Esquel

Esquel needs 2 days: a ride on La Trochita, the historic narrow-gauge Patagonian train immortalized by Paul Theroux in «The Old Patagonian Express», on one, an excursion to Los Alerces National Park, with crystal-clear lakes and thousand-year-old larch trees, on the other. December-March is best for the park; June-September for skiing at Cerro La Hoya. It's cheaper than Bariloche or El Calafate. La Trochita, with over-90-year-old steam locomotives still running, is one of the few historic train lines in South America still operating for regular tourist service.