San Martín de los Andes

San Martín de los Andes sits at the eastern end of Lago Lácar, hemmed in by forested mountains, and it has kept a tight rein on its own appearance: building codes require timber and stone in an alpine idiom, so the town looks coherent in a way few Argentine resorts do. The lake beach runs right up to the main street, boats leave for Quila Quina and Hua Hum on the Chilean border, and the Chapelco ski area, twenty kilometres south, gives it a winter season alongside the summer one. It is the northern anchor of the Ruta de los Siete Lagos and the main base for Lanín national park, with trekking, fly fishing, mountain biking and rafting all organised from the town.

History

Before the town the Chapelco valley was thinly settled by Puelche people, who wintered here and since colonial times had traded horses across the Andes for weapons and drink, supplying the isolated Spanish outpost of Valdivia, until the Argentine and Chilean campaigns of the later 19th century ended that trade. German settlers in southern Chile who bought leather from the native communities began crossing the Andes themselves after the Argentine army displaced those communities in the 1880s, and several set up cattle and trading businesses around the Lácar and Nahuel Huapi lakes. In 1898 a military expedition founded the town as an outpost to secure Argentine sovereignty amid border disputes with Chile, and it lived from logging and livestock until Lanín National Park opened in 1937 and tourism took over (Wikipedia, San Martín de los Andes).

What you'll find

• Lago Lácar - the lake beach at the foot of the main street, with boat trips.
• The timber town - alpine-style architecture enforced by local building codes.
• Chapelco - the ski area and summer chairlift with views to Lanín volcano.
• The Seven Lakes start - the scenic road running south toward Villa La Angostura.

When to go

December to March for hiking, lakes and long days; July to September for skiing at Chapelco. Shoulder seasons are quiet and cheap, with autumn colour in April and May. Summer and winter holidays fill accommodation.

Practical notes

The town is expensive by Argentine standards, and peak-season prices and crowds are considerable. Weather in the lake district changes fast, with rain possible any day. Popular trails and the Seven Lakes road are busy in January.

Nearby

Junín de los Andes and Lanín park lie north; the Seven Lakes road runs south.

Key facts