Picún Leufú

Picún Leufú is the seat of the department of the same name and lies almost halfway between Neuquén city and San Carlos de Bariloche, on National Route 237, which follows the Limay River. It has 4,216 residents (2022 census).

Things to do

It is a natural stop on the journey between the Alto Valle and the Andes. The stream that gives it its name rises in the Chachil range and, after some 150 km forming a fertile valley, flows into the man-made Lake Ezequiel Ramos Mexía, the reservoir of the El Chocón dam.

History

Colonel Enrique Godoy set up Fort Picún Leufú on 1 December 1882, a key stop on the way to the Andes. In 1912 the town centre moved 18 km west, and the railway’s route to Zapala cost it importance. It was refounded in 1940, and in 1971, because of the El Chocón dam, the town was moved some 6 km west of its previous site.

Its name

It comes from Mapudungun: “northern stream”.

Distances: Halfway between Neuquén and Bariloche · National Route 237