Good times for everyone. If you like fly fishing, or just seat back and enjoy a delicious trout. If you’re an athlete and you prefer kayaking, hiking, rafting, horseback riding, climb a volcano or just enjoy one of the beautiful lakes or waterfall… This trip is for you.
It all starts in San Martin de los Andes, southwest of the province of Neuquen, in the Andes and Patagonia, on the eastern shore of Lake Lacar.
CLASSICS TO DO ABSOLUTELY
Route of the Seven Lakes
Traveling on the National Highway 40, for 107 km, you can see the 7 lakes that give the name to the route, in the order from San Martín de los Andes to Villa La Angostura. These are:
Lácar, Machónico, Falkner, Villarino, Lago Escondido, Correntoso y Espejo
To complete the list, lakes Lolog and Huechulafquen that are recognized worldwide for the quality of the trout fished there.
Quila Quina
Touristic town with beaches that can be enjoyed during the month of February, where temperatures can reach 22 °C.
Volcan Lanin
At an altitude of 3776 meters, this volcano is no longer active since the eighteenth century, but it is included in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its south face is covered with large glaciers, but it is relatively easy to climb the north face.
Chapelco
Ski and Snowboard Centre, consisting of 22 tracks, 1,980 meters and 10 lifts.
the Mapuche
In the Lanin National Park there are 7 Mapuche communities who occupy 24,000 hectares
Currently, textiles and woodwork are the main handicrafts that they make with techniques inherited from generation to generation.
The current social structure of indigenous communities
The common form is patriarchy: the father is a strong figure who works and supports the household economy. The mother makes handmade textiles, breed poultry and administrate the sales of the two. From their earliest years children work in helping to farming, or animal breeding. Cohabitation is common, but there are also legal unions. The linguistic unit (Mapuche) strongly influenced the organization of communities. Chieftaincy remains the main form of leadership and direction.
Several communities open their doors to tourists to show their agricultural activities, livestock, crafts and daily life.
POLO
Obviously, the polo is present in the region:
A military field of polo, snow polo tournaments in Chapelco during the winter season, and if you still had doubts about weither taking this trip or not, here’s a place that stands out of the crowd and should most definitely decide you:
El Desafio Mountain Resort
www.eldesafioresort.com
Sponsored by Ellerstina Polo, here is an unforgettable place to enjoy the best Patagonian polo in the style of the best fields in the country.
The Polo Club, with its two authorized fields in excellent condition, also provides training sessions all weekends and games during the summer continuing until the end of the season.
El Desafio Mountain Resort is located on a mountain of 1040 hectares in the heart of the Corredor de los Lagos near the Lanin National Park. The resort also has an equestrian center, two polo fields designed by Alexander Battro and the first golf course designed by Greg Norman in South America (under construction) not to mention 600 hectares of natural reserve.
HOUSING
Although there are many cottages available for rent in the region, Poloconsult highly recommends:
Lugar soñado
www.lugarsoniado.com.ar
Under the leadership of Sandra Sichi, the cottages are located on Lake Lácar, 3 minutes from the commercial center of the city where you will find everything you need. The center has six fully equipped cottages. Hurry up and book in advance to enjoy the fabulous view of the lake Lacar, while enjoying a delicious hot chocolate.
Have a look at the pictures of this magnificent region:
