El Maitén

El Maitén

The small District of El Maitén lies on the shores of the Chubut River, on the northwest of the province bearing the same name. On its golden days, it used to be the most significant mid point of the Old Patagonian Express, which joined the Districts of Ingeniero Jacobacci and Esquel.

El Maitén is famous for that small train known as La Trochita, which joins it to the City of Esquel. This narrow-gauge train commemorates the old days when traveling was an adventure and it lets passengers enjoy remarkable stations, some of which have been thrown into oblivion.

El Maitén is part of what has come to be called the 42nd parallel Andean Shire. Its urban shell is crossed by former National Route 40 from north to south. This is the main land access from Esquel, lying 135 kilometers away.

The Shire is a group of small districts, hamlets and cities lying nearby on the northwest of the Province of Chubut and the southwest of Río Negro, in Argentinian Andean Patagonia.

The main center of the Shire is El Bolsón, the most important city in the area. Located in the Province of Río Negro, this region also made up by El Hoyo, Epuyén, Cholila and Lago Puelo, among other smaller villages, has been named after the 42nd parallel, which lies to the south of El Bolsón.

El Maitén is definitely worth a visit. It has plenty of proposals including nature and history waiting at every corner to please the most demanding visitors.