Riding into the dusty frontier-town of Cholila, you'll feel like you've been transported back to the American Wild West — it's no wonder Butch Cassidy and his mate, the Sundance Kid, once made this place their hideout. Located in the eastern foothills of the Andes, on the fringe of the vast Patagonian steppe, the town is a popular launchpad for visitors heading to Los Alerces National Park.
The residents of Cholila are proud asadores. On weekends and holidays, lucky visitors might be invited to join local families at an asado, where the main dish is freshly slaughtered, slow-cooked cordero. Each February, meat-masters from all over Argentina flock to Cholila for the town's massive festival, La Fiesta Nacional del Asado.
Best in Cholila
Eat
La Fiesta Nacional del Asado
Each February, Cholila hosts la Fiesta Nacional del Asado. In 2015, over 25,000 kilograms of meat (~100 cows and 600 lambs) were part of the main dish. The festival also includes horse rides, races and musical performances.
Stay
Hostel Piuke Mapu
Small hostel located on the southwestern border of town. Clean; good wifi; fully-equipped kitchen. Friendly and informative owners (Dario and Laura). Only a short walk to Cholila’s central plaza.
History Spotlight
Butch Cassidy's Hideout
In 1901, the notorious train and bank robber Robert Leroy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy), along with accomplices, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid) and Etta Place (Longabaugh's female companion) traveled from New York City to Buenos Aires, Argentina, aboard the British steamer Herminius. From Buenos Aires, they traveled south to Chubut.
The three purchased and settled in a four-room log cabin on a 15,000-acre (61 km2) ranch on the east bank of the Río Blanco, 12 km north of Cholila.
In February 1905, two English-speaking bandits, who may have been Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, held up a bank in Río Gallegos, 700 miles (1,100 km) southeast of Cholila. In May that same year, perhaps fearing that their location had been compromised, the trio sold the Cholila ranch and headed north toward Bariloche.
The cabin was restored in 2007 and is open to the public.
The Sundance Kid (front left) and Butch Cassidy (front right) in 1900.
Bike route from Cholila to Trevelin