Sierra de la Ventana

Sierra de la Ventana is a small town in the district of Tornquist, in the southwest of the province of Buenos Aires.

Understand

Sierra de la Ventana is the main gateway to the Sierras the Ventania mountain region with peaks up to 1,239 m altitude. It is a resort town with numerous nature-based activities and plenty of accommodation and services.

Climate

The weather is mild and dry in the summer, while in winter snow usually falls in the region, giving it a beautiful view.

Get in

By car

From Buenos Aires, it is a 556 km drive. You can take National Route 3 to San Miguel del Monte, then you can change at the junction with National Route 226 to Olavarria, after that you take Provincial Route 76 to the intersection and there you go on Provincial Route 72 to Sierra de la Ventana.

By train

The railway route between Buenos Aires (Constitución station) and Bahía Blanca, which served Sierra de la Ventana directly, was suspended in 2016. It has since been restored, but the train no longer stops in Sierra de la Ventana. The train now stops in Tornquist, about 40 km. west of the town, where you have to take a bus.

By bus

El Condor or La Estrella bus companies connect Buenos Aires (Retiro bus station), La Plata and Bahía Blanca to Sierra de la Ventana.

By Plane

The nearest airport is the Aeropuerto Comandante Espora in Bahía Blanca. From this city, you have 108 km to Sierra de la Ventana on RP 76 by car, bus or minibus.

Get around

Sierra de la Ventana is a small city so you can go everywhere on foot. But if you want to go to Villa Ventana, a small and picturesque, though a little over-touristy village full of crafts and guided tours, you can go on foot, take a minibus or a taxi, it is only 7 km away.

There are other places to visit. There is a small town, Saldungaray. 8 km from Sierra de la Ventana. You can see the river Sauce Grande with its dike there is also an old Fortin Pavónand a winery.

See

Nature is the most beautiful attraction.

Do

There are many activities you can do to enjoy nature. In Sierra de la Ventana most activities can be done outdoors and in contact with nature, like ecotourism in the Eco Park Kooch, fly fishing rainbow trout in río Sauce Grande, trekking, climbing the hills Ventana and Tres Picos, horseback riding, mountain biking, golfing, hay canopying, paragliding and delta wing flying. And if you like hunting, you can't do it too but in the right season.

Cerro de La Ventana

Ventana hill is the main attraction with a height of 1,134 m. It is located north-west of the town near RP 76. Its name comes from a rock formation near the peak which resembles a window. When you reach the top of the hill, you have a beautiful view of all the region. At the foot of the hill there is the provincial park Ernesto Tornquist, where the main tours of the area are provided. The tours include guided climbing the Ventana hill (you need good physical condition), trekking to the Garganta del Diablo (only with guide) where you can see small waterfalls, and also you can go trekking to the natural pools and Garganta Olvidada. Tres Picos hill is the highest peak of the region and the whole Buenos Aires province (1,239 m) and is located south-west of the town.

• Cerro de La Ventana Trail (green). Distance: 9.4 km, hilly to steep. Duration: 4-6 hr. Grade: medium. Recommended: comfortable clothes and hiking boots; not recommended during rain.
  This is an interesting hike due to the picturesque mountain and surrounding region. The trail follows the waterfall trail first, and later keeps following the ridge directly to the top. It might look quite steep from the bottom but there are actually many large rocks with good grip. Hence, you are barely required to use your hands to hike up the trail. Nevertheless, stay clear of any mountain edges and remain along the ridge.
  If you want to do the trail with overnighting, camping at the foot of the waterfall (not during expected rain) or about 800 m down the river from there is recommended. Use OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz leverage, to display the camping marker and trails.
  Download coordinates: GPX, KML. (In case, the path coordinates are not a complete round track anymore, get the GPS trail points on Wikimedia Commons (geojson).)  

Buy

You can buy regional products like cheese and home-made smoked chorizos, jams, preserves, chocolates, crafts from Villa Ventana and wine from Saldungaray.

Eat and drink

There are many restaurants to go to, with good food and offering different prices.

Sleep

You have many options to choose from, because accommodation is varied, including hotels, spas, resorts, apart hotels, B & Bs, hostels, cabins and camping sites.

• La Flor Azul B&B, Coronel Suarez 287 - Villa Arcadia - Sierra de la Ventana, ☏ +54 291 491-5677, laflorazul1@live.com.ar. Located in the beautiful town of Villa Arcadia, next to Sierra de la Ventana, surrounded only by nature.