Río Negro Province: Encyclopedia II - Río Negro Province - Tourism

Río Negro Province - Tourism

There are two main areas of tourism in the province; the Andes and the Atlantic coast.

The most visited area is that of the lake district near San Carlos de Bariloche inside the Nahuel Huapi National Park, and neighbouring Neuquén Province. This includes the Isla Victoria, Camino de los Siete Lagos, Los Arrayanes National Park, and many trekking paths among lakes.

The Cerro Catedral ski centre is the biggest in South America and is visited by people from all South America, and people from the Northern Hemisphere from late June to mid-September. The mountain is also a popular destination during the summer; trekkers crash at the Refugio Lynch or camp by the Tonček lake on the Southern part of the mountain. Other many peaks include the Tronador and its loud thundering mountain glacier.

There are also numerous hotels and accommodations by the Nahuel Huapi Lake, most notably the luxurious Llao-Llao hotel.

El Bolsón is a mid-stop for those going to (or coming from) the Chubut Province's Los Alerces National Park, were home made beer and handicrafts are commonplace.

The cliffs of the beach in Las Grutas ("The Caves") have been eroded by the fluctuating tides, making caves (grutas) on them. The green-water beaches are mainly visited by tourists from nearby locations, except during the Fiesta Nacional del Golfo Azul, with artists from South America. Las Grutas is still a small city but it has a big casino by the beach and a number of hostels and other accommodation options.

The Balneario El Cóndor on the Ruta Provincial 1 is visited mainly by the inhabitants of the near Viedma, and its waters are coloured by the Río Negro river-mouth located some kilometres North.

Near Sierra Grande, Playas Doradas ("Golden Beaches") is a small but quickly growing beach town, with a number of hostels and a few hotels. Nearby mining facilities closed years ago can be visited for a fully equipped adventure ride.

Only a few local tourists visit the Valle Medio. Aside from some water sports on the Río Negro River, and the Fiesta Nacional del Tomate in Lamarque, some visit the birthplace of the local divinity Ceferino Namuncurá in Chimpay.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Tourism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki