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San Martin de los Andes
Reception and transfer from San Carlos Bariloche Airport to the hotel. |
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Quila Quina
Breakfat at the hotel.We leave behind the beautiful town San Martín de los Andes to go deeper into the Lanín National Park so as to visit one of the most wonderful places of this region: Quila Quina. It is located on the banks of the Lácar Lake and the road is a typical mountain road with fantastic sights. During the visit to this residential village, we arrive at the best beach of the zone next to the pier. In summer, with hot weather, people bathe in the lake. Towards the east there is an interpretation path: The Cipresal, a cypress legendary reserve. We can return navigating through the Lácar Lake and enjoying the landscape (optional)
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Huechulafquen y Epulafquen Lakes & Lanin Volcano
We set off to Junín de los Andes, a town located 40km away from San Martín de los Andes. There, in Junín, we will stroll around to know the church where the Vírgen de las Nieves (Snow Virgin) is situated. We continue towards the Huechulafquen and Paimún Lakes to appreciate a first class sight of the Lanín Volcano. We arrive at the gorge of the Río Chimehuín, this river is the most important one for fly fishing in the whole Patagonia. We walk around a transition area appreciating notros, maitenes and geological figures such as the Piedra la Virgen (Virgin Stone).
We enter the Andean-Patagonic forest going along the edge of the lake, where we observe a sub-antartctic jungle covered of coihues of more than 25m high, together with antique oaks and lengas (kind of Patagonic trees). The undergrowth is made of reeds, ñires, bushes introduced by the man, such as rosa mosqueta, apart from mutisias, amancay (lilies) and reina mora (a kind of berry). We continue towards the Lanín Volcano of over 3,500m, to approach the south base. We continue towards the Paimún Lake, and we will visit its chapel. When returning we will stop at the Río Rucu Leufú to appreciate another sight of the Lanín. Our last destination is the Saltillo Waterfall, having to walk almost half an hour through the Andean Patagonic forest.
Going back, in Puerto Canoa we can optionally take a ship to navigate along the extense lake. Once on board, on the north bank of the Huechulafquen we will go south to see the face of the Lanín Volcano of almost 3,800m high. The lakes with their frozen water can have over 400m depth and are of glacial origin. The Isla de los Chivos stands out of the lake. Towards the west, we arrive at the joint of the Huechulafquen and the Epulafquen rivers. The latter quite shallow and with legendary forests and snow-covered mountains where there is plenty of fauna due to the fact that man hasn´t made incursions nearby. The vessel arrives at the Escorial, a lava river in solid status, because of the eruption of the Achén Ñiyeu Volcano more than 480 years ago. As time went by, the lush vegetation covered this lava soil producing a midget forest or a bonsai forest, which doesn´t reach one meter of height.
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Termas de Lahuen-Co
Breakfast at the hotel. Day off to rest or take optional activities.
Epulafquen Lake & Lahuen-Co Thermae - OPTIONAL
We go to the Lolog Lake and to the Curruhue Chico and Grande Lakes, finding in this one an araucarias wood. Later we will pasa by the Green Lagoon, of particular characteristics, surrounding of the legendary Escorial of the Epulafquen Volcano y finally we will arrive at Lahuen-Co Thermae. The thermae lay on a deep valley surrounding by the mountains. The zone is made of soft and marshy land where a big amount of water flows to form the thermae. |
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Hua Hum next to the Yuco Beaches
Breakfast at the hotel. We start our excursion towards the frontier post with Chile, when going to the west, the Lácar Lake is constantly beside us. During the journey we can watch the rock structure Piedra Trompul and the Sabana and Colorado Mounts. After quite a while we arrive at Río Hua Hum and we cross it over a wooden bridge. There we walk to the Chachín Waterfall, these small falls are approximately of 30 meters high. During the journey we can see how the landscape goes changing from an Andean Patagonic forest to a Valdivian jungle. The last place of this itinerary is the Cristo de la Paz, then we return to San Martín de los Andes along the same route. There is a stop at La Peninsula del Yuco which is one of the most interesting beaches of the west bank of the Lácar Lake, with cristaline water and myrtle trees.
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7 Lakes Road & Villa La Angostura
Breakfast at the hotel. Just at the town of San Martín de los Andes is where the famous Seven Lake Route begins and it ends in the town of Bariloche. We set off around the edge of the Lácar Lake during almost 4km up to Paihuén. The landscape is composed of cypress, lengas, raulíes and oaks legendary forests. We stop at the Pil-Pil lookout point to enjoy an overwhelming sight of the Lácar Lake. The Chapelco Mountain range with its 2,200 meters high and the crystalline lakes of sweet water are always with us during the journey. As we go on, we arrive at the forked Arroyo Partido, which divides its water in branches into the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The second lake we see is the Machónico, then the Hermoso Lake where we abandon the Lanín National Park to continue along the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
We go through the Vullingñanco Waterfall with its important fall of over 20. To honour the lakes, we delight seeing the fourth and fifth lake: to the east the Villarino lake and to the west the Falkner lake. We leave the asphalted road and once on the gravel road, rougher and more natural, we get into a zone of Coihues forests, the Escondido lake is on our right with its fantastic emerald colour. The road takes us to the Pichi Traful lake and then we go around the edge of the Correntoso lake. Then we go into the zone of the Espejo Chico and the Ruca Malen lakes. Then the Espejo Grande lake up to the branch off to Chile by the Antonio Samoré crossing and turning to the left to get to Villa la Angostura. The piers on the Nahuel Huapi lake stand out, and the most important points are the small town and the Manzano Bay. We continue to Bariloche to end the journey.
Note: Depending on the flight back end on day 7 this program to take us the flight from San Carlos de Bariloche. If instead the flight leaves from San Martin de los Andes, we return to this beautiful mountain village.
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San Martin de los Andes
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to San Martin de los Andes Airport. |
