Esquel travel guide

One of the most authentic towns in the Lake District, Esquel is a pleasant, breezy place that still feels like a pioneer outpost, set where the steppe meets the mountains. It’s a typical Patagonian country town, with many buildings dating from the early 1900s, and battered pick-ups filling the streets in the late morning bustle when local farmers come into town. There are few tourist sights, but it’s all the more appealing for that. It is the starting point for the narrow gauge railway, ‘La Trochita’ (http://www.latrochita.org.ar), made famous by Paul Theroux as the Old Patagonian Express, which chugs off into the steppe from a charming old-fashioned station just north of town. It’s the best base for visiting the Parque Nacional Los Alerces, and for skiing at La Hoya in winter. The tranquil village of Trevelin, where the Welsh heritage is more in evidence, is just 25 km away. For more information, see http://www.esquelonline.com (in Spanish).