Home to some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, the Lake District is one of Argentina's prime tourist destinations. People come to ski, fish, climb, trek and generally bask in the cool, fresh landscapes created by the huge forests and glacier-fed lakes of Argentina's largest national park.
The paleontological sites and outstanding wineries just out of the city of Neuquén are well worth stopping off for en route; and way, way south is the resort town of Bariloche, with its picture-postcard location on the banks of the Lago Nahuel Huapi.
Getting away from the crowds is easily done. The lakeside villages of Villa Traful and San Martín de los Andes fill up for a short time in summer and are blissfully quiet the rest of the year. To the north, Chos Malal makes an excellent base for exploring nearby volcanoes, lagoons and hot springs.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Bariloche & the Lake District.
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Dominating the view in all directions along the Chilean border, the snowcapped cone of 3776m Volcán Lanín is the centerpiece of this national park, which extends 150km from Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi in the south to Lago Ñorquinco in the north. Come here for some of the region's best hiking, including the ascent of the star of the Lake District – the picture-perfect cone of Volcán Lanín.
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One of Argentina's most-visited national parks, Nahuel Huapi occupies 7500 sq km in the mountainous southwestern Neuquén and western Río Negro provinces. The park's centerpiece is Lago Nahuel Huapi, a glacial remnant over 100km long that covers more than 500 sq km. The lake is the source of the Río Limay, a major tributary of the Río Negro. Some of the region's best hiking is found here, from challenging multiday treks to easy rambles.
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This small national park, encompassing the entire Quetrihué Peninsula that juts out into the waters of Lago Nahuel Huapi, protects remaining stands of the cinnamon-barked arrayán, a member of the myrtle family. In Mapudungun (language of the Mapuche) the peninsula’s name means ‘place of the arrayánes.’ Regulations require hikers to enter the park before noon and leave by 4pm in winter, and around 6pm to 7pm in summer. It's off Blvd Nahuel Huapi, a 12km drive or bike ride from Villa la Angostura.
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For true dino-freaks, the best place to satiate the hunger for bones is the Centro Paleontológico Lago Barreales, located 90km northwest of Neuquén. It's not open to casual visitors, but if you have a serious interest in dinosaurs, you can get in touch in advance with bilingual project director and renowned paleontologist Jorge Calvo and arrange to pay for a visit to one of the world’s only fully functioning dinosaur-excavation sites open to the public.
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Some 79km southwest of Neuquén, off RN 237, the small town of El Chocón is the proud home of the virtually complete hundred-million-year-old skeleton of the Gigantosaurus carolinii, named after Rubén D Carolini, the local Indiana Jones–type who found it in 1995. The world's largest predator was 4.7m tall and 13m long, dwarfing the Tyrannosaurus rex. Other impressive dinosaurs on display include the Amargasaurus cazaui, a small sauropod with distinctive neck spines, and the carnivorous Carnotaurus sastrei.
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Local craftspeople sell their wares at this market, along the eastern edge of Plaza Pagano, which boasts over 300 artists, who make and sell everything from wooden cutting boards and handcrafted mate (a bitter ritual tea) gourds to jewelry, flutes and marionettes. With numerous food vendors (adhering to the regulation that everything sold in the market must be handmade), it’s also a chance to sample local delicacies. On sunny Sundays the feria (market) operates about half-tilt.
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This small archaeological site features one of the most important collections of Pehuenche rock art in Patagonia. There are over 600 examples here, carved with symbolic figures and abstract designs. The site is 8km along a dirt road off RP 39; the signposted turnoff is 9km south of Varvarco, at the Escuela Colo Michi-Co. You're supposed to visit the site only with a guide; contact the tourist office in advance to arrange one.
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Under the same ownership as the Bodega del Fin del Mundo, this delightful winery 60km north of Neuquén allows you to sample its five wine ranges during its hourly wine-tasting tours (40 minutes). It's well worth having lunch at the excellent on-site restaurant (open 12:30pm to 4pm, mains AR$170 to AR$270) that serves superlative steaks and pasta dishes as well as gourmet sandwiches.
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From Pampa Linda, it's a 6km drive (or over an hour's walk) along a severely potholed dirt road to the Ventisquero Negro lookout. It's a spectacular sight: a gray glacial lake surrounded by spiky, snow-streaked peaks, with house-sized chunks of ice calving from the gently sloping glacier.