Taking its name as an adaptation of the Mapuche word Chapadla (dead swamp), Zapala got off to a bad start, image-wise. Not much has changed. This is a humble little place where the locals amuse themselves with walks up and down the main street, punctuated by lengthy pauses on street corners.
It would be untruthful to call this delightfully peaceful place a one-horse-town; there are many horses, and the sound of their hooves thumping the reddish earth in the evening is one of the nicest things about it. Yapeyú was founded in 1626 as the southernmost of the Jesuit missions, and at its height had a [...]
An upmarket resort town on the northwestern shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Villa la Angostura provides accommodations and services for nearby Cerro Bayo, a small but popular winter-sports center.
Sierra de la Ventana’s peaceful, woodsy neighbor offers a quieter base from which to explore the area’s delights.
This little village enjoys an almost achingly beautiful location surrounded by mountains on the southern banks of Lago Traful. The place really packs out in January, February and Easter, when booking accommodation three months in advance is advised. The rest of the year, you may just have it to yourself. Depending on what you’re into, [...]
Villa Pehuenia is an idyllic little lakeside village on the shores of Lago Aluminé. There are several Mapuche communities nearby, including the community of Puel, located between Lago Aluminé and Lago Moquehue. The villa lies at the heart of the Pehuen region, named of course after the pehuen (araucaria) trees that are so marvelously present. [...]
This beachside town is looking a little worn out alongside its newer, more upmarket neighbors, but it’s still a hit with the younger crowd, and has a more bohemian feel than the flashier Pinamar.
More a cultural oddity than a full-blown tourist attraction, Villa General Belgrano flaunts its origins as a settlement of unrepatriated survivors from the German battleship Graf Spee, which sank near Montevideo during WWII.
Sharing the lush Río Negro with sister city Carmen de Patagones, Viedma, as the capital of Río Negro province, is comparatively bustling and prosperous. For travelers, it is a less-picturesque but more convenient base than next door, with a greater number of services and amenities. Social gatherings center on the riverfront, with upscale cafés and [...]
A humble little crossroads town on the way to the Chilean border, Uspallata is an oasis of poplar trees set in a desolate desert valley. The polychrome mountains surrounding the town so resemble highland Central Asia that director Jean-Jacques Annaud used it as the location for the epic film Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad [...]