Parque Los Arrananes

• Address: 8407 Villa La Angostura, Neuquén, Argentina
• Phone: +54 294 442-3121
• Website: parquesnacionales.gob.ar
• Area: 17.53 square meters. km
• Date of foundation: 1971.

"Even in the most beautiful dreams, a person can not imagine anything more beautiful than nature!" - the words of the famous French writer and poet of the XIX century. Alphonse de Lamartine, which is beyond doubt. The fidelity of this statement is easy to prove by going to one of the most beautiful and unusual countries of South America, Argentina . Among the many natural attractions of this amazing region, Los Arrayanes National Park (Los Arrayanes National Park), located in the west of the country, near the border with Chile deserves special attention. Let's talk more about it.

General information about the park

The Parque Los Arrananes is located in the province of Neuquén, 3 km from the village of Villa La Angostura . The total area of ​​the reserve is only 17.53 square meters. km. Despite its fairly small size, the park is considered one of the most popular and visited in Argentina.

For many years, Los Arrananes was part of a larger reserve, the Navel-Huapi National Park , but in 1971, in order to preserve and protect the rare Arrayan trees (hence the name of the park), it separated and today is one of the the main natural attractions of the country.

As for the weather, the climate in the reserve is cold and humid. Average annual temperatures range from +3 ° C in winter to +14 ° C in summer. On average, 1300 mm of precipitation a year falls in this region, most of which falls on the winter period (July-September).

Recreation and entertainment

Park Los Arrananes is ideal for hiking and mountain biking. As noted by local rangers, such an excursion depending on the chosen route can take half a day or a day. Through the entire forest to protect the soil and fragile plant roots are laid wooden paths, following which, holidaymakers can enjoy the beauty of the local flora. The age of some trees sometimes reaches 300 and even 600 years!

Among other popular places in the vicinity of the park is worth noting:

• The city of San Carlos de Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes , lying at the foot of the great Andean mountains;
• the picturesque village of Villa La Angostura and the nearby Lake Laguna Patagua;
• Villa Traful is a small tourist village on the shore of the lake of the same name.

How to get there?

There are several ways to get to the Los Arrananes Park:

1. Through the lake from Bariloche and Villa-La-Angostura, taking advantage of a boat or catamaran.
2. By land. In the village of Villa La Angostura begins a pedestrian walkway, which stretches for 13 km along the most interesting for tourists site that connects the village with the forest.

Camping in the national park is prohibited, but you can relax and have a snack in a local restaurant, where each traveler is served with the best dishes of traditional Argentinean cuisine .