Seven Lakes Route

A Stretch Of Ruta Nacional 40 Through Lanin And Nahuel Huapi National Parks, The Most Famous Scenic Drive In The Argentine Lake District · San Martin de los Andes, Neuquen

The Seven Lakes Route is the stretch of Ruta 40 between San Martin de los Andes and Villa La Angostura in Neuquen province, about a hundred kilometres of road through two national parks and past a chain of glacial lakes set in forest under the Andes. The seven that give it its name are Lacar, Machonico, Falkner, Villarino, Escondido, Correntoso and Espejo, and there are more on detours to either side. For years part of it was gravel, and it is now paved end to end, which has made it one of the classic drives of Argentina: the road climbs through southern beech forest, drops to lakeshores, and passes viewpoints, beaches and waterfalls where people stop, swim in very cold water and picnic. It can be driven in two or three hours, but that misses it; most people take a full day, stopping often, or split it with a night by a lake. Combined with Bariloche to the south, it makes the heart of the lake district trip. In autumn the forests turn red and gold, and in winter snow can close sections.

Ruta Nacional 40, San Martin de los Andes to Villa La Angostura, Neuquen, San Martin de los Andes, Neuquen, Q8370, Argentina

Open all year as a public highway. Snow can close or restrict the road in winter, and chains may be required. Campsites and many services along the route are seasonal, mostly summer.

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