El Bolson
Valley Town In The Comarca Andina, Known For Its Craft Fair, Hop Farms, Berries And Trekking To Mountain Refuges · El Bolson, Rio Negro
El Bolson is a small town in a broad green valley between two mountain ranges about two hours south of Bariloche, and since the 1970s it has been Argentina's alternative capital, settled by hippies who declared it a non-nuclear zone and stayed. The legacy is a relaxed town of craft beer, homemade jams, organic farms and one of the country's best craft fairs, the Feria Regional, where local artisans and producers sell everything from woodwork to smoked cheese. The valley grows much of Argentina's hops and fields of raspberries and other berries, which you can pick in summer. The real draw for most visitors is the mountains: well-marked trails lead to staffed refuges in the hills, including the Cajon del Azul, a gorge of startlingly blue water, and the Cerro Piltriquitron, with its Bosque Tallado of carved tree trunks. Lago Puelo National Park is fifteen minutes south. It is a backpacker and family destination more than a luxury one, busy in January and peaceful the rest of the year.
Plaza Pagano, El Bolson, Rio Negro, El Bolson, Rio Negro, R8430, Argentina
The regional craft fair runs several days a week, fullest on weekends and in summer; confirm days. Mountain refuges are staffed mostly in summer. Shops take a midday break.