Puelo: Small Mountain Village

Villa Lago Puelo is accessed through Provincial Route 16, which crosses its entire downtown area and reaches the shores of the lake bearing the same name. During the journey, we guessed its tourist growth according to the number of cabins, inns and hostels that appeared before us.
Once there, we noticed Los Arrayanes, Los Alerces, 2 de Abril and Los Notros Avenues showed us the local public buildings, gas stations and stores in the district. Later on, we followed the same access road to head for Lake Puelo.

From the pier sailed an old wooden boat to one of his classic excursions into the arms of the lake and up to the border with Chile.

Several paths start at the beach and get deep into the Patagonian wood. The most popular are the ones leading to Pitranto Grande, Mirador del Lago (the Lake Viewpoint) and Bosque de las Sombras (The Forest of Shadows). These trails feature the Valdivian rainforest in its entire splendor, with usual species such as lenga, cypress, coihue, ñire and radal. The protection provided by it on sunny days invites visitors to go for a walk around a very pleasant environment. They just need to find out the degree of difficulty each trail has before getting into them.

Back in the downtown, we saw Millán Lemu Theme Park, an educational space specially prepared for children but also enjoyable for grown-ups. Several circuits around the woods and through splendid cascades show elves and fairies emerging from behind every tree. These are statues made of wood or pottery by local artists who represent the “original” caretakers of the forest.

There are fine fruit farms where bottled products such as jam, sauce or mushroom, venison and trout pâté in the outskirts but close to the city. We bought several jars so as to remember the local delicacies once we were back at home.

Some of the events held every February in Puelo include Fiesta del Bosque y su Entorno (Festival of the Forest and its Surroundings) and Desafío de la Montaña (The Mountain Challenge). These are the most popular among visitors. The former is made up by a food yard with handicraft stalls selling local products. At night, well-known artists glow on the stage. The triathlon consists of three trials, namely: year.

The local flavors may be found in the delicious food served at restaurants and diners. Patagonian lamb, venison and wild boar cooked in different ways are the most highly coveted specialties.

Villa Lago Puelo, chosen as “The Pearl of the Shire”, grows everyday among those who have chosen it as a place of residence and visitors who wish to feel the positive energy of its woods and lifestyle.