Caviahue-Copahue

Caviahue and Copahue sit a few kilometres apart on the flanks of the Copahue volcano in northern Neuquén, in a landscape of monkey puzzle forest, black lava and steaming ground. Caviahue is the year-round village, on the shore of Lago Caviahue, with a small ski area on the volcano's slopes and trails in summer to a chain of waterfalls on the Agrio river and to hundred-year-old araucaria stands. Copahue, higher and buried under snow for much of the winter, exists for its thermal waters: a spa complex draws on hot springs, sulphur mud, green algae pools and steam vents fed directly by the volcano, and treatments are taken under medical supervision through a season that runs roughly from December to April.

What you actually see

• The thermal complex - hot springs, sulphur mud and steam vents at Copahue.
• The volcano - the active Copahue cone above both villages.
• The waterfalls - the chain of falls on the Agrio river near Caviahue.
• The araucaria forest - old monkey puzzle stands around the lake.

When to go

December to April for the Copahue spa season, which closes when snow takes the village; July to September for skiing at Caviahue. Access roads are long and partly gravel, and winter storms can close them.

Honest expectations

Copahue is essentially shut outside its spa season. The volcano is genuinely active and has forced evacuations and ash alerts in recent years, occasionally suspending access. The waters smell strongly of sulphur, and treatments are booked in advance.

Nearby

Loncopué and Zapala lie on the approach; the Chilean border is close to the west.