Where is La Hoya?

La Hoya is 14km (about 8 miles) north of the town of Esquel. The turn off to La Hoya (Camino a la Hoya) comes off RA 259 (Av Ameghino) on the northeast (Bariloche) side of town. Esquel is located in the Chubut Province in Argentine Patagonia. It’s south of the Lakes District and 282km (175 miles) south of San Carlos de Bariloche (3:15 hour drive).

Flying to Esquel Argentina

Esquel has a small airport. Aerolineas Argentinas flights originate from the Jorge Newbery Airport (Buenos Aires domestic airport), so international travellers will need to transfer between the international and domestic airports.

The Esquel airport terminal is rather small and quaint. With lots of wood panelling, it looks like an old ski lodge! The airport is 18km (11 miles) east of town. Esquel airport has Avis and Hertz car rental counters, and they can include snow chains with the car hire if you wish.

There are also remises (unmetered taxis) available at the airport to get into town.

Flying to Bariloche Argentina

The other option is to fly from the Jorge Newbery Airport to Bariloche; a 2 hour flight. Use one of our flight search engines to find the best rates for flights to Bariloche.

From the Bariloche airport you can rent a car to drive south – see our Bariloche travel page for information on Bariloche car rentals. There are also buses from the Bariloche bus terminal to Esquel.

Getting Between Esquel and La Hoya

The drive up to La Hoya only takes about 20 minutes, and whilst the road is unpaved, it’s a reasonably easy drive relative to some of the crazy switch-backing Chile ski resort roads. The road is very wide initially. It’s a little windy further up and there are some safety rails. The only major hazard is the local drivers who don’t mind overtaking on blind corners!

The car park is where the fun begins. If you rock up in the morning you’ll get a car park that’s really close to the lift ticket office. The car park gets packed in the afternoon when half of Esquel turns up during siesta time. There are no parking attendants, so everyone just goes for it and packs their cars in like sardines. At the end of the day you might return to your car to find that you’re blocked in – you’d better head back up for more après drinks!

If you don’t have a rental car, there are lots of inexpensive shuttles that head between Esquel accommodations and La Hoya. Your accommodation will be able to organise this for you. Alternatively catch a taxi or remise up to La Hoya.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby

Perito Moreno is the closest ski area, but it will probably not rate highly on the itineraries of international ski bums. It’s a small ski area with little snow that is mainly suited to local families. Perito Moreno ski area is located about 30 minutes from the town of El Bolson which is 161km (100 miles) north of Esquel.

Cerro Catedral near Bariloche is a little further north again, 290km north of Esquel. This is the biggest ski resort in Argentina and definitely worthy of a visit.