 3,600 years old.

Those curious about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid can also make a pilgrimage to the cabins built by the North American banditos on the outskirts of Cholila, a sleepy village near the park.

Built in the traditional American style by Cassidy himself, they housed the outlaws during their exile from the U.S. authorities from 1901-1906. During the winter months, Esquel and her surrounding hills offer excellent skiing opportunities, most notably at the small La Hoya ski resort, 13km away.

Esquel Travel Information, Hotels & Hostels

Most hostels and tourist services including the bus terminal, a short walk from the town center, are located on or just off Avenida Alvear, the town’s main drag .

The information center, Native Art Museum and post office can also be found at Avenidas Alvear and Fontana in the town’s center.

Esquel airport, 21km out of town, operates a regular service from Buenos Aires.

Plenty of accommodation options are available in Esquel, ranging from the typical backpackers’ lodgings to decent mid-range hotels — this isn’t exactly a luxury hotel town.

The trendy Planeta Hostel, ten minutes’ walk from the town center, offers clean and comfortable dorms or cozy private bedrooms and a well-equipped kitchen.

Casa del Pueblo is true to its name as a 40-person hostel run by a friendly Argentine-Swiss couple. This is a place to be social as there are only 6-bed and 10-bed dorm rooms available.

Hotel Sol de Sur is a three-star hotel with reasonable prices. It has a good central location and receives favorable reviews.

One of the town’s nicest places is the B&B, Hostería Canela. At 15km from La Hoya, it is a bit out of town but worth the five minute trek to get to know the gracious and eager-to-please hosts, Jorge and Veronica Miglioli — try Veronica’s homemade baked goods.

Esquel Apart, with its apartment-like accommodations, is another popular choice that rests only 12km from La Hoya ski center and 1.5km from town. The rooms are fully-equipped and visitors can select movies from the DVD library to watch in their room after a long day of skiing.

Hotel Tierra Mapuche has excellent mountain views, and is set in a cozy Patagonian-style building complete with a nice fireplace in the lounge area.

Across Patagonia, prices drop significantly outside of the peak summer months of January and February and the peak winter months of June and August.

Of the towns many restaurants, most are no-nonsense grills where Patagonian lamb (around AR$60) jostles alongside beef for pride of place on the chalkboard. Pizzerias are common too, but with a butcher on every block, it makes more sense for budget travelers to buy their own fresh meat and vegetables and take advantage of the hostel kitchen. —by George Warren

Lodging in Esquel

Top Range

Las Bayas Hotel -$$$$
Avenida Alvear 985

Esquel Apart -$$$$
Almafuerte 2349
• Check price and availability of Esquel Apart on Hotels Combined

Hostería Canela-$$$
Los Notros and Los Radales,
Villa Ayelen

Search all accommodation in Esquel on Booking.com

An outside view of Hosteria Canela, Esquel in the Chabut province of Argentina — -courtesy of Hostería Canela-

Mid-range

Sol del Sur -$$$
9 de Julio 1094

Tierra Mapuche-$$$
Av. Hípolito Yrigoyen 1475

Budget

El Caminata Hostel-$
Av. Alvear 1780

Planeta Hostel-$
Avenida Alvear 2833,

Casa del Pueblo
San Martin 661

→ Check all hostels in Esquel

→ Check all hotels in Esquel, Argentina

The Old Patagonian Express Today

The Old Patagonian Express is advertised as ‘a journey through the landscape and time.’ The train ride serves principally as a tourist attraction and for most this will entail a trip meandering from Esquel through the hills to the village of Nahuel Pan 22km away. The train is stationary for fifteen minutes before departure, allowing spectators time to take it the sight as well as a lungful of the characteristically thick steam-engine smoke as the train gets ready to depart.

The journey itself takes almost an hour, with the train rumbling along the tracks and affording excellent views of the vast, sparse landscape as it lists on one of the many broad bends in the track.

A tour guide gives a brief explanation in Spanish of the history of the train and its destination and will try and answer questions in English.

Much of the land through which the route travels is part of a vast estancia, an Argentine ranch. A herd of horses might playfully gallop alongside the train, and the journey affords the ability to spot other Patagonia wildlife, including packs of llama-like guanacos, ostridge-like rheas and occasionally, condors.

It is fitting that Paul Theroux championed in his work of the same name the importance of the journey itself, not the destination. The little pueblo of Nahuel Pan is an underwhelming, sparse place to arrive.

Half a dozen shacks greet the passengers disembarking the train each offering different services: soft drinks, snacks and several local handicraft workshops. The torta fritas, literally ‘fried cakes’, are very similar to a doughnut without the jam and are a delicious value. A tiny museum offers an exhibit on the history of the area and its native Mapuche Indian inhabitants.

The highlight of the Nahuel Pan stop is getting a look at the pair of disused trains resting beside the tracks. It is a sad sight to see these formerly imperious engines, brown with rust, lying dormant and slowly being eroded by the Patagonian breeze, but they are fascinating objects to inspect close-up and pose for a photograph with (bonus points for those clutching their copy of Theroux).

The schedule changes according to the season and unfortunately The Patagonia Express has developed a reputation as being unreliable. As well as the trip from Esquel to Nahuel Pan, another more substantial 406km journey is offered from the town of Maiten, near Bariloche, to Bruno Thomas Pass 55km away.

The official website is now up and running again but the information can be at odds with what the stationmaster has to say in his authentic wooden ticket office at Esquel station. Those interested would do best to just show up to see if the train is running, you can also try to double check details over the telephone, if anyone answers.

The last word should go to Paul Theroux, who after his journey on board ‘La Trochita’ in the 1970s noted, ‘The engine looked derelict, as if it would never run again – but it had a hundred more years in it, I was sure.’ Nearly halfway there, he might just be right.

—by George Warren

← cont. from: Rolling through the Andes: The Old Patagonian Express

La Trochita
Esquel to Nahuel Pan

All trains depart Esquel at 10 a.m., returning at 12:45.
Telephone Inquiries – Esquel: (02945) 45 1403
El Maitén: (02945) 49 5190

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