VILLA TRAFUL

In the middle of a lovely valley, Traful is an excellent option for those who wish to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and coihue woods. It is located at the core of Nahuel Huapi National Park, by the borders of Lake Traful, and it is serenely peaceful and silent.

Traful is a exceptional place, where nature overwhelms you with all its colours and beauty. Here, the world is a pure pleasure to your spirit.

The background, seen from the different levels of the road, shows how varied the beauty of a single place can be. The ever present perfume of flowers and bushes, not usually found in other areas, will make the tourist ponder on how much attention and care nature deserves.

Good road maintenance lets guests to visit Traful in any season of the year. The town attend you with an infrastructure including hostels, cabins, restaurants and tearooms, where tourists are sure to enjoy the warm cordiality of the locals.

From San Carlos de Bariloche the visitor takes the road towards Confluencia, where, before crossing the River on your left, you will find the small gravel road, which, 35 kms later will take you, to Villa Traful, located at the south-western tip of the Province of Neuquén.

Another way to get to Traful is from San Martin de Los Andes, along the Seven Lakes Route. This is a 70 km long journey skirting the Cordillera Lakes up to the crossing that leads to the town and further ahead to Confluencia.

Likewise, from the Seven Lakes Route, crossing La Angostura, you will encounter Villa Traful 40 km ahead.

It is worth going to Lake Traful either simply for the sake of the trip, or as part of an excursion to the confluence point of the Traful and Limay Rivers; you can get there through the Córdoba pass.

Since the village was founded, fishing activities has increased and the great attraction now for fishermen is the "salmon encerrado", a species brought from the United States. As a consequence of the growth of fishing, two hostels have been built and are considered classical in the region: "Villa Traful" and "El rincon del Pescador" (The Fisherman's Corner).

Villa Traful, thus, is centred on summer activities, salmon fishing, water sports and trekking or horse-riding along the mountainsides. Besides, the rapids in Traful River are almost perfect for practicing rafting or kayaking.

GAME HUNTING RESERVE
German families settled in the Valley of Lake Hermoso in the 40s, starting up a hostel and a sawmill and bringing in red deer from Collunco ranch. The deer gradually spread again over all the Cordillera valleys, leading to hunting activity in the region.

In the mid-60s, the Austrian industrialist Charles Vogel, known in Europe as the "Salt Baron", sold 80,000 hectares which he owned in the valley. Thanks to this deed, the major extensions of land between the Lake and the Caleufú River were forested.

As Vogel was very keen on hunting, he converted his lands into a huge reserve, which he named "Diana Park Zoological Reserve". But when he sold his property the reserve grew, and now includes an exclusive guesthouse and a game hunting area.

Encantado Valley Woods and Ñivinco Waterfall are places demanding to be inmortalized by image "shooters", such as professional or amateur photographers.

Sightseers can also take a ride on a motorboat to the Bosque Sumergido (Underwater Forest) and the Gruta de la Virgen (Our Lady's Grotto), as well as stroll to the cascades inn the Coa Co and Blanco Rivers or visit the Negro and Penitentes Mountains.

Villa Traful Vantage Point
Traful Vantage Point is located only 5 km away from the road that leaves the village heading toward Traful confluence, which received its name because at this place the Limay and Traful Rivers met before the Alicura Reservoir created its new artificial Lake.

It is an important scenic lookout point which can be easily accessed walking over a wooden footbridge located on the crests of a rocky cliff formation directly facing Traful Lake.

The cliff is a natural wall, slightly more than a hundred ms high, causing the wind to flow upwards with such force that light objects are left hanging in mid-air when thrown into the draft.