Esquel in Bariloche, Argentina

In the Cordillera region of Chubut province, some 300 kilometers south of Bariloche, and 650 km west of Trelew, lies the city of Esquel. This is an important town that in this region opens the gateway to a landscape of dazzling natural beauty to the traveler.

Its name derives from the Mapuche word Esguel, meaning "prickly seed", and the first mention of it ("Esguel-kaik") is in the memoirs of the English seaman George Chartown Musters ("My Life Among the Patagones") who led an expedition in 1870/71 from Punta Arenas (Chile) to Carmen de Patagones, following the trail used by a tribe of Tehuelches.

It was founded in 1906, when Gerardo Morelli set up the first telegraph office. It currently boasts the main local communications services with the rest of the country and the rest of the world, and has become a well--balanced combination of a tourist spot and vigorous modern city.

The city can be reached along National Route Nº 258 from Bariloche, or along National Route Nº 25 from Trelew , or else from Comodoro Rivadavia, by National Route Nº 40. You can also get there by air with Aerolíneas Argentinas, that has four weekly frequencies.

The city of Esquel is in a hollow in the hills, 550 m above sea level, and seems to be occupying the stage of an amphitheater. Around it stand Mt Nahuel Pan (2,240 meters above sea level) and the Esquel Range, featuring the hill by the same name (2,145 meters above sea level), and Mt La Hoya (2,100 meters above sea level), hosting the city's skiing complex.

Provided with extremely attractive surroundings, Esquel is today the most important service city close to Los Alerces National Park. With a varied and increasing lodging capacity, gastronomy services and an important tourism infrastructure, the city has changed its profile a great deal over the last few decades.

Although it still provides services to the rural activities - and in fact this daily feature of its activity adds attraction for tourists - it has a high index of public employment because of the numerous provincial organisms that are based in the city.

Esquel is trying to define a tourism profile by integrating with Los Alerces district (with the towns of Trevelin, Tecka, Corcovado and Cholila), forming part as well of the Lake Belt that includes the 42nd parallel Andean districts and Pico al Sur River District, as well as important cities such as San Martín de los Andes (Neuquén) and Bariloche (Río Negro).

Harsh winters and warm summers are the weather extremes of the city. Esquel and its area of influence possess attractions and services that waken the interest of travelers, giving it incalculable national and international tourism possibilities.

Its imposing natural environment includes a number of open air activities for visitors. Tourists can enjoy the quietude of the scenery, the rushing river rapids, horse-trekking with their friends or catching the fish of their dreams.

You will also find every convenience for skiing in the La Hoya winter sports center, that offers a wide skiing area and all services for you to enjoy skiing, sunbathing and looking out at the wonderful landscapes during your winter stay.

Let alone the above, only 45 km from Esquel lies Los Alerces National Park. In this park, lakes, rivers and forests offer a thousand scenic views of Andean Patagonia. If you have a little spare time, a visit to the "Alerzal Milenario" (Thousand-Year-Old Larch Forest) boasting specimens 3,000 years old and making them some of the oldest living things on the planet is well worthwhile.