Sitting on a narrow angostura (isthmus) on the northern shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi, Villa La Angostura was once a mere hamlet. But, having benefited from thoughtful planning and strict adherence to business codes, it’s now the second most popular tourist area in the Lake District. Its first hotel was built in 1923, 10 years before the town was founded, and today some of the most luxurious accommodations in Patagonia look out on the lake from discreet hiding places along its wooded shores.
Shops and restaurants line the Avenida Arrayanes, where you can stop for homemade ice cream or cakes while window-shopping in the three-block-long commercial zone. The tourist office and municipal buildings are at El Cruce (the Crossroads), where Ruta 231 from Bariloche to the Chilean border intersects with the road to the port and the Ruta de los Siete Lagos (Ruta 234) to San Martín de los Andes.
