Añelo

Añelo is in east-central Neuquén, on the left bank of the Neuquén River, 100 km north of the provincial capital. Between the river and the bluffs lies an irrigated valley used for farming. It has 6,477 residents (2022 census) and is one of the fastest-growing towns in Patagonia, thanks to its location on the Vaca Muerta formation: hence its nickname, “the shale capital”.

Things to do

• Los Pilares (or Monigotes): a rock formation about 25 metres high in the nearby bluffs.
• Cerros Colorados Hydroelectric Complex: a few kilometres away, with the Portezuelo Grande dam regulating the Neuquén River.
• The old Post and Telegraph office: an adobe house from 1880 that is still standing.

Getting here

From Neuquén city, 100 km north on paved provincial routes 7 and 17.

History

A frontier fort stood where the town is today between 1879 and 1883. It was officially founded on 20 October 1915. Sources differ on the meaning of its name: most trace it to Mapudungun, with versions such as “dune of the threat” or “place of the dead”.

Distances: 100 km north of Neuquén city · provincial routes 7 and 17