ANDEAN LAKES IV: VILLA LA ANGOSTURA

Villa La Angostura is a town 82 km northwest of Bariloche, with which it shares the landscape and the same ecosystem. It stands out for its beautiful gardens and for being at the junction of the routes that lead to Chile, through the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass, 42 km to the west, and to San Martín de Los Andes - another charming little town - about 100 km to the north.

My first contact with Villa La La Angostura was in the distant year of 1987 (picture beside), a very brief stop on a bus trip to Santiago, which I have already told you about here. It was the first time I saw snow - and a lot of it! Despite the brief stay, there was a love at first sight for that small town and the desire to return. This happened again - and also quickly - in 1995, when I, Dilma (photo below), my partner at the time, and our friends Marina and Óscar made a pit stop on the way from Bariloche to Osorno.

The third time was twenty-one years later, in 2016. Due to the distance between Bariloche and Villa La Angostura, and the small size of its urban center, instead of staying there we preferred a short drive (which we regret, thinking it would have been worth it to stay at least one more day). The landscape around this town is stunning, there are dozens of restaurants for all tastes and pocket sizes, lovely gardens and a great variety of objects from local artisans.

It was the first time I could really walk the streets of the city, see some of its attractions, admire its beautiful gardens and confirm the good impressions of the two previous trips, so brief, many years ago and with such long gaps between them. The round trip brought the certainty that at the first opportunity we should return to enjoy Villa Angostura for a few more days.

As soon as we arrived home from our trip in 2016, Marcia started planning our return trip, trying hard to convince me that we should pay more attention to the cities where we had only stayed a short time - among them, mainly Pucón (which I will talk about in another post) and Angostura. And so it was done. We returned in January of the following year, this time staying there for four days.

We rented a house through Airbnb on Calle Huiliches (below), about 15 minutes walk from the city center, a route we could walk without any difficulty. Even so, if we wanted to, there was a bus line that dropped us off very close to the house.

If you love nature, if you like postcard landscapes, if you like flowers, tranquility, safety and good food, Villa La Angostura deserves a stop. It is a small town full of charm that sits at the junction of other no less charming destinations in the Andean Lakes region, such as Bariloche, the biggest star, San Martin de Los Andes (Argentine) and Pucon and Puerto Varas (Chile).

The city center is actually quite small and cut off by the omnipresent National Route 40. This is where most of the restaurants, bars and stores are located. It is worth walking calmly along the entire stretch of road that cuts through the city, tasting the flavors and selecting the souvenirs. By the way, as the center is not very big, it is possible to make good walks through the streets adjacent to the RN40.

Popular library in Plaza Pioneros

Bus terminal

City Hall Garden

Entrance to Los Amigos del Lado Sur Restaurant, on Calle Los Taiques

Garden in front of Kiosko Quiyen

It would be tiring to continue posting our photos, since it is not at all easy to make an honest selection of the beauties of Villa La Angostura. But I must talk about the two small jewels that I chose to close this panel of the city, which are the neighboring Bahía Brava and Bahía Mansa. Whoever goes there in summer and is willing to take a bath in the cold waters of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, or whoever is simply after pictures to make friends jealous, cannot miss them. Both are located at the entrance of the Quetrihue Peninsula, where the Arrayanes Forest is, which belongs to Los Arrayanes National Park - which can also be visited by boat from Bariloche.

Bahía Brava is a small horseshoe-shaped bay on the northwest side, at the beginning of the peninsula, facing Chile, and Bahía Mansa is on the opposite side, to the southeast, facing Bahía San Patricio, both on Lake Nahuel Huapi. These two bays alone are worth the visit and a few days stay in Villa La Angostura. But, as a bonus, there is a beautiful public park full of bars, restaurants and craft stores, as well as space and attractions for children, if you are traveling with your family. I leave here some pictures just to whet your appetite.

BAHÍA BRAVA

BAHÍA MANSA

PUBLIC PARK AND CRAFT FAIR

There are several sites where you can see more photos, videos and get more tips about this charming city. I'll leave here the suggestion of the blog Volto Logo, which has very good tips. But, anyway, if you plan to go to Bariloche or travel the Andean Lakes route, be sure to visit this little gem called Villa La Angostura.

Translated by Laura Vieira