El Bolson, Patagonia Trivia

April 1st, 2010 Posted in culture, day to day

Written by Shanie

Our friendly neighbor to the south, El Bolson, is a great little town…definitely worthy of a visit. Especially for those hippies out there.

For those interested, I thought I would offer some helpful trivia about Mother Nature’s village…

1. El Bolson was declared the first non-nuclear zone in Argentina

2. it is host to one of Argentina’s best craft fairs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

3. it is the fine fruit capital of Argentina

4. it is home to Cerro Piltriquitron, a peak to the east that means “where the clouds gather” and is the most popular location for people to parapente in Argentina

5. it is artistically inclined. For example, the locals created a carved forest know as the Bosque Tallado, where statues of all makes and sizes were knifed out of a forest destroyed in a fire

6. it is home to the largest grouping of hippies in all of Argentina

7. it is home to a little ski resort named Perito Moreno outside the town.

8. it is the northernmost spot in Patagonia to get discounted gas

9. it grows approximately 75% of the Argentina’s beer hops

10. it is home to a small a little airport, EHL, with three weekly flights by LADE Airlines

11. it is the brewing grounds for over 10 microbreweries

12. El Bolson translates into “the purse” likely due to its shape with mountains on both sides

13. El Bolson is referred to as the “counter culture capital” of Argentina

14. it has an elevation of 300 meters or 990 feet

15. it has a central park known as Plaza Pagano

16. it hosts a four day National Hops Festival in mid-February

17. During the Dirty War in the 1960’s, El Bolson became a place of safety, due to its location off the beaten path

18. El Bolson is the southernmost city in the Province of Rio Negro

19. The Tourism office is located at the northern end of the plaza, at the intersection of San Martin and Roca

20. there are over five mountain huts on the trails located to the west of El Bolsón

21. farms that grow fruit, hops, etc are known as chacras

22. there is an annual Jazz Festival in December

23. it is home to Argentina’s best ice cream, which can be found at Jauja next to Plaza Pagano (San Martin 2867)

24. it is the location of the most famous brewery in Argentina, Cerveceria El Bolsón, which has a campground and children’s play area

25. the temperature averages seven degrees warmer year-round than the rest of the area

  1. 5 Responses to “El Bolson, Patagonia Trivia”

  2. By Chris A. on Apr 1, 2010

    Thanks for the info, I’ve never been there and was wondering about the place!
    :D

  3. By Patagonia on Apr 2, 2010

    Hi Chris…glad the post helped.

    Cheers,
    Shanie

  4. By Ginnie on Apr 2, 2010

    I lived there when I was a teenager and my parents still live there, great place to grow up and I have to totally agree that Jauja have the best ice cream! I so miss it! I read your blog daily as it makes me feel closer to that beautiful area, great blog thanks!

  5. By Patagonia on Apr 2, 2010

    Hi Ginnie,

    Thanks for the very sweet comment. We really appreciate it.

    Cheers,
    Shanie

  6. By Kelsey on Feb 15, 2011

    Does anyone know when the National Hops Festival will be in 2011? I will be there at the end of Feb and wondering if I’ll be around for it.

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