Ride the Old Patagonian Express

Riding the Old Patagonian Express offers a living museum experience that surpasses any other heritage rail journey in Patagonia. This narrow-gauge steam train chugs through arid steppe landscapes, keeping alive the construction-era legacy from 1908, when it connected Bariloche to Ingeniero Jacobacci. Over a 3-hour run, passengers witness guanacos and rheas alongside weathered wooden cars that have remained largely unchanged for over a century. Unlike the scenic but shorter Tren de la Costa, this route provides 120 kilometers of raw wilderness with onboard narration detailing early 20th-century railroad engineering. The train's steam engine, restored with original parts in 2023, huffs and hisses past rustic stations at a maximum speed of 30 km/h, allowing unhurried views of the Nahuel Huapi National Park's eastern fringe. It is 40% cheaper than the premium Nahuelito catamaran cruise and feels far more authentic, earning its reputation as a rolling time capsule.