A Ride to Trevelin and its Surroundings

This land where denizens are few and natural wonders are plentiful knows how to treasure the memories and traditions of those people who dared to leave everything behind in order to come to the new continent in search for their future. Just 25 kilometers away from Esquel, the community of Trevelin keeps its Welsh roots alive and lets visitors see unique sceneries. We were ready to set out on a tour around it.

We left Esquel following AlvearAmeghino Avenue westwards. We turned left and reached the roundabout. Afterwards, we took National Route 259. We crossed the bridge over the Esquel River and a little farther ahead a spectacular viewpoint placed us face to face with the magnificent Percey River Valley, the Situación Mountain Range (2,300 meters of height) and the City of Trevelín.

Everything here is impregnated by the history of the Welsh who chose this spot to settle down. Linked to agriculture and mills (cultural and religious center of the community), today it represents a significant commercial center, livestock area and unavoidable redoubt for the most unspoiled traditions of the pioneers.

We visited the brick facilities of the Old Flour Mill, turned into a Historical Museum with agricultural machinery and testimony from the days of the colony. We could not miss a stop at one of the many tea houses scattered in the tiny layout of this town. We could taste the traditional pastries until we could have no more. The famous “Black Cake” deserves the first prize.

On the same visit, we accessed Amutui Quimei Dam –whose name stands for “lost beauty” in the Mapuche tongue. It is surrounded by a wonderful panorama, typical of Los Alerces National Park, wherein it lies.

Being part of the Futaleufú hydro-electrical complex, we watched a monumental dam and a station built between 1973 and 1978. From this post, electric energy is supplied to the aluminum plant located in Puerto Madryn, and its surplus is distributed for regional use. Today, this huge and inhospitable water body occupies what used to be Lake Situación and a chain of minor lakes.