Perito Moreno

Not to be confused with the famous glacier of the same name near El Calafate, nor with Parque Nacional Perito Moreno, this Perito Moreno is a spruce little town, 25 km west of Lago Buenos Aires, and the nearest but not the most attractive base for exploring the mysterious cave paintings at the Cueva de las Manos, to the south. The town has no sights as such, apart from the pleasure of watching a rural community go about its business. But southwest of the town is Parque Laguna, where you can see varied bird life including flamingos and black-necked swans, and go fishing. You could also walk to the crater of Cerro Volcan, from a path 12 km outside Perito Moreno.

The canyon of the Río Pinturascontains outstanding examples of handprints and cave paintings, estimated to be around 8000 years old. In the cave's four galleries, shelves in the rock in a stunning canyon, are over 800 paintings of human hands, all but 31 of which are of left hands, as well as images of guanacos and rheas, and various geometrical designs. Painted by the Toldense peoples in red, orange, black, white and green, the pigments were derived from earth and calafate berries, and fixed with a varnish of guanaco fat and urine. They are mysterious, and rather beautiful, albeit indecipherable. However, the canyon alone is worth seeing, 270 m deep and 480 m wide, with strata of vivid red and green rock, especially beautiful in the early morning or evening light.

Los Antiguos and border with Chile

Though there are two crossings to Chile west of Perito Moreno, the easiest and most commonly used is via the pretty little village of Los Antiguos, which lies just 2 km east of the border. The town lies on the southern shore of Lago Buenos Aires the second largest lake in South America, extending into Chile as Lago General Carrera, where the landscape is very beautiful and unspoilt, and the Río Baker, which flows from the lake is world- renowned for excellent trout fishing.

Los Antiguos is a sleepy little place, but has a pleasant atmosphere, thanks largely to its warm microclimate, and it's certainly a nicer place to stay than Chile Chico or Perito Moreno. It's a rich fruit-growing area with a popular cherry festivalin early January (Fiesta Nacional de la Cereza), which attracts national folclorestars, and is a nice place to spend a day or two. While you're here, there are two local chacras (small farms) worth visiting. You can walk from the main street to Chacra Don Neno, where there are strawberries growing and jam for sale. You'd have to drive, or take a taxi, though, to the idyllic Chacra el Paraiso, where the charming owners make really exquisite jams and chutney.