Argentina known as Villa La Angostura, a land of deep, cold lakes, soaring mountains, vast forests and sprawling estancias. It is difficult to find a familiar place that can help describe Villa La Angostura. Villa La Angostura is free of the overuse and abuse that have made their marks on other great natural preserves of the world.
The miracle of Villa La Angostura against-allodds preservation can largely be attributed to the love of the land shared by the people who live on it, from the gauchos whose lives historically are intertwined with its cattle ranching to the land-owning families from South America, North America and Europe whose abiding sense of place holds the world at bay and time in check. It helps, of course, that Villa La Angostura and the region's gateway town of San Carlos de Bariloche are far from the madding crowd, even in this day of universal jet-accessibility. By car from Buenos Aires the trip is sixteen hours, and though planes jump the same distance in only a couple of hours, Villa La Angostura is still an out-of-the-way destination, not a convenient stop on the way to someplace else. This is not to say that no one makes the trip. The village is an increasingly popular resort, especially for good fishing, skiing, trekking and cool open spaces. As Villa La Angostura begins to change, attracting more outsiders with its skiing, hiking, fishing, it remains resolutely the same, a place so perfect in so many ways that it would seem a product of the imagination.
Seven Lakes Road
You leave Villa La Angostura taking Siete Lagos Route towards San Martín de los Andes (National Route 231) and you go across the bridge over Correntoso River.
Nahuel Huapi – Correntoso y Espejo
Near the village, the two first lakes appear, after Nahuel Huapi you will find Correntoso – ideal for salmon fishing- and Espejo.
After 7 km. you get to an intersection. You have to turn right (National Route 234), towards El Portezuelo and San Martín de los Andes. If you turn left, you arrive to Cardenal Samoré International Passage (ex Puyehue) where you can cross over to Chile.
At a short distance and after going through big coihue forests, you will find the entrance to Lake Espejo’s bathing resort and the north headwaters of Lake Correntoso where Ruca Malen Hotel can be seen.
Espejo Chico
After paasing the bridge, on the left-hand side you’ll find this lake. Excellent place for camping, it has fireplaces, tables and benches. Farther on there’s an intersection with provincial route 65 that leads to Villa Traful.
If you take Siete Lagos Route again, at the 130th km. you will find the park keeper’s house and an access road to Lake Traful’s north arm. It is a 2-kilometre narrow street that finishes on the lake’s coast where Pichi Traful River flows; this is an ideal place for camping. Going on along the wooded route, after crossing the bridge over the river, the road goes up in a steep slope.
Escondido Lake
Five kilometres further on you pass to the right of Escondido Lake. It is worthy to enjoy the place’s beauties.
Here the road enters the valleys of Lakes Villarino and Falkner.
Lakes Villarino and Falkner
Separated by a narrow isthmus, they are two of the most beautiful lakes in this trip. The road allows you to see Lake Villarino from height, and then you descend along the isthmus and go across the river with the same name. In this place you will find the Lago Villarino Hostelry, fishers’ place. From here and along 1 km. there are good possibilities to camp at the side of Lake Falkner. The road goes now across a big valley where, at the 141st km., on the left-hand side, the great Vulinanco waterfall is located. It is a highly recommended stop and there’s a parking lot.
Lanín National Park
Shortly after, you will find the entrance to Lanín National Park across a big log gateway which divides both National Parks. At the 149th km., Lake Hermoso’s big valley opens for the traveller’s eyes. There’s a Gendarmerie Post that controls the Cordillera’s passages between Traful and Hua Hum.
Hermoso Lake
From the gendarmerie post, along a two-kilometre road you arrive at Lake Hermoso’s coast, the most beautiful circuit: little and with its banks covered by jungle. You can camp there and the place has a purveyor services. There are also summer houses.
Machónico Lake
The road go on up to Machónico Lake, where the landscape is arid. Continuing towards San Martín de los Andes you slowly go up along Culebra Brook that runs along a narrow pass.
Lake Lácar – San Martín de los Andes
Further on, the road descends across the big Pil Pil Valley, which has been occupied for decades by mapuches aborigines. Very close to San Martín de los Andes, at the 171st km., there’s a deviation to Chapelco Ski Centre. A little further on, another deviation on the left-hand side takes you to Quila Quina summer village. And finally, arriving at your destination, on the left-hand side you can see Catritre beach, and you start going along the south Lake Lacar’s edge, up to San Martín de los Andes where you access taking Costanera Av.
Angostura Port
If we go along the boulevard we get to the traffic circle and in front of it we find National Parks’ building. Some meters from there you will find Angostura Port’s dock, over Mansa Bay and its beautiful beach from where lake excursions to Arrayanes Woods and other tours start.
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