San Martín de los Andes
It is located on the coast of the Lake Lácar in a deep valley surrounded by mountains and abundant vegetation. With their typical high mountain architectural style, picturesque hotels and varied gastronomic offer, San Martín de los Andes attracts tourists any time of the year. It was founded on February 4 1898. Their 18.000 inhabitants enjoy a forest of Coihues, Ñires, Oaks and Cipreses. Located in the Mountain range of the Andes, to the Southwest of the Province of Neuquén you get there by paved routes or by plane to their Airport Carlos Campos. It is 1575 km. away from Buenos Aires and 45 km from the Chilean frontier. From San Martín de los Andes one can visit Lake Lacar, Chapelco, Lake Lolog and the National Park Lanín.

The Lake Lácar
The Lake Lácar with a surface of 50 km2 and located at 640 meters above sea level is 24 km long. From its coast, one can admire the splendid forest protected in the National Park Lanin

Ski Centre Chapelco
This excellent ski resort is located 20 km Southeast of San Martín on a mountainous range and it offers the possibility to practice all winter sports. At a maximum elevation of 2000m it has 29 runs, 11 lifts and a ski school. It has a capacity of transporting 11.718 persons an hour. The daily lift passes are US $37 in high season, and US$21 in low season. The season runs from July to October

Lake Lolog
It is to about 12 km away from San Martin de los Andes. Their waters are greenish grey and one can practice fishing (trolling and casting). Endowed with good beaches and with a magnificent landscape it is the appropriate site to carry out picnics.

Excursion to the Lakes
This trip starts at the wharf of San Martín de los Andes. One travels along the Cerro Abanico of 1.100 meters, an old volcano which resembles a fan.
After visiting Quina Quina one leaves for Santa Teresita and La Angostura.
There one travels along the lago Nonthue to get to Chachín where one goes on land to visit the Chachín Waterfalls. From there one can continue to reach port Huauhm.

Lanín National Park (21 K)

The National Park Lanín

The National Park Lanín, (379.000 has), is located in the Southwest of the Provinve of Neuquén. It was created in the year 1937 and it protects the patagonic forest where ñires (Nothofagus antarctica) and lengas (Nothofagus pumilio) prevail. In the Park there are species that are not found in any other part of the country. In the northern area, among the lakes Ñorquinco and Huechulafquen the pehuén (Araucaria araucana) forest is found. The nuts of these trees are rich in protein and it constituted an important part in the diet of the mapuches (Indians of the region), so their descendants who inhabit the park at the moment are allowed to gather them. The raulí (Nothofagus nervosa) is another characteristic species of the park. Associated with the coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi) or with the raulí, in the north and in the south of the Park, the oak pellin occupies big extensions.
Except for the basin of the Lake Lacar, all other basins drain into the Atlantic Ocean through the basin of the Río Negro. Among the animals preserved in the park are two threatened autochthonous species, the pudú or dwarf deer and the huillín or otter that lives in the rivers and lakes of the region. Coipos, gatos huiñas, foxes and pumas can also be seen.