Aluminé

Aluminé is a low-key town on the river of the same name, which drops out of the mountains in a series of rapids that have made it the best-known whitewater run in northern Patagonia. Commercial rafting operates from spring through summer, with sections graded from gentle family floats to demanding class three and four water depending on flow, and kayakers come for the same reason. The town is also the southern gateway to the pehuén country, with monkey puzzle forests, Mapuche communities and lakes to the north, and it holds a small festival of the pehuén each autumn. Fly fishing on the Aluminé and its tributaries is excellent, and the roads north to Villa Pehuenia and Moquehue make a rough but beautiful circuit.

History

The name is Mapudungun, meaning shining at the bottom, after the clear waters, and before the Conquest of the Desert the land was held by Mapuche communities under the lonko Reuque Curá. The fort of Paso de los Andes was founded when the Argentine Army reached the area, the first settlers arrived in February 1884, and the first court, civil registry and police station worked at nearby Ruca Choroy; there were three general stores by 1913, and locals took caravans to Zapala and Neuquén to trade their produce. Aluminé was established on 20 October 1915 by provincial decree, new businesses opened in the 1920s, and the first development committee and primary school followed in 1926 (Wikipedia, Aluminé - town).

The main sights

• The rafting river - the Aluminé's rapids, run commercially through the summer.
• The pehuén country - monkey puzzle forests north of the town.
• The fly fishing - trout water on the river and its tributaries.
• The gravel circuits - rough scenic roads toward Moquehue and the lakes.

When to go

November to March for rafting, with the highest water in late spring from snowmelt and gentler levels later. Autumn brings the pehuén festival and colour. Winter is cold and quiet, with some roads snowbound.

Good to know

The town itself is plain, with modest services and limited accommodation. Rafting depends on river levels, which vary sharply by season. Roads north are gravel, dusty and slow, and a low car will struggle.

Nearby

Villa Pehuenia lies northwest; Junín de los Andes is south on the RP23.

Key facts