Villa Pehuenia or Moquehue: how to choose where to stay

It’s one of the first questions people ask before they know the area: are Villa Pehuenia and Moquehue the same place, or do you have to pick one? The short answer is that they’re sister towns, just 23 km apart by road, that together form a single destination within the Aluminé department, Neuquén.

Same destination, two different lakes

Villa Pehuenia sits on the shore of Lake Aluminé. Moquehue sits on the lake that shares its name. Both lakes connect at a spot called La Angostura, so you can easily see both landscapes on the same trip.

Villa Pehuenia: where most of what you’ll need is

Villa Pehuenia has the area’s commercial center and civic center — just 1 km apart — with grocery stores, a pharmacy, a health center, a gas station, and the Paseo de los Artesanos craft market. It’s also the only one of the two towns with a natural gas network (supplied by tanker trucks); the other relies on bottled gas or wood heating.

It’s also where Neukenia hosts most of its guests, on the shore of Lake Aluminé — the base for the packages we put together with sailing, trekking to the mountain dome, and the area’s food experiences.

Moquehue: the quieter option

Moquehue has a more rustic, quiet character, with no gas network and fewer shops and services — ideal for anyone looking to disconnect a notch further. Many travelers base themselves in Villa Pehuenia and set aside a day to explore Moquehue, since the distance between them is short.

So, which one should you pick?

If you’d rather have services nearby and a more active home base, go with Villa Pehuenia. If you’re after something more secluded and quiet, Moquehue adds a different chapter to the trip. The good news is it’s not an either-or decision: with only 23 km between them, you can experience the whole region from a single base.

Want help planning the route based on what you’re looking for? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll work it out together, or take a look at our packages to get a sense of price and what’s included.