We know the city of Buenos Aires, the wonders of Iguazu Falls and the spectacular glaciers in El Calafate are likely to be on the itinerary for your trip to Argentina, but for those who wish to mix the tourist hotspots with less well-known destinations, we have a suggestion. One of the most bizarre places in Argentina, due to its unusual history and circumstances, is Villa Epecuén, a ghost town which resurfaced after twenty-five years underwater.

Villa Epecuén's golden days

Located in the Buenos Aires province, Villa Epecuén was once a mountain town surrounded by a salt lagoon, which was said to have therapeutic powers. By the late nineteenth century, the first residents and visitors started to arrive in Villa Epecuén and it soon became a bustling tourist resort, where people from all over the world would come to heal themselves in the soothing waters. In total, there were almost three hundred businesses, which included lodges, hotels, museums, spas and shops.

[caption id="attachment_1984" align="aligncenter" width="610"]People from all over the world would come to bathe in the salty waters / source People from all over the world would come to bathe in the salty waters / Source[/caption]

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Disaster strikes

Shortly after Villa Epecuén’s tourist industry boomed, an unusually high amount of rainfall began to affect the lake’s water level and it swelled so much that eventually the water broke through the rock and completely flooded the town. Its residents barely had time to grab their belongings, as the waters rose to 1.2 metres and, by 1993, Villa Epecuén was covered in 10 metres of salt water and had been totally abandoned.

[caption id="attachment_8666" align="aligncenter" width="610"]Villa Epecuén in ruin / Source Villa Epecuén in ruin / Source[/caption]

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The Ghost Town Resurfaces

From the mid to late 2000s, the climate changed drastically and Argentina began to experience exceptionally dry weather, including one of its worst droughts in years. The flood waters receded in Villa Epecuén and the town gradually resurfaced, exposing eerie ruins that were once homes and shops and which are now white from all the salt.

[caption id="attachment_6919" align="aligncenter" width="610"]The old buildings and trees have turned white from the salt The old buildings and trees have turned white from the salt / source[/caption]

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The Last Remaining Resident

Amazingly, one man, whose name is Pablo Novak, returned to Villa Epecuén once the water had almost entirely disappeared and is now its only remaining resident. He still walks around the town on a daily basis, where he reads the paper and meets occasional tourists who have come to marvel at the ruins, telling them stories of Villa Epecuén's past and present.

[caption id="attachment_6920" align="aligncenter" width="610"]Pablo Novak, the only remaining resident of Villa Epecuén Pablo Novak, the only remaining resident of Villa Epecuén / source[/caption] .

To visit the ruins of Argentina's ghost town yourself, you can take a bus from Buenos Aires to the neighbouring city of Carhue or fly in to the airport of Bahía Blanca.

Visit argentina4u.com for more interesting places in Argentina or to book tours and activities.

By: Milly Day – English Content Manager