Rincón de los Sauces

Rincón de los Sauces is in the Pehuenches department in north-eastern Neuquén, on the right bank of the Colorado River, 206 km from Neuquén city. It has 24,233 residents (2022 census) and was declared the National Energy Capital for its oil and gas production.

Things to do

In 1996 complete specimens of titanosaurs, the giant plant-eating dinosaurs of Patagonia, were found very close to the city. The area also has caverns and caves with traces of the first peoples.

Climate

Dry: cold winters with very frequent frosts, and hot summers. It is windy all year, especially in spring.

History

Settlers arrived from the late 19th century, but a major flood of the Barrancas River in 1914 wiped out those settlements. Until 1965 it was a hamlet of goat and sheep herders. In 1968 YPF struck oil at Puesto Hernández, one of the country’s main fields, and the oil camp grew into a town, officially founded on 20 December 1971.

Distances: 206 km from Neuquén city · north-east of the province