26 Best Sights in The Lake District, Argentina

Traversing both land and lakes, this popular excursion allows you to see Chile and Argentina at their most pristine and can be done in either direction in one or two days. Travelers board a boat at Puerto Pañuelo, west of Bariloche, and cross to Puerto Blest, at the western extreme of Lago Nahuel Huapi. From there, a short bus ride takes you to Laguna Frías, a cold glacial lake that ices over in winter. After crossing to Puerto Frías on the opposite shore, you pass through Argentine customs, then board another bus that climbs through lush rainforest before descending to the lakeside stopover of Peulla. You'll clear Chilean customs just before reaching a lodge alongside Lago Todos los Santos, where you'll have time for lunch. You may then spend the night at the lodge (recommended) or head straight to Chile by catamaran from Peulla, enjoying volcano views along the way. (An overnight stay is mandatory in winter.) The boat trip ends at the port of Petrohué. From there, your final bus ride skirts Lago Llanquihue, stopping at the Petrohué waterfalls and arriving at last in the the town of Puerto Varas. Guides usually speak English, but to be on the safe side, do this trip with a tour group such as Cruce Andino.

This stunning national park is notable for having the highest concentration of lakes in Argentina. The largest of them, Lago Nahuel Huapi, covers 550 square km (212 square miles) and has eight arms—the longest of which runs 18 by 3 km (11 by 2 miles)—reaching deep into forests of coihue, cypress, and lenga trees. Intensely blue across its vast expanse and aqua green in its shallow bays, the lake meanders into lagoons and misty inlets where the mountains, covered with vegetation at their base, rise straight up out of the water.

Inside the park, nearly every water sport imaginable can be arranged through travel agencies, tour offices, or hotels. Boating is particularly popular, with options ranging from a placid Isla Victoria outing to challenging white-water rafting adventures. Information offices throughout the park offer tips about tackling the miles of mountain and woodland trails. For the more enterprising, small towns like Villa La Angostura and Villa Traful afford opportunities for off-the-tourist-trail explorations on foot or horseback. Since most of the park is at a low elevation (under 1,829 meters, or 6,000 feet), getting around in winter is not difficult—just cold. Visits in other seasons bring the rewards of spring flowers, long summer days, and spectacular fall foliage.

Found only in this part of the Andes, the ancient Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle) tree grows to 30 meters (100 feet) and has long spiny branches. Cones the size of bowling balls are full of pinon nuts that provide nourishment to the Mapuche, who call these trees pehuenes. The northern portion of the park near Lago Huechulafquen and Aluminé is one of the best places to view these peculiar giants.

In February, the Bolsón International Jazz Festival brings music to streets and restaurants around town. The Fiesta Nacional de Lúpolo (National Hop Festival) is celebrated the same month.

About 1 km (½ mile) from the base of Cerro Piltriquitrón, you'll find fire-damaged beech trees that have been carved over the years by 13 notable Argentine artists. Thirty-one monumental sculptures transform the dead forest into a living gallery. Tours can be arranged through local agencies.

This thriving family farm not only makes scrumptious jams, juices, and sweets, it also gives free tours of the grounds where its organic fruits are cultivated. At the tour's end, there's a long table lined with little jam pots, so you can sample the 40 different flavors before making your purchase.

Head 20 km (12 miles) north of El Bolsón to see the Cascada de la Virgen, one of the area's loveliest waterfalls. It's most impressive in spring, when the runoff from the mountain descends in a series of three cascades visible from the road from Bariloche.

Ten km (6 miles) north of El Bolsón, this 20-meter (66-foot) waterfall—its Mapuche name means "flooded meadow"—is surrounded by woods and makes a nice picnic spot. It's close to El Quincho de Danilo restaurant, so if you go around lunchtime, you can feast on cordero patagónico (roast lamb) after your visit.

For an aerial view of Bariloche and its environs, hoist yourself up the 1,405 meters (4,608 feet) to the top of Cerro Otto. A little red cable car owned by Teleférico Cerro Otto will carry you there in about 12 minutes, and all ticket proceeds go to local hospitals.  A free shuttle bus leaves every hour on the half-hour from the corner of Cls. Mitre and Villegas. You can also hike or bike to the top, or drive from Bariloche on a gravel road. In winter, cross-country skis and sleds are available for rent; in summer, hiking and mountain biking are the main activities. There's also a revolving restaurant serving goulash and charcuterie boards, the Confitería Giratoria, on the summit. For a real thrill, try soaring out over the lake in a paraglider.

The Mapuche name of this 2,260-meter (7,415-foot) granite ridge means "mountain hung with clouds," which is a fair description of the peak itself. What it leaves out, however, is the array of sights and activities to be enjoyed on the way up: miradores, a paragliding pad, the Bosque Tallado, and a homey refugio (cabin) run by Club Andino Piltriquitrón where you can rest at the halfway mark. In summer, the lodge is surrounded by wildflowers, but in every season, the views extend all the way to Lago Puelo and the Chilean border.

This 3,491-meter (11,500-foot) extinct volcano—the highest mountain in the northern Lake District—straddles the frontier with Chile, with peaks on either side. Home to eight different glaciers, it owes its name ("Thunder Hill") to the icy seracs that periodically crash down from its slopes.

A visit to Cerro Tronador is an all-day affair, traversing some 170 km (105 miles) round trip from Bariloche. To get there, take Ruta Nacional 40 south along the shores of Lagos Gutiérrez and Mascardi; between the two lakes, the road crosses from the Atlantic to the Pacific watershed. At Km 35, turn right onto Ruta Provincial 82, which is unpaved and marked "Tronador" and "Los Rápidos"; very soon you'll hit the pay station to enter Parque Nahuel Huapi. From there, continue along the shores of Lago Mascardi until the road forks about 6 km (4 miles) on. The left branch is Ruta Provincial 81, which goes to Lago Hess and Cascada Los Alerces—a detour you might want to take on your way out. Your path, however, lies to the right, which takes you the 40 km (25 miles) to the foot of Cerro Tronador itself.  

After crossing Los Rápidos Bridge, the roadway narrows; note that it’s one way inbound between 10:30 am and 2 pm, one way outbound between 4 pm and 6 pm, and two ways from 7:30 pm to 9 am. The lake ends in a narrow arm (Brazo Tronador) at the Hotel Tronador, which has a dock for tours arriving by boat. From there, the path follows the Río Manso to Pampa Linda, which has a lodge, restaurant, park ranger's office, campsite, and trailhead for the climb up to the Refugio Otto Meiling at the snow line. Guided horseback rides can be organized at the lodge. The road ends 7 km (4½ miles) beyond Pampa Linda in a parking lot that was once at the tip of the receding Ventisquero Negro (Black Glacier). As the glacier flows down from the mountain, the dirt and black sediment of its lateral moraines get ground up and cover its frozen core. At first glance, it's hard to imagine the tons of ice that lie beneath its black cap.

This is the brewery that started the Patagonian cerveza artesanal craze, and even if it's now the least artesanal of the bunch, it's still a local landmark. Every night from December through March, and Thursdays through Sundays the rest of the year, the brewery's tasting room turns into a hopping bar and restaurant, where picadas (tapas-like plates of appetizers), pizzas, sausages with sauerkraut, and hearty goulash are served alongside a variety of custom brews running from blonde to black. The lush grounds have a campsite out back.

Founded in the 1880s by Swiss immigrants, this small settlement on the shores of Lago Perito Moreno is a popular detour for those doing the Circuito Chico. The village is plenty touristy, with its food stands, artisanal-beer trucks, and shops selling tchotchkes, but it's worth a visit on Wednesdays and Sundays for a lunch of curanto, a traditional Patagonian preparation in which beef, lamb, sausage, and vegetables are cooked over hot stones in an earthen hole. There's also frequently live music, and strolling in the surrounding woods is lovely.

In the market for a troll marionette? Or a braided bracelet? How about a tree-trunk pyrography map of Patagonia, or fresh raspberry marmalade? If such whimsies tickle your fancy, El Bolsón's artisans' fair is the place for you. Dating from the 70s and held every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in Plaza Pagano, it's a place to stroll, sip a local craft beer, and dig the mellowness that someone put into the town's water. The food stands (and trucks) alone are reason enough to drop in.

The most popular excursion on Lago Nahuel Huapi is the 30-minute boat ride from Puerto Pañuelo on the Llao Llao Peninsula to Isla Victoria, the lake's largest island. Here, amidst a grove of redwoods transplanted from California, trails branch off to enchanting views of emerald bays and still lagoons. When you've taken it all in, you can reboard your vessel and continue on to the Parque Nacional los Arrayanes to the north. Launches depart daily at 10:30 am and 2 pm (more frequently in high season). The earlier departure includes time for lunch in a cafeteria on the island. Cau Cau is one of several firms offering this tour.  

Famed revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara spent several nights in this converted barn while making his trans-continental motorcycle journey across Latin America back in 1952. Today the building houses a small but interesting museum, with information in English and Spanish and some rare footage of Che's life. 

Covering some 100 square km (40 square miles), this azure mirror is the largest of Parque Nacional Lanín's 24 lakes. It's also one of the prettiest, offering woods, beaches, and views of snowy Volcán Lanín from every part of the vicinity. Boat cruises of the lake and of neighboring Lago Epulafquen depart from Puerto Canoa on the northwestern shore, and there are abundant campgrounds all along the perimeter. Popular treks include those to El Saltillo waterfall in the north, and to El Escorial, a petrified river of black lava, to the southwest. The lake is a two-hour drive from San Martín de los Andes.

This mirador (scenic overlook) isn't easy to get to: from town, you'll need to hike, mountain bike, or drive 5 km (3 miles) up a steep hill through a cypress-and-oak forest to the summit. Once there, however, you’ll be rewarded with a view of San Martín's environs and scintillating Lago Lácar. The chance to visit Paraje Trompul—a Mapuche community that’s home to about 40 families—is an added bonus. After taking a snack break in the quincho (café) and perusing the weavings and wood carvings for sale, you can continue another 5 km (3 miles) to Playa La Islita, a small, rocky island in the middle of of the lake.

If you're walking, take Av. San Martín to the lake, turn right, cross the bridge behind the waterworks plant over the creek, and then head uphill on a path around the mountain. By car, take Ruta Provincial 48 northwest out of town for about 4 km (3 miles) to a turnoff (there's no sign) on your left. After the turn, continue to Comunidad Mapuche Curruhuinca, where you'll pay a small fee to visit the lookout.

This small museum highlights the social and geological history of northern Patagonia through displays of Indian and gaucho artifacts and exhibits on regional flora and fauna. The stories of the Mapuche and the Conquista del Desierto (Conquest of the Desert) are told in detail.

Sitting quietly next to the local tourist office, this pioneers' museum occupies the tiny lodge that once served as San Martín's original city-council building. It's dedicated mainly to Mapuche ceramics and weavings, though a collection of 13,000-year-old tools and fossils gives an idea of prehistoric life in the region.

Squirreled away beside the Cajón del Azul reserve, at the confluence of the Ríos Sur and Blanco, this brewery is famous for both its craft beer and its spectacular location. It was founded by Shea Jordan in 2015, and since then has become one of El Bolsón’s most popular spots. Hikers stop by after a long day in the mountains to enjoy blends such as coconut stout, as well as for the brewery’s hearty cheddar-and-bondiola fries. There's even a hops plantation on site. Getting there is difficult—only four-wheel vehicles can access the road—but you can stop at the campsite Chacra Wharton and walk the rest of the 2-km (1-mile) path on foot. Be warned: the return journey is uphill. 

At 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level, this park’s titular lake has (relatively) warm water for swimmers, plentiful fish stocks for anglers, plus a selection of on-the-water excursions for boaters. Hiking options abound in the area as well—the most interesting of which are at the west end of the lake on the Chilean border.

Lago Nahuel Huapi's entire Quetrihué Peninsula, with its unique forest of arrayanes (myrtle trees), is protected by the Parque Nacional los Arrayanes. These trees absorb so much water through their thin skins that all other vegetation around them dies, leaving a barren thicket of peeling, cinnamon-colored trunks. A stroll along the park's wide wooden steps and walkways is a memorable experience, as light filters through the twisted, naked trunks, projecting a weird red glow. You can make this excursion from the pier at Bahía Brava in Villa La Angostura, or by boat from Bariloche via Isla Victoria. In summer, you can take a three-hour walk or cycle through the forest, after registering at the guardaparque office (ranger station) near the pier.  Leave in the morning, as the park entrance closes at 2 pm (11 am in winter). A nice way to optimize your time is to go by boat and come back by bike--this way, the return stretch is all downhill. If returning by boat, buy your ticket back at the pier before you leave.

Easy access and a family-friendly atmosphere have made Playa Catritre one of the most popular beaches in San Martín. Situated on the south side of Lago Lácar, 5 km (3 miles) from the town center, it's a great spot to enjoy a dip in the calm, clear lake waters while admiring the views of Cerro Bandurrias. Oak trees provide shade for picnics, and activities for children are available. A Mapuche-run campground is nearby. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Situated in a Mapuche village, this small lakeside beach is a tourist hotspot: ferries cart in throngs of visitors from San Martín five times a day. (It's possible to arrive by car, but be prepared for a steep descent to the rocky beach.) Crowds aside, the area is perfect for swimming and enjoying the panoramic views of Lago Lácar. Not far from the shore, a trail leads to a small waterfall named Arroyo Grande. To reach Quila Quina, turn off Ruta 234 2 km (1 mile) before the road to Catritre and take Ruta 108 west. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Rising 3,773 meters (12,378 feet) in solitary, snow-clad splendor on the western horizon, this dormant stratovolcano towers over the area and is visible from every direction. It sits on the Chilean border, with Lanín National Park on one side and Chile's Villarica National Park on the other. The closest Argentine access is from Junín, but the northern route to Paso Tromen also offers endless photo ops through the tangled branches of the araucaria trees. You can climb Lanín in three to four days round trip with a guide.