Esquel is the home station for “La Trochita,” a historic narrow gauge railway known in English as “The Old Patagonian Express.” Esquel is also known for its ski area, “La Hoya,” and as a gateway city to Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO protected reserve featuring some of the oldest trees in South America.

At 402 km (250 mi) in length, it is said to be the only narrow-gauge long-distance line in operation and the southernmost railway in the world.

The train remains authentic and in operation thanks to the effort of the team of workers at Talleres Ferroviarios El Maiten, that make several parts by hand.

Trains now run as a tourist excursion between Esquel and the small settlement of Nahuel Pan, located at the foot of the volcano of the same name, with other services all the way to El Maitén.

Their hospital is the primary one for the zone and is often a destination for "Medical Tourism" from both foreigners and Porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) alike.

[1] In May 2009, Esquel was twinned with Aberystwyth in Wales; with representatives of the Welsh town traveling to Argentina to participate in the signing of a charter formalising the link.

In 1951 a farmer found a 755 kilograms (1,664 lb) meteorite, later called Esquel, while digging a hole for a water tank.

[3][5] Spring and fall are transition seasons featuring mild temperatures during the day and cool to cold nights.

[3][4] Esquel receives an average annual precipitation of 504.2 millimetres (20 in) a year; much of it being concentrated in the winter months.