Esquel

Esquel is a ranching town in Chubut, where the forest begins to give way to steppe. It is the home station of La Trochita, the narrow-gauge steam train that writers called the Old Patagonian Express. Next door, Trevelin keeps the Welsh tea houses and, in spring, fields of tulips. West of both, the Parque Nacional Los Alerces protects a chain of lakes, Futalaufquen and Menéndez among them, and forests of alerce, a larch-like cypress that lives for thousands of years.

Two or three nights let the park be seen properly. The day to keep is the boat across Lago Menéndez to the grove of millennial alerces, with a walk among the oldest trees; the rest go on trails, river and lakeshore. Some travellers stay in domes in a private reserve next to the park, with guided outings every day. From Esquel, the road crosses into Chile at Futaleufú, onto the Carretera Austral; north, El Bolsón and Bariloche are a few hours away.

November to April is the season, with the alerces boat running in summer. Autumn is calm and colourful; winter brings a small ski area at La Hoya.