VILLA LA ANGOSTURA TRAVEL GUIDE | Things to See, Eat & Do in Villa La Angostura, Argentina

Welcome to Villa Langostura in Patagonia. This resort town sits on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi in Argentina's Lake District surrounded by forests, mountains, and bays. Villa Langostura is also nicknamed the Garden of Patagonia with many of its streets lined with rose bushes. This destination is ideal for travellers looking to drive the Road of the Seven Lakes, explore the famous Arradanes Forest, which looks straight out of a storybook, and enjoy a relaxed lakeside escape with an alpine flair. This is our travel guide to Villa Langostura, so if you're considering a visit, stick around to learn everything there is to see, do, and eat. First things first. How do you get to Villa Langostura? The best way is through Bariloche. Bariloche is the gateway to Northern Patagonia, offering daily inbound flights from all over Argentina. Once you arrive in Bariloche, you can pick up your rental car and do the one hour and 20 minute drive to Villa Langostura along Route 40, which is a very picturesque 79 kilometer journey. Alternatively, you can catch a bus from Bariloche Airport or the Bariloche Bus Terminal, which is what we did. Today we are up and early because we are joining a tour. We're going to be driving the Road of the Seven Lakes. Yeah. 107 kilometers. Yes. Seven lakes. We go through national parks. Yes. It is meant to be one of the most beautiful drives in the whole country. Yeah. It is going to be a full day excursion. Exactly, and we're doing a tour but it is also very popular as a do-it-yourself option as well. If you have your own vehicle, like if you've driven here or you rent a car, it is something you can do on your own. The Road of the Seven Lakes, also known as La Ruta de los Siete Lagos in Spanish, is one of those day trips you can't miss. This is a scenic 107 kilometer drive that stretches from the town of Villa Langostura in the South to the town of San Martín de los Andes in the North. It runs along a stretch of National Route 40, which is the highway that crosses the full length of Argentina from North to South. In other words, it's epic. It's a beautiful journey that goes past snow-capped mountains, dense forests, and pristine lakes. Plus, it crosses two national parks, Lanín National Park and Nahuelhuapi National Park. Driving the Road of the Seven Lakes can be done independently by renting a car, or you can join a guided tour like we did. And as the name suggests, there are seven main lakes along this road. If you were to drive the Road of the Seven Lakes without making a single stop along the way, it would take just under two hours, however, it's best done as a full day trip with plenty of stops along the way. Good morning guys. We are here at Los Arellanes National Park. We're going to be taking a boat out there. Yeah, we're going to be taking a boat out to a particular point on the peninsula and then we're going to be hiking all the way back to the mainland area. Yes. We have absolutely stunning weather today. Not a cloud in the sky. It's not windy. It should be like a phenomenal boat ride. It's not going to be choppy at all. The waters are calm and so yeah we're both really excited to do this. One of the main things to do in Villa Langostura is to visit the Arradanes Forest which is said to have inspired Disney's Bambi. What's so special about this forest you ask? Well, this is where you find the famous Arradan tree which is easily recognized by its cinnamon colored bark. One unusual thing about this tree is that it always feels cool to the touch. This is because its bark is so thin that you can feel the sap inside the tree. The main part of the Arradanes Forest sits on the tip of the Quitrihue Peninsula in Los Arradanes National Park. Most of the trees in that section of the forest are over 300 years old, though there are a few exemplars that have been standing for 650 years. There's also a famous tea house set in a log cabin, so we popped in for some cake and tea. This cake here is called Rojel and it is crispy layers with lots of dulce de leche in between topped with meringue. We got to the tea house and this is going to be our lunch before us. We got two ham and cheese sandwiches and then two cakes. This one is called Rojel. You have a giant slice of lemon pie and a raspberry tea to stay warm. You can reach the Arradanes Forest by boat or on foot and I would suggest doing both. We actually took the boat there so we could learn all about the forest's history on the journey over and then we hiked the 12 kilometers back to Villa Langostura. The walk back takes about three hours to complete, so you've been warned, but it is a nice way to enjoy the Patagonian scenery. Time to look at a map so you guys know what we're up to today exactly. So this whole thing you see right here is called Península Quetrihué. We took a boat out this way like departing from the port. Yeah. Traveled all around to this end where you have the forest and then we got on the trail and this is where we've arrived just now. Laguna Patagua. But we're basically going to be following this trail all the way back down. Yeah, we've got one more laguna and a lot more walking to do. Yeah. We have reached the halfway mark. Think about it. Think about your time. Your time. How long it has taken you to get here. And when it is going to get dark. Yeah. If you're looking for a bit of nature but you don't necessarily want to go too far or do anything too strenuous, you can visit the two lagoons in town. Laguna Calafate is more of a bird watching spot with bird hides where you can enjoy the local wildlife. They even have posters inside the hides with the names and images of the various birds you can expect to see. Three different types of woodpeckers you can see in this area. So we've arrived in this bird viewing booth I guess you would call it. This has been designed so that you can observe the birds on the lagoon without disturbing them. They also have a really good display here of all of the different birds you might be able to see. Yeah. Lots of different ducks. Here is some information about it. A reminder of why Sam wears glasses. He was just like is that a dog? No wait it is a big bird. And what was it really? It was a horse. It is a horse. In all fairness it was hidden behind the grass. Tall grass. Laguna Verde, on the other hand, is a nice place to go for a walk. The trail is called Sendero de las Lumas and it runs through the forest and follows the lagoon's shore. It's a super peaceful spot and we only saw a handful of locals the whole time we were there. Another important attraction in Villa Langostura is the chapel known as Capilla de la Virgen de la Asunción which dates back to 1936. The chapel was designed by renowned Argentine architect Alejandro Bustillo, perhaps best known as the man behind the iconic Yao Yao Hotel. Bustillo was inspired by Northern European architecture when building this chapel. It features a mix of wooden logs, stone walls, black roof tiles, stained glass windows, and rustic wooden beams in the interior. The chapel is set in a forested area, so it does feel like a little taste of Europe, even if it's hard to pinpoint exactly where. Villa Langostura is a town with two bays, Bahia Mansa, meaning calm bay, and Bahia Brava, meaning wild bay. The two bays are divided by the Quetrihuet Peninsula and they are just a 5 minute walk from each other, so you can easily visit both and see how they live up to their names. Both bays have their own sandy beaches and they're particularly popular at sunset. Now let's talk about where to eat in Villa Langostura. I'm going to highlight two spots in particular because we loved their food and ate there multiple times. Let's start with Cucu Schultz. Our favourite cafe in Villa Langostura is shaped like a giant cuckoo clock and the walls are covered in cuckoo clocks. They have since moved to a new location, but fret not, the new place looks every bit as alpine and cuckoo inspired as the former location. As I mentioned, we ate at this cafe many times, so we got to sample quite a bit of their menu. Some of the dishes we tried include the apple crumble with raisins, which was a behemoth of a portion, the coconut and dulce de leche tart, which was a wonderful combination of flavours, and the ricotta cake, which was my absolute favourite dessert and one I still dream about. Their cake displays were always so tempting with lemon pie, cheesecake, and black forest cake just to name a few. Plus, they also had really nice coffees. Suffice it to say, if you have a sweet tooth, this place is heaven. Another restaurant in Villa Langostura that we visited multiple times is El Esquiador. The name translates to the skier. This is a great place to try traditional Patagonian dishes. One of the dishes they are best known for is Ciervo a la Cazadora, which is a hunter's stew with deer. It is served on top of boiled potatoes and the meat is super tender. No knives required. So Audrey has been tucking into the deer and loving it. Oh my gosh, it is amazing. First of all, massive portion. Like this is meant to be for one person. You can definitely share. Oh yeah. So it comes on a bed of potatoes. They call it natural potatoes but it is like boiled potatoes essentially. And then you have this deer stew. It is almost like a goulash with like a really thick sauce. Unbelievably tender. Wow. It doesn't have too much of a gamey taste? Not at all. This is like more tender than beef. Trucha, Spanish for trout, is another popular regional dish. We tried the trout two ways. I ordered it with brown butter and capers while Sam got the Esquiador style with cheese and a cream of mushrooms. Both were exquisite. Now let's talk about where to stay in Villa La Angostura, because your experience will greatly vary depending on what you choose. There are two main areas to consider. First you have La Villa or The Town. This will put you in a very central location with super easy access to restaurants, cafes and breweries. This is where we stayed. Alternatively, you have the very desirable Puerto Manzano located southeast of town. This is where you'll find your high-end hotels, resorts and log cottages. The only caveat is that you'll need a car or be willing to pay for transportation. It's only a 15 minute drive into town but it would take you one hour and a half if you wanted to do that on foot, plus it's not very pedestrian friendly because Route 40 is essentially a highway, so choose accordingly. And that is our travel guide to Villa La Angostura. I hope this video gave you a few ideas of what you can see, do and eat during your visit to this Patagonian lakeside town. And if you enjoyed this video, I invite you to give it a like, subscribe and join us for more travel videos from Patagonia and beyond. Tata!