What Trevelin is, the Welsh history behind it, what to see, the spring tulip fields, the road to Chile and the rivers around it, from a lodge to the north.
Trevelin is a small town in the Andes of western Chubut, about 25 kilometers south of Esquel, in a wide valley with the Chilean border a short drive to the west. It is one of the places in Patagonia where the Welsh settlement is still easy to see: in the place names, the tea houses, the mills and the language classes still taught in the valley. Our lodge is about two hours north in the Cholila valley, and Trevelin makes a full day out from there.
Planning a trip to this corner of Chubut?
Tell us your dates and what you want to do, and we will tell you honestly how a stay with us fits with time in Trevelin and Esquel.
A town named for a mill
Trevelin comes from the Welsh Trefelin, which means mill town. Welsh settlers landed on the Atlantic coast of Chubut in 1865, and in the 1880s some of them pushed west up the Chubut river to the foot of the Andes, to the valley they called Cwm Hyfryd, the pleasant valley. The town grew up around the flour mill they built to grind the valley's wheat.
The old mill building now houses the Museo Regional Molino Andes. Outside town, the Nant Fach mill museum is a family-run replica of the original mill, with guided visits through how it worked.
Cartref Taid, the house of the settler John Daniel Evans, is kept as a museum by his descendants, and the grave of his horse Malacara is there too. The story of how that horse carried him to safety is one of the best-known stories in the valley, and hearing it told by the family is worth the stop.
The 1902 plebiscite
At the start of the 1900s the border between Argentina and Chile in this part of the Andes was still in dispute, and a British boundary commission came to the valley to help settle it. On April 30, 1902, the settlers met the commission at School No. 18 on the Río Corintos and made clear they wanted to stay Argentine. It is remembered as a plebiscite, though it was not a ballot-box vote.
The valley stayed in Argentina, and April 30 is still a provincial holiday in Chubut, marked every year at the old school outside town.
Things to see around Trevelin
Nant y Fall. Southwest of town on Route 259, a provincial reserve protects a chain of waterfalls in native forest, with short trails and walkways out to the viewpoints. It is an easy half day and a natural stop on the road toward the border.
The tulip fields. Every spring a farm on Route 259, about 13 kilometers from town, fills a field with more than a million tulips in front of the snow-covered Andes. It opens in early October and closes in early November, and the best weeks are usually from mid-October into early November. Dates shift a little each year with the weather, so check before you plan around it. If you are arriving for the start of the fishing season on November 1, you may catch the end of the bloom.
Welsh tea. Trevelin's tea houses serve the Welsh tea the settlers' descendants kept going, with breads, jams and torta negra, a dense dark fruit cake.
Vineyards. A few small vineyards around Trevelin open for tastings in season.
Rivers near Trevelin
Trevelin is fishing country too. The Futaleufú, called the Río Grande on this side of the border, runs past the valley on its way into Chile, and smaller rivers and streams come down from the mountains around town.
Our own water is further north: four waters in the Cholila valley, all a short drive from the lodge. Our guide to the rivers of Argentine Patagonia shows how the rivers of this part of Chubut fit together, and our post on fly fishing near Esquel covers the valley we fish. Wherever you fish, you need a permit; our guide to the Argentina fishing license explains how it works.
Getting to Trevelin and across to Chile
Trevelin is about 25 kilometers south of Esquel, and Esquel's airport has flights from Buenos Aires. Route 259 continues west from Trevelin to the Paso Futaleufú border crossing, under 40 kilometers away, and the small Chilean town of Futaleufú, known for its whitewater rafting, sits just beyond it. Check border hours and paperwork before you go.
From the Cholila valley, Trevelin is about two hours south by road, which makes it a full day out with a stop at the waterfalls. Trevelin is one of the gateways to Los Alerces National Park, and it sits inside the path of the February 6, 2027 annular eclipse; our guide to the 2027 eclipse has the details.
Riding from the Cholila Valley
Not everyone who comes to Trevelin is here to fish. La Pilarica runs horseback rides from the lodge in the Cholila valley, on horses suited to the local climate and terrain. If you're traveling with an angler, one of you can ride while the other fishes. The horseback riding page has what a ride looks like and how to book one.
Plan a week in this corner of Patagonia
Send us your dates and what you want to do, and we will tell you how a stay in the Cholila valley fits with time in Trevelin.
How far is Trevelin from Esquel?+
About 25 kilometers south, a short drive on paved road.
Why is Trevelin Welsh?+
It was settled by Welsh colonists who came west from the Chubut valley in the late 1800s. The name means mill town in Welsh, after the flour mill they built.
When can you see the tulips in Trevelin?+
The tulip field opens in early October and closes in early November, with the best bloom usually from mid-October into early November.
Can you cross into Chile from Trevelin?+
Yes, through the Paso Futaleufú border crossing on Route 259, west of town. The Chilean town of Futaleufú is just across the border.