The blue lake
In the steppe.
Katherinemanquepan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antur — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Katherinemanquepan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gonce — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Katherinemanquepan — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Florentino Ameghino Dam stands on the Chubut river in the heart of the Patagonian plateau, about 140 kilometres west of Trelew. It is named after the Argentine scientist Florentino Ameghino, and descendants of the valley's Welsh settlers call it «Yr Argae», «the dam». It was built to protect the lower valley's villages from the river's floods, irrigate farms and generate power. The place surprises because it appears suddenly in the bare steppe: a long blue lake behind the dam, and below it a narrow canyon walled with tall red rock, where the river runs clear green. Visitors come for trout fishing, walking and climbing on the rock walls, and to relax on the riverbanks by the small neighbouring village. Visiting is free. The road from Trelew through the river valley is lovely and pairs in a day with the Welsh town of Gaiman.
In the steppe.
Tall walls.
Trout fishing.
Chubut river, about 140 km west of Trelew, Chubut
Fish for trout, walk and climb in the red canyon below the dam, and relax by the river.