Outings and excursions · El Maitén
National Steam Train Festival: El Maitén pays tribute to La Trochita
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Shows, a float parade, gaucho skills and rides on La Trochita every February in the town of the Old Patagonian Express workshops.
Every February, El Maitén, in northwestern Chubut, celebrates the train that brought it to life. The National Steam Train Festival pays tribute to La Trochita —the narrow-gauge Old Patagonian Express— and to the railway workers who keep it running. It was declared a national festival in 1994 and its first edition was held in February 1995.
The railway town
El Maitén is the capital of the narrow-gauge train: it is home to La Trochita’s railway workshops, where its steam locomotives and wooden carriages are repaired, and to a railway museum. The station, with its rail yard and water tower, is the heart of the town.
What to see and do
- Shows by national, regional and local artists: in 2023, for example, Q’ Lokura, Yhosva Montoya and Lucas Sugo performed.
- The parade of floats built by local residents.
- Folk music and photo and video exhibitions.
- Crafts and producers’ stalls, and a food court.
- Gaucho skills with riders and payadores (improvising folk singers), and horse races.
- Rides on La Trochita during the festival days.
When it takes place
It is held in February, usually on the second weekend, on the Old Patagonian Express grounds, opposite the station. In 2023 it ran from February 10 to 12. The date of each edition is announced by the Municipality of El Maitén.
See accommodation in El Maitén.
Getting there
El Maitén is 55 km from El Bolsón and 130 km from Esquel. The nearest airports are Esquel and Bariloche.
