Villa El Chocón

Villa El Chocón is a small town in Neuquén province in Argentina. It is located on the shores of the Ramos Mexia reservoir and has about 4,000 inhabitants (2022).

Understand


The El Chocón dam on Limay River was built between 1969 and 1977 and feeds the largest hydroelectric power station in Patagonia (1363 MW), one of the largest of the country. It forms the Ramos Mexia reservoir.

Located inside red-colored rocky hills, the reservoir is an attractive and rapidly growing tourist destination with an improving infrastructure. Villa El Chocón is the main tourist center of the region, with several hotels and campgrounds. Bathing in the lake is possible at several places, the best options are west of the city center and on the eastern shore across the dam.

The older parts of the town, built for the workers of the dam facilities in the 1960s, have an interesting modern architecture, seldomly found in Argentina. The Centro Cívico near the roundabout at the town entrance is a touristic-commercial complex which hosts most shops and public buildings and the museum.

Get in
El Chocón is connected with Neuquén (75 km north-east) and San Carlos de Bariloche (250 km south-west) via National Route 237.

There are several short-distance buses per day from Neuquén. Long-distance buses, e.g. those coming from and to Bariloche, may not stop here, better ask in advance before planning the trip.

Get around
There is no public transport. The town is surprisingly large for its size, as it is composed of several neighborhoods, and there are some steep hills. Take this into account if you're planning to get around on foot or per bicycle. Most streets of the main neighborhoods are paved.

Do

 * Beaches. The best places to swim in the immediate surroundings of the town are south of the town center in the area near the dinosaur tracks, where most campgrounds are located. They are a bit stony. Near the lighthouse there is a very small beach too. An excellent beach is Arenas Blancas on the eastern shore, see below. There are also some good beaches on the Limay River below the dam.
 * Beaches. The best places to swim in the immediate surroundings of the town are south of the town center in the area near the dinosaur tracks, where most campgrounds are located. They are a bit stony. Near the lighthouse there is a very small beach too. An excellent beach is Arenas Blancas on the eastern shore, see below. There are also some good beaches on the Limay River below the dam.

Sleep

 * Campgrounds are mostly located in the surroundings of the dinosaur footprints, west of the town center, accessible via Barrio Llequén (the westernmost neighborhood, located at RN 237). They have only basic protection for windy weather, infrastructure is regular.
 * Campgrounds are mostly located in the surroundings of the dinosaur footprints, west of the town center, accessible via Barrio Llequén (the westernmost neighborhood, located at RN 237). They have only basic protection for windy weather, infrastructure is regular.