Introducing The Lake District
Home to some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, the Lake District hosts thousands of visitors each year. People come to ski, fish, climb, trek and generally bask in the cool, fresh landscapes created by the huge forests, glacier-fed lakes and cute little alpine-style villages. Don’t get the idea that the region is overrun, though – spaces are so wide here you’ll only end up bumping shoulders with other travelers in the main population centers.
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The city of Neuquén – the largest in the region – provides transportation links to all over the country. What it lacks in beauty it makes up for in surrounding attractions. Just out of town are some world-renowned paleontological sites and outstanding wineries. Way, way south is the resort town of Bariloche, with its picture-postcard location on the banks of the Lago Nahuel Huapi. This is ground zero for the outdoor adventure crew, both in summer and wintertime. Bariloche is the chief transportation hub for southern Patagonia and Chile, and a short ride from the laid-back hippie haven of El Bolsón. Villa Traful and San Martín de los Andes are both lakeside villages nestled among pehuén (araucaria) forests, which fill up for a short time in summer but are blissfully quiet the rest of the year. To the north, the little-visited ex-Provincial capital of Chos Malal makes an excellent base for exploring nearby volcanoes, lagoons and hot springs, as well as an important stopover for those traveling northwards on the RN 40 to Mendoza.
Last updated: Jan 6, 2010
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Chile-Argentina-Chile again - itinerary help!
by nahuel 02 August 2010
"Are there any worthwhile towns/cities/villages to visit between Puerto Arenas and Santiago via bus - or is a flight the best option?…
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RE: Planned on going to Argentina, Chile, but is Chile worth it?
by nahuel 14 September 2009
16 days is a short time for any of these 2 countries. It depends what you are going to do in Argentina. If you spend 15 days in southern…
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RE: camping in southern andes
by nahuel 24 June 2009
The Lake district and southern Patagonia, also along the carretera Austral are prefect for camping. Inside the National parks are usually…
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The Lake District
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The Lake District Overview
- Places in The Lake District
- Getting there & around
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Things to do
- All things to do (188)
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- Entertainment (13)
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Make it happen
Our Top Picks For The Lake District
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1 Ruta de los Siete Lagos
Drive the Ruta de los Siete Lagos, a breathtaking road winding between alpine lakes and pehuén forests
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2 Copahue
Soak your worries away in a bubbling mudbath in the thermal resort town of Copahue
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3 Bariloche
Base yourself in Bariloche for some fun mountain adventures
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4 Chos Malal
Get off the tourist trail in Chos Malal and out into its spectacular surrounds
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5 Lago Barreales
Follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs at Lago Barreales
Our favourite The Lake District Blogs (beta)
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Day 113: Lakes From The Argentine Side
Blog: Diaries of a Vagabonding Couple - 4 June 2010
Reflections in a laguna beside Lake Hermoso It's our 11th day in the lake district (7 days on the Chilean side) and we just decided to stay another 4... (think it's more me than "we" though! KF seems to wanna get to Mendoza soon but I'm not ready for bustling cities). Achalay Hostel all to ourselves - KF chilling in the kitchen We're staying at Achalay Hostel in Bariloche, easily one of the
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Road Trippin'
Blog: Hecktic Travels - 16 December 2009
We had two options when leaving the small mountain village of El Chalten on Monday for Bariloche: we either 1) backtrack a few hours by bus to the nearest airport and fly, or 2) take the "legendary" Route 40 road trip - 2 days on a bus on the ultimate unbeaten track.Being the adventurers that we are, we signed up for the road trip. And now, in retrospect, after constantly questioning what the tour operators were thinking when they heralded it "legendary", I believe I have come up with the answer.
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Welcome to Patagonia, Where Paradise Packs a Punch
Blog: Away Together - 24 October 2009
Going from Buenos Aires to the Patagonia lake district near Bariloche, which we did earlier this week, is a bit like leaving Los Angeles and landing near Tahoe — times ten.
