Parque Los Alerces and surrounds

[pauper]

My wife and I will be spending three weeks in and around Parque Los Alerces (including El Bolson, Lago Puelo, Esquel and Trevelin). This will be our first time there so we would be sincerely grateful for any tips on things to see, places to stay (cheap is good) or any other suggestions about the park and the surrounding area.

Cheers.

Also - re buying gear in BA, what stores do you recommend for good quality backpacks, boots, raingear. I've heard a lot of what's on offer isn't exactly top notch - is this true?

Thanks again.

 

[GreenLeaf]

In Trevelin, Casa Verde is a very good place to stay. Its a hostel, but one of the nicest I've stayed in, and the double room is huge with a big bathroom. They also have a chalet to let if you prefer to be alone. The kitchen is part of a big area where all the guest tend to be in the evenings and it's all very friendly. The owners are also very helpful and can arrange all sorts of activities for you, or give you good tips on places to go if you have your own transport. Also in Trevelin, you have to try a Welsh tea - Ty Te Nain Maggie is the best. Opens mid afternoon, but don't have lunch before you go.

 

[perry]

El Bolson and the surrounding areas are magical . A great place to stay in El Bolson is La Casona De Odile Comarca Andina del paralelo 42. This place is very special and Odile the host serves the best home made meals in South America. This property is located on a lavender farm and is very close to the centre of town.

El Bolson has been a hippie town since the 1960s and is the first declared non nuclear town in South America since 1984. Nowadays it has become more commercialised and gets thousands of tourists a week in season.

Make sure that you try the artesenal beer and the incredible berries raspberries, elderberries, cranberries and berries that you have never seen before . This is one of the berry capitals of the world and they are very cheap compared to Buenos Aires. There is an excellent icecream shop in town called Jauja which many say is one of the best in the world

 

[fifilafiloche]

I recommend the quemquem campground in El Bolson, right on the side of the river, in a paradise of beauty and tranquility. Dicky, his owner, a gym teacher who s been travelling the US in the 70s, will welcome you like a family member.

Last time i went there (2 years ago), you could sleep in a shared dome for 10 pesos a night, but he was building a hostel in the middle of his magic garden filled with apple trees.

http://www.quem-quem.com.ar/

Unforgetable nights at the side of a "fogo", playing guitar and singing, brewing home made beer, the atmosphere you would expect in this reknown laid back area.

The lakes in Chubut are a must see and the people, everywhere, are exceptionally welcoming. I remember getting a flat tyre on the bike and sharing a mate with the gomeria owner s wife while waiting for her husband to come back. Lots of hikes from easy to difficult.

Be prepared for extreme temperature differences, with cold nights and hot days, so bring the suitable clothes.

For your equipment, i suggest you go to Mendoza before heading down to the Hermoso Sur on the old route 40. Because of the proximity of the Aconcagua, the mountain tourism industry is very developped and you ll find anything you can dream of in that domain there.

 

[rentaplus]

Today's newspaper El Cronista has a page in the weekend section on the beer joints of Bolson