Villa El Chocón

Information

It is a locality in the east of the Argentine province of Neuquén. It is close to the hydroelectric dam of El Chocón and on the northern shore of its reservoir Exequiel Ramos Mexia, both of which are located on the Limay River and are the limit between the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro.

It has services for visitors, such as a tourist information office, ATM (to be confirmed), grocery shops and restaurants. There are some lodgings and camping sites.

It is possible to visit the dam, since there is a short asphalted route that goes along the wall. There are also different paths that allow access to the shore, where there are places to stop, a lighthouse and different viewpoints that are excellent panoramic points to take pictures or film. In the town you can visit the Museo Municipal Ernesto Bachman (a municipal museum), which stands out for its palaeontological samples of different dinosaur species and archaeological pieces found in the area.

Another place of interest is Los Gigantes, which is a place where you can see islets in the reservoir with different geoforms, where it is advisable to go with an authorised guide and a 4x4 vehicle, since the road is very complicated to drive.

Villa El Chocón is reached by the paved National Route 237, which is 71 km from Neuquén city, 149 km from Piedra del Águila and 351 km from Bariloche.