El Bolson lies in a sheltered valley on the eastern flank of the Andes, in the Rio Negro province of Argentina, and its reputation is of a green, relaxed mountain town with a hippie streak and a very good craft market. About fifteen thousand people live here, surrounded by steep ridges, orchards and hop fields. Hoyo de Epuyen lies a short ride to the south. The town gets its name from the word bolson, meaning a pocket or basin, a good description of the setting.
The ride along Ruta 40 from Bariloche is one of the great roads of Patagonia. The road climbs and dips through forest and open steppe, with lake views, snowy peaks and sweeping, flowing curves. The surface is mostly good tarmac, though the wind can blow strongly across the open sections, and in places the road is narrow with little shoulder. Traffic is light outside the summer holidays, and the best months for riding are November to April. South of El Bolson, the road continues toward Esquel through a succession of lakes and valleys, with the landscape drying as it moves away from the mountains.
El Bolson has a distinctive culture. In the 1970s, a wave of artists, craftspeople and back-to-the-landers settled here, drawn by the climate and the mountains, and the town declared itself a nuclear-free zone and a non-transgenic one. The craft fair, held several days a week, sells wooden toys, leather goods, jam, cheese, and very good beer, since the valley grows hops, which is rare in Argentina. Fruit farms produce raspberries, cherries and strawberries, and you will find them in desserts, jams and beer flavours. The market is a pleasant place to eat lunch.
Nature is the real draw. The jagged peaks of the Andes rise above the town, with Cerro Piltriquitron standing out on the western side, and its slopes offer a forest of sculpted wooden figures. Lake Puelo, a short ride south, is a pristine glacier lake on the border with Chile, surrounded by forest. The air is crisp and smells of pine and wood smoke, and the rivers run cold and clear.
Fuel and services are plentiful in town, so fill up before heading south, and bring a jacket since the weather can change quickly. Plan for a long, relaxed stop.