Tours in San Martín de los Andes

Walk down to the lake in the evening and you will see how San Martín de los Andes lives. People bring their mate and a thermos, sit on the shore or the pier, and watch the light go off the mountains on the far side. The town sits at the end of Lago Lácar, with the cordillera close enough on every side that you are never really in a city, just in a valley with streets in it.

The centre is small and easy on foot. Wooden eaves, chocolate shops, restaurants serving venison, trout and wild boar, and a main square where the afternoon slows right down. Walk up to the Mirador Bandurrias lookout or the Mirador Arrayán and the whole lake opens out below you. Boats cross Lácar to quieter beaches, and the town is the gateway to Parque Nacional Lanín, with the volcano standing over the whole region. The Siete Lagos road heading towards Villa La Angostura is one of the great drives of the region, and a local guide can build a day around it if you ask.

Where we have tours, they take you up into the mountains behind the town. A 4x4 climbs through native forest on tracks you would not find alone, and you finish on foot in Mallín Grande, an open meadow with the Trabunco stream running slowly through it. It is quiet up there, and noticeably cooler than in town, so bring a jacket. The walk is easy and suits families, and your guide can adapt it to the group.

Want to see Lanín up close, or spend a day on the lake? Ask. Local guides here know the valley well and can shape a day around what you want from it.