South of El Bolsón

Epuyén 

The little settlement of Epuyén (pronounced epooSHEN) is, so far, undeveloped for tourists, and there's nothing much to do here except stroll around Lago Epuyén. There's a simple hostería, which also has rustic cabañaswith meals on request. A fire destroyed trees all over one hillside a few years ago, making the area less attractive for walks, but there's a good trek around the lakeside, and good fishing in the lake.

Cholila

Cholila is a real Patagonian settlement, which one day will make a great place to stay, with its lovely setting in broad open landscape with superb views of Lago Cholila, crowned by ranges of mountains all around. There's excellent fishing, canoeing and kayaking on rivers nearby, but very little tourist infrastructure. The accommodation is extremely limited, and there's little information.

You might have heard that the reason to visit Cholila is to see the wooden cabins where Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kidand Etta Placelived between 1901 and 1905 . You can understand why they hid out here for so long: Cholila still feels remote and untouched, and the views from their land are breathtaking. The cabins themselves were rather evocative, falling to pieces, patched up with bits of wood and with a lichen-stained slatted roof, but in 2006, the owner of the land started to 'renovate' them, by replacing the tattered timbers with brand new bright orange beams, doors and window frames. As a result, it is unlikely to please visitors keen to see what remained of the authentic cabins where Butch and Sundance lived. Unless you're a true fan it might not be worth the considerable effort required to visit them.

Leleque

Stop off at Leleque to see the Museum of Patagonia  in the vast estate owned by Benetton, the Italian knitwear company. To their credit, they have created a remarkable museum here. There's a beautifully designed exhibition on the lives of indigenous peoples, with dwellings reconstructed of animal skins, using the original construction techniques, a huge collection of delicate arrowheads and the boleadorasfor catching cattle. Other moving exhibits include one on the first pioneers in Patagonia, especially the Welsh. There's an attractive café in a reconstructed boliche (provisions shop and bar).