Iintroduction:

San Martín de los Andes is a typical mountain village, located in the south of Neuquén Province, and 1650 kilometres away from the Federal Capital – Buenos Aires.

This village is situated over the edge of Lake Lácar, and it offers everything that’s necessary to satisfy the visitors: a privileged natural environment, including Lanín National Park; attractive tourist circuits; and it’s also part of Route 40 Corridor, which links Argentina from north to south across the Andes Mountains.

Both the conservation of the natural environment and the image of the mountain village shape an area of high environmental quality.

What to visit:

City tour: This is the first thing you can do to settle in San Martín de los Andes. You can go for a fun walk, visiting historical buildings and the riverfront area. 

Trekking and Hiking: For those who enjoy nature. At the surroundings of the village there are many circuits and paths that go through unique landscapes and that allow the interpretation of nature – For example, the “Huella Andina Path”. You can also visit the famous Lanín National Park – San Martín de los Andes is the access door to this park, which has an extentsion of 412.000 hectares. It is only at this area of the Andes Mountains that you can find some national arboreal species. This protected area offers many paths to take a hike – Each one of them has a different level of difficulty.

Route 40: You can’t miss the famous “Route of the 7 Lakes”. San Martín de los Andes is located at one of the terminal points of this route, which links San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura. The “Route of the 7 Lakes” is one of the most impressive roads in Patagonia.

Hua Hum: A recommended lacustrine tour which starts every day at the riverfront. This tour invites you to know the heart of San Martín de los Andes, the Lake Lácar and the Lake Nonthue, which are surrounded by the most stunning landscapes. This tour visits four pints: Quila Quina, Chachin Cascade, Santa Teresita Island and Hua Hum.

Chapelco Hill: In winter you can enjoy the snow season at Chapelco. Many tourists come to San Martín de los Andes during winter holidays to visit one of the most important and historical ski centers in Argentina. Chapelco has more tan 28 ski slopes, each one of them with a different level of difficulty. Chapelco Hill offers you the possibility to practive different ski forms. It’s slopes are also chosen by snowboard lovers, and you can also enjoy snow motorbikes and dog sledges, or take a walk through the woods using snow rackets.

Art: If you are lucky, you can also enjoy artistical events. San Martín de los Andes is known as “The city of Arts”. It has many cinemas, theatres and during the year many festivals take place: jazz, tango, theatre and others. 

Weather and when to travel:

You can enjoy San Martín de los Andes any time of the year. It depends on your preferences and what you would like to do at the destination.

The winter (June to August) is the season of winter sports, such as ski at Chapelco Hill, one of the most important ski centers in South America. Temperatures in winter are between 8°C and 10°C. It snows most of the time.

In autumn and spring (March to June/September to December) there are more possibilities to do outdoor activities and get in touch with nature: trekking, horse riding, mountain bike, birds watching, etcetera. The landscape during autumn turns reddish, copper and yellow; during spring, it gets full of colourful flowers.

In summer (December to March) you can enjoy rivers and lakes, going on lacustrine tours or practicing nautical sports like boating, raffting, kayak, sailing and sportive fishing. Temperatures in winter are between 9°C and 25°C.

How to get there:

By plane: In high touristic season, flights from Buenos Aires and from another cities of the region arrive at San Martín de los Andes Airport every day. The airport is 22 kilometres away from the historical centre.

By bus: Buses from all around the country arrive at the San Martín de los Andes Bus Station, which is located in front of the Lake Lácar.

By car: A huge route network links San Martín de los Andes with the rest of Argentina.

Where to sleep:

San Martín de los Andes is a small city, but there’s accommodation to choose. For the clasical ones, there are many hotels from 1 to 5 stars, most of them located at the city center. For the ones who are looking for peace, there are cottages from 1 to 5 stars – Some of them are located at the city center, and there are others which are situated at the surroundings, for example, near the lake.

Gastronomy and night life:

At San Martín de los Andes you can enjoy gastronomic pleasures from Patagonia. Restaurants offer a huge variety of plates – You can find most of the restaurants on Villegas Street. The regional gastronomy of San Martín de los Andes is characterized by smoked food, pâtés, pickles and marinades, venison, wild boar meat, trouts, lamb meat and goat meat. For dessert, the gastronomic proposal includes sweet crepes, fine fruit and homemade chocolate.

Regarding to night life, at San Martín Square there’s a handicraft fair and, during the night, it turns into a cultural space with musical and acrobatic shows.

The most important shops are on the main street, San Martín Avenue. If you want to buy souvenirs, we reccommend crafts, tissues, knifes and chocolates.

How to move:

Public transport: Public buses operate every hour but it’s not advisable to use this kind of transportation.

Taxi: There are taxis all over the city.

Car: You can rent a car. Highways are good and most of the routes offer beautiful views.

Personal Review:

San Martín de los Andes is a truly beautiful place. It seems like you are inside of a picture postcard. Since it is a small village, San Martín de los Andes is a great place to get some rest; besides, city residents are really respectful with visitors. The only negative point is that the city can be a little difficult to visit for people with reduced mobility – Not all touristic places are adapted, but we hope this will change in the future. San Martín de los Andes is a highly recommended destination, you should visit it at least once in the lifetime.