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Welcome to Vija Langostura in Patagonia. This resort town sits on the shores of Lagona Wwapi in Argentina's Lake District. Surrounded by forests, mountains, and bays, Vija Langostura is also nicknamed the Garden of Patagonia with many of its streets lined with rose bushes, this destination is ideal for travelers looking to drive the road of the seven lakes, explore the famous Ardanis forest, which looks straight out of a story book, and enjoy a relaxed lakeside escape with an alpine flare. This is our travel guide to Vija Langostura. So, if you're considering a visit, stick around to learn everything there is to see, do, and eat.
First things first, how do you get to Vija Langostura? The best way is through Bariloce. Bariloce is the gateway to northern Patagonia, offering daily inbound flights from all over Argentina. Once you arrive in Bariloce, you can pick up your rental car and do the 1 hour and 20 minute drive to Vija Langostura along Route 40, which is a very picturesque 79 km journey. Alternatively, you can catch a bus from Bariloce airport or the Bariloce bus terminal, which is what we did. Today, we are up and early because we are joining a tour. We're going to be driving the road of the Seven Lakes.
Yeah. 107 km. Yes. Seven lakes. We go through national parks. It's meant to be one of the most beautiful drives in the whole country. It's going to be a full day excursion. Exactly. And we're doing a tour, but it's also very popular as a do-it-yourself option as well. If you have your own vehicle, like if you've driven here or you rent a car, it's something you can do on your own. The road of the seven lakes, also known as Larut de los in Spanish, is one of those day trips you can't miss. This is a scenic 107 km drive that stretches from the town of Vija Langostura in the south to the town of San Martin de los
Andes in the north. It runs along a stretch of national route 40, which is the highway that crosses the full length of Argentina from north to south. In other words, it's epic. It's a beautiful journey that goes past snowcapped mountains, dense forests, and pristine lakes. Plus, it crosses two national parks, Lanin National Park and Nawwapi National Park. Driving the road of the seven lakes can be done independently by renting a car, or you can join a guided tour like we did. And as the name suggests, there are seven main lakes along this road. If you were to drive the road of the seven lakes without making a single stop along the way, it would take just under 2 hours. However, it's best done as a full day trip with plenty of stops along the way.
Good morning, guys. We are here at Los Arajanes National Park. We're going to be taking a boat out there. Yeah, we're going to be taking a boat out to a particular point on the peninsula and then we're going to be hiking all the way back to the mainland area. We have absolutely stunning weather today. Not a cloud in the sky. It's not windy. It should be like a phenomenal boat ride. It's not going to be choppy at all. The waters are calm and so yeah, we're both really excited to do this. One of the main things to do in Vija Langostura is to visit the Aradanis forest which is said to have inspired Disney's Bambi. What's so special about this forest you ask? Well, this is where you find the famous Arajan tree, which is easily recognized by its
cinnamon colored bark. One unusual thing about this tree is that it always feels cool to the touch. This is because its bark is so thin that you can feel the sap inside the tree. The main part of the Aradanis forest sits on the tip of the Ketwe peninsula in Los Aradanis National Park. Most of the trees in that section of the forest are over 300 years old, though there are a few exemplars that have been standing for 650 years. There's also a famous tea house set in a log cabin. So, we popped in for some cake and tea. This cake here is called Roel and it's crispy layers with lots of duda de leche in between topped with meringue. We got to the tea house and this is going to be our lunch
before us. We got two ham and cheese sandwiches and then two cakes. This one is called Roel. You have a giant slice of lemon. Lemon pie and a raspberry tea to stay warm. You can reach the Ardanis forest by boat or on foot, and I would suggest doing both. We actually took the boat there so we could learn all about the forest's history on the journey over and then we hiked the 12 km back to Vija Langostura. The walk back takes about 3 hours to complete. So you've been warned, but it is a nice way to enjoy the Patagonian scenery. Time to look at a map so you guys know what we're up to today exactly. So this whole thing you
see right here is called Peninsula Ketway. Um, we took a boat out this way, like departing from the port. Yeah. Traveled all around to this end where you have the forest and then we got on the trail and this is where we've arrived just now. Lagona Patagua, but we're basically going to be following this trail all the way back down. Yeah, we've got one more Lagona and a lot of more lot more walking to do. Yeah, we have reached the halfway mark. Think about your time. how long it's taken you to get here and when is it going to get dark?
Yeah. If you're looking for a bit of nature, but you don't necessarily want to go too far or do anything too strenuous, you can visit the two lagoons in town. Laguna Kalafat is more of a bird watching spot with bird hides where you can enjoy the local wildlife. They even have posters inside the hides with the names and images of the various birds you can expect to see. Three different types of woodpeckers you can see in this area. So, we've arrived in this bird viewing booth, I guess you would call it. This has been designed so that you can observe the birds on the lagoon without disturbing them.
They also have a really good display here of all the different birds you might be able to see. Yeah, lots of different ducks. There's some information about it. A reminder of why Sam wears glasses. He was just like, "Is that a dog?" No, wait. It's a big bird. And what was it really? It was a horse. It's a horse. In all fairness, it was behind it was hidden behind the grass. Tall grass. Laguna Verde, on the other hand, is a nice place to go for a walk.
The trail is called Cindero de Lasumas, and it runs through the forest and follows the lagoon's shore. It's a super peaceful spot, and we only saw a handful of locals the whole time we were there. Another important attraction in Va Langura is the chapel known as Capia de Launion, which dates back to 1936. The chapel was designed by renowned Argentine architect Alejandro Bustjo. Perhaps best known as the man behind the iconic Xiao Hotel. Bustia was inspired by Northern European architecture when building this chapel.
It features a mix of wooden logs, stone walls, black roof tiles, stained glass windows, and rustic wooden beams in the interior. The chapel is set in a forested area, so it does feel like a little taste of Europe, even if it's hard to pinpoint exactly where. Bijaangura is a town with two bays. Bayamanssa, meaning calm bay, and Bay Rava, meaning wild bay. The two bays are divided by the Ketriway Peninsula, and they are just a 5-minute walk from each other. So, you can easily visit both and see how they live up to their names. Both bays have their own sandy beaches and they're particularly popular at sunset. Now, let's talk about where to eat in Bisha Langostura. I'm going to highlight two spots in particular because we love
their food and ate there multiple times. Let's start with Cuckoos. Our favorite cafe in Bisha Langostura is shaped like a giant cuckoo clock and the walls are covered in cuckoo clocks. They have since moved to a new location, but fret not, the new place looks every bit as alpine and cuckoo inspired as the former location. As I mentioned, we ate at this cafe many times, so we got to sample quite a bit of their menu. Some of the dishes we tried include the apple crumble with raisins, which was a behemoth of a portion, the coconut and dulce de leche tart, which was a wonderful combination of flavors, and the ricotta cake, which was my absolute favorite dessert and one I still dream
about. Their cake displays were always so tempting with lemon pie, cheesecake, and black forest cake, just to name a few. Plus, they also had really nice coffees. Suffice it to say, if you have a sweet tooth, this place is heaven. Another restaurant in Bija Langostura that we visited multiple times is escador. The name translates to the skier. This is a great place to try traditional Patagonian dishes. One of the dishes they are best known for is Siero Alakasadora, which is a hunter stew with deer. It is served on top of boiled potatoes, and the meat is super tender. No knives required. So Audrey's been tucking into the deer and loving it.
My gosh, it's amazing. Personal massive portion. Like this is meant to be for one person. You can definitely share. Oh yeah. So it comes on a bed of potatoes. They call it natural potatoes, but it's it's like boiled potatoes essentially. And then you have this deer stew. It's almost like a goulash with like a really thick sauce. Unbelievably tender. Wow. It doesn't have too much of a gy taste. Not at all. This is like more tender than beef. Ducha, Spanish for trout, is another popular regional dish. We tried the trout two ways. I ordered it with brown butter and capers, while Sam got the escador style with cheese and a
cream of mushrooms. Both were exquisite. Now, let's talk about where to stay in Vija Langostura because your experience will greatly vary depending on what you choose. There are two main areas to consider. First, you have La Vija or the town. This will put you in a very central location with super easy access to restaurants, cafes, and breweries. This is where we stayed. Alternatively, you have the very desirable Puerto Mansano located southeast of town. This is where you'll find your high-end hotels, resorts, and log cottages. The only caveat is that you'll need a car or be willing to pay
for transportation. It's only a 15-minute drive into town, but it would take you 1 hour and a half if you wanted to do that on foot. Plus, it's not very pedestrian friendly because Route 40 is essentially a highway. So, choose accordingly. And that is our travel guide to Vija Langostura. I hope this video gave you a few ideas of what you can see, do, and eat during your visit to this Patagonian lakeside town. And if you enjoyed this video, I invite you to give it a like, subscribe, and join us for more travel videos from Patagonia and beyond. Tata
