Page 250 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Argentina

248  ARGENTINA REGION B Y REGION

the park are offered by Estancia
La Oriental and Estancia Menelik
(see pp310–11).

! Hipólito Yrigoyen
Road map B5. 122 miles (197 km) S of
Perito Moreno. * 250. @
Off Patagonia’s more beaten
track but beautifully situated,
Hipólito Yrigoyen is a small
settlement on the shore of
The only hotel in the village, Hotel Bajo Caracoles Lago Posadas, at the foot of
the southern Andes. It is still
. Bajo Caracoles and have as their backdrop the usually known by its old name,
snowy peaks of the beauti ful Posadas, taken from the lake.
Road map B5. 80 miles (130 km) S of
Perito Moreno. * 100. @ Andean cordillera. Opportunities People who visit the town do
for nature-spotting are varied so for three main reasons −
For motorists driving south and many. Well-marked trails fishing, hiking, and mountain
on Ruta Nacional 40 from Perito cross breathtaking scenery that climbing. The lake is a popular
Moreno, Bajo Caracoles is the fea tures eight beautiful lakes. spot among anglers and the
first stopover point. Surrounded Elegant fine-boned guanaco catch includes smelt, perch,
by the vast Patagonian steppe, abound along their shores, and and salmon.
it is a remote settlement of some 160 bird species are found
about 15 families. The town in the park. Environs
has the only gas station on the Visitors should expect Around 2 miles (3 km) south
national highway between Perito extreme weather conditions. of Hipólito Yrigoyen is the
Moreno and Tres Lagos, a stretch In winter temperatures drop to Cerro de Los Indios archaeo-
of over 310 miles (500 km). The a chilling -25° C (-13° F), and it logical site with 3,000-year-old
village is home to a small hotel can snow even in summer. rock paintings. The area’s star
that contains its sole restau rant The best times to visit are in attraction is Cerro San Lorenzo.
and phone booth. the southern hemisphere’s At 12,155 ft (3,702 m), it is
late spring and early fall. Luxury one of the highest peaks in
/ Parque Nacional accommodations in and around southern Patagonia.
Perito Moreno
Road map B5. 102 miles (165 km) SW
of Bajo Caracoles. n Ave San Martín
882, Gobernador Gregores, (02962)
491-477.  ∑ parquesnacionales.
gob.ar
Due to its remote location
and extreme climatic condi-
tions, Parque Nacional Perito
Moreno remains Patagonia’s
wildest and best-preserved
national park. Visitors able to
traverse its borders will find
landscapes of pristine beauty
abundant in wildlife.
Covering 490 sq miles (1,268
sq km), the park encompasses
two separate ecological regions.
The Patagonian steppe covers
its eastern section, forming an
elevated plain of scrub and
grassland at 2,950 ft (900 m)
above sea level. In the park’s
western section this scrub is
replaced by thick swathes of
lenga forest, which rise to an
altitude of 3,936 ft (1,200 m), Lago Posadas with the Andes in the distance
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp282–3 and pp296–8

248-249_EW_Argentina.indd 248 05/08/16 10:42 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm