Starting Saturday, trips begin on the Patagónico service that connects Bariloche with the Perito Moreno station.
AN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE.- The Patagonian Train tourist service begins its winter season this Saturday : over 30 kilometers, the nighttime service connects this city with the Perito Moreno station and allows visitors to discover the steppe landscapes and enjoy regional cuisine.
The first confirmed departure will be on Saturday the 12th at 6:00 PM. The return is scheduled for 11:30 PM. Starting the following weekend, services will operate on Fridays (at noon) and Saturdays (at night). The excursion can now be purchased on the Tren Patagónico website : adults pay $125,000, seniors pay $106,000, while the fare for children ages 4 to 12 is $92,700, and children up to 3 travel free. Meanwhile, Río Negro residents pay $111,600 (adults), $94,900 (seniors), and $82,600 (children ages 4 to 12).
“We started selling tickets last Saturday. We’ve had a lot of inquiries and reservations. We’re expecting an excellent winter season,” Darío Dukart, Tren Patagónico’s sales manager, told LA NACIÓN . The journey on this service, which includes dinner in the heart of the steppe, is in addition to the snow activities and lake excursions offered by Bariloche.
The tour was inaugurated in 2022 and was a success with both domestic and international visitors, especially Brazilians. The two new carriages carry 106 passengers, and last winter they were almost always full. The positive impact of their night service prompted the company to add midday tours a year ago. This year, the train departs from Bariloche on Fridays and Saturdays and arrives about 50 minutes later at Perito Moreno Station.
Gastronomy
There, tourists enjoy a reception at a tea house located in the old station (with hot chocolate, wine, and canapés) followed by a barbecue with a musical show in an old warehouse on the San Ramón ranch. Ticket prices include the reception and dinner (or lunch, if traveling on Friday): a barbecue (empanadas, roast and spit-roasted lamb, chorizo, blood sausage, offal) accompanied by salads or French fries, bread, fried cakes, and dessert. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are also available. Drinks are charged separately.
Located 30 kilometers from Bariloche, the Perito Moreno station is in the town of Los Juncos, in the department of Pilcaniyeu. It is the first station on the route to Viedma, on the other side of the Río Negro province.
The journey there takes less than an hour: the train crosses Route 40 and skirts Lake Nahuel Huapi for a few meters before turning right and gradually entering the arid plateau. The train then crosses the picturesque red bridge over the Ñirihuau River, takes on a steep uphill curve at La Herradura, and passes through the now-disused Ñirihuau station.
Throughout this stretch, the onboard guide invites passengers to look out the right-hand windows to see the pools in the river and then to admire the panoramic view: from there, you can see the city of Bariloche and the perfectly shaped mountains on the horizon, including the Cathedral with its spires, the imposing Tronador, and the López amphitheater.
Upon arriving at Perito Moreno aboard two modern self-propelled carriages (they don’t have a locomotive), passengers disembark at the station platform, now converted into the Aires de Campo tea house . After a reception a short while later, visitors are invited to walk a few meters to the barbecue area where they can enjoy a barbecue and a country-style musical show.
The Little Trail
In mid-June, Tren Patagónico also began selling tickets for the winter season, both on the Viedma–Bariloche service and on the La Trochita line in Ingeniero Jacobacci . The traditional train service connecting Viedma and Bariloche features three Pullman cars, two sleeper cars; a dining car with a regional menu, including options suitable for celiacs and vegans; a cinema car with content from the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA) and children’s programming; and two tray tables for transporting vehicles. It will also offer satellite internet access on board.
The service departs from Viedma on Fridays at 5:00 PM and arrives in Bariloche the following day at 11:50 AM. The return trip takes place on Sundays: passengers depart the mountain city at 5:00 PM and arrive in the capital of Río Negro almost 19 hours later.
The route has ten stops in San Antonio Oeste, Valcheta, Ramos Mexía, Sierra Colorada, Los Menucos, Maquinchao, Ingeniero Jacobacci, Onelli, Comallo, and Pilcaniyeu. In some places, it stops for only one or two minutes, while in Jacobacci and San Antonio, it stops for half an hour.
Furthermore, this winter season, La Trochita will once again operate on the Ingeniero Jacobacci–Empalme 648 section, with departures scheduled for Saturdays, July 12 and 26, “offering an intimate and enchanting tour through the Patagonian landscape aboard a 100-year-old train,” as stated by Tren Patagónico.
The trip lasts approximately three hours and includes an onboard guide. At the destination, passengers can enjoy dishes such as Patagonian lamb casserole or traditional lentil stew with steppe herbs, accompanied by regional wines (all dishes include dessert). The flat rate for this service is $43,200 and does not include lunch.
La Nacion
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