Nahuelito Theme Park

During the classic tour around Bariloche’s Circuito Chico with our children, and after having taken a lot of photographs at the panoramic viewpoint, we came to Nahuelito Theme Park. We were immediately captivated by its name. Therefore, we resolved to pay a visit. From the very first moment, it was a pleasant site with a nice tree grove and a guided tour available. Still, it was not too clear for us what was meant by the fact that the wood was dwelled by dinosaurs. We had been told that that was not all. We would also find elves and other spirits of the forest. In fact, the first gnome we came across as soon as we entered the venue was watching us comfortably from its primitive dwelling with some utensils around it. That was our first picture.

As we moved on, the trees would sway and let out a soft murmur. Suddenly, the head of a life-size dinosaur appeared among the high tree branches. It looked threatening. Thus, one at a time, we found various kinds of prehistoric animals in their own environment. Each figure had been made according to their life-size and original features. That is what the theme park is based on. The sculptures were assembled by well-known replica specialists in the Province of Neuquén. It may be said that they are true plastic artists with scientific knowledge and that they have built these pieces to scale. When we speak about dinosaurs, we are generalizing. During the tour, we had the chance to identify the different periods during which each species lived and their scientific names. It goes beyond saying that children found it much easier to learn all these names than grown-ups. The tour takes almost one hour and follows a path that goes up and down. Each corner would show an animal in pose: some of them were running, others climbing trees or starting a fight. The guide provided all the corresponding explanations. The trail ends at a large clearing in the forest where we were stunned by large life-size figures of different kinds. They were gathered together. That was an excellent way to connect all the beasts. The children ran to them and we all became aware of the size of these animals in relation to that of modern man. Some specimens would feature a well-developed jaw with scary teeth. Others had front and rear legs of different sizes. All of them had disgusting rough skin very well managed by the artists. The guide completed the information we had been given and the children answered some questions to prove they had understood everything. The legend of Nahuelito –after which the theme park has been named- was also told. “Are all these four-legged dinosaurs?” “No, some of them lived in a water environment and they had fins. Others would hover or fly with bat-like wings. There are lots of varieties and everyday something new about their lifestyle is discovered by specialists”, another explanation provided by our guide left us more than satisfied. The elves appeared again and the children started telling old and new stories invented by them as we enjoyed a longed-for soda at the coffee-shop inside the venue.

Children Stuff

As we left, our younger child gave a last look to the set of dinosaurs: “Close your eyes, just like me and spy on one side… Like this… Can you see it?... They are almost… walking!”

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