Neuquén (Province) - Neuquén (Provinz)

The province Neuquén lies in the west Argentina and is the northernmost province Patagonia. It offers a diverse landscape with the high mountains of the Andes, the Patagonian steppe landscape and the southern mountain rainforest. Numerous lakes and reservoirs invite you to swim, and the climate is pleasantly mild and dry.

Regions

The province can be divided into three regions:

• the Valleys of Río Limay and Río Neuquén, densely populated fertile areas with agriculture and urban life,
• the Meseta, a rough, sparsely populated steppe area with isolated mountains and volcanoes
• the Southern Andeswhich are humid and wooded in the south and the central part, whereas in the north they are rather dry and full of colorful rock formations.

places

• Neuquén, 250,000 inhabitants, the largest city in Patagonia
• Zapala, 45,000 inhabitants
• Cutral-Có, 40,000 inhabitants, petroleum city
• San Martín de los Andes, 20,000 inhabitants, on Lake Lácar. Most popular holiday resort in the province with a winter sports center.
• Chos Malal, 12,000 inhabitants, small town in the north and starting point in the attractive upper valley of the Río Neuquén.
• Villa La Angostura (10,000 inhabitants), on Lake Nahuel Huapí
• Andacollo (5,000 inhabitants), mining town on the Río Neuquén in the midst of red rocky landscapes

Other goals

• Lanín National Park
• Los Arrayanes National Park, protects the endangered Arrayanes trees with red wood.
• Valle Encantado
• Lake Pellegrini, Reservoir with beaches
• El Chocón, another reservoir in the midst of red rocky landscapes

background

As a travel area, Neuquén offers something for almost all tastes: swimmers have several hundred lakes and reservoirs to choose from, including some of the largest reservoirs in America. The Andes, in which many of the lakes are located, can also be hiked, many nature reserves protect the lush green nature with rainforests and snow-capped mountain peaks. Depending on where you are going, you can count on mass tourism and a good tourist infrastructure (as in San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura) or meet little-known natural paradises. The north of the province, which already merges into the dry central Andes, has its own character. There, moist valley landscapes alternate with dry steppe-like rock regions with volcanoes and geysers (as in Aguas Calientes).

The city of Neuquén has a decent cultural life. Neuquén is one of the richest provinces in Argentina, its population has been growing very rapidly since around 1960. While oil and natural gas are produced on the Meseta, the mountainous west is characterized by agriculture and increasing tourism. Furthermore, the generation of energy in the reservoirs on the Limay and Neuquén rivers plays an important role, which favored the establishment of industry in the capital Neuquén and its suburbs.

language

In some remote areas it is still Mapudungun spoken, but Spanish is widespread among the entire population. English is also often understood in the "educated" province, but it should not be relied on, especially in remote areas.

getting there

The capital Neuquén has an airport and can be reached by buses from all over Argentina. It is the best starting point in the rest of the province. The north of the province is connected to neighboring Mendoza by bus, while the south has good connections to San Carlos de Bariloche, El Bolson and Esquel offers. Almost the entire province can be reached via tarred highways.

mobility

Practically all traffic in the province passes through the city of Neuquén itself, which also has an airport and is connected to all of Argentina by bus. From there you can easily reach all tourist places, the largest, like San Martín de los Andes, are also directly connected to Buenos Aires and other big cities. Buses run between almost all places.

Tourist Attractions

activities

The southern Andes invite you to all kinds of mountain sports, from trekking to horse riding and mountain biking to paragliding and white water rafting. You can swim at the numerous lakes and reservoirs as well as some river beaches, including in the town of Neuquén itself. There are also winter sports resorts: at Batea Mahuida, Primeros Pinos, Caviahue and San Martín de los Andes.

kitchen

In the kitchen, Neuquén has adapted to the standard dishes of Argentina. Mapuche dishes are only found in exceptional cases.

nightlife

The provincial capital Neuquén offers a diverse cultural and night life. The same goes for San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura in season. However, every small place has at least one bar.

security

While in Neuquén, as in the tourist areas as in other Argentine cities, you have to be on the lookout for criminals (but excessive fear is not appropriate) the rural areas are hardly affected by these problems.

climate

In the east of Neuquén the summer can be very hot, but because of the dry air it is more pleasant than in the (in terms of temperature rather cooler) Pampas. The southern Andes have a rainy, humid climate with cool summers and cold winters with lots of snow at high altitudes.

literature

Web links

• http://www.neuquen.gov.ar - Official website of the Province of Neuquén