Zapala

Introducing Zapala

Taking its name as an adaptation of the Mapuche word Chapadla (dead swamp), Zapala got off to a bad start, image-wise. Not much has changed. This is a humble little place where the locals amuse themselves with walks up and down the main street, punctuated by lengthy pauses on street corners.

The main excuse for rolling through town is to visit the nearby Parque Nacional Laguna Blanca, with its awesome array of birdlife, or to take advantage of the town’s bus connections for the rarely visited northern reaches of the Lake District.

Zapala’s main drag is Av San Martín, which is an exit off the roundabout junction of RN 22 (which heads east to Neuquén and north to Las Lajas) and RN 40 (heading southwest to Junín de los Andes and north to Chos Malal).

Last updated: Nov 24, 2010