Route of the Seven Lakes: Patagonia’s Most Stunning Road

If you're planning on traveling to Bariloche, chances are you may have heard of the route of the seven lakes. It's one of the best day trips in the area, and is definitely something you should add to your Patagonian bucket list.

The road have seven different lakes along it, and is one of the most picturesque areas to visit in the country!

We spent a week in Bariloche, and spent two days dedicated to doing the route of the seven lakes. In this guide we're going to share exactly how to do it, what to expect, and tips for having the best experience visiting the route of the seven lakes. Let's dive right in!

📍 Where is the Route of the Seven Lakes?

The route of the seven lakes is a stretch of 107 km (66.5 miles) along route 40 in Patagonia. It is right between Bariloche in Rio Negro, and San Martin de los Andes in Neuquen. Route 40 connects the two cities, and the route of the seven lakes is part of this highway, starting in Villa La Angostura and San Martin de los Andes.

🧭 The Route of the Seven Lakes

Now that you know where to begin, we're going to go a bit over each of the lakes that you will pass along the way, as well as some bonus things to do in the area!

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💧 Lake #1: Lago Correntoso

Lago Correntoso is the first lake along the route if you are going from Bariloche, and is located right after the center of Villa La Angostura.

It actually has several spots that you can enjoy it along the route, because the bottom part of it connects to the start of the route, and the top of it connects to the route 23 km up the road.

We suggest going down to the beautiful beach called Playa Lago Correntoso, and then stopping along the road where it connects with Rio Correntoseo. From there you can get a stunning view of the river running into the lake, as well as the bridge that is down below it.

Later on you'll also be able to admire the lake from its northernmost points, where you'll see two camera icons on Google Maps that both say "mirador Lago Corrrentoso". Both of these spots you can easily pull over and enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Correntoso.

💧 Lake #2: Lago Espejo

The next stop is Lake Espejo, which translates to Mirror Lake. This is another large lake that has multiple viewpoints along the route. The first one that you can see in the picture below is actually located left of the fork of Route 40 and 231. Right after turning onto route 231 you'll see the view of the lake and its beach below on the right hand side.

You can then head back onto route 40 and continue, stopping at the beach, and finally stopping at another viewpoint that is 7 km up the road.

💧 Lake #3: Lago Villarino

The third lake is actually much smaller than the first two, and doesn't have much more to offer than just a viewpoint. Lago Villarino is located on the left hand side, and you can easily pull over to see the view right from the lot. 

💧 Lake #4: Lago Falkner

Just across from Lago Villarino is just across from Lago Villarino, and to access it you can simply park on the side of the highway and walk along the beach. This is also a great place to relax or to have a picnic.

⛺ Lake #5: Lago Hermoso

Lago Hermoso is one of the only lakes that you aren't able to see right from the highway. In order to get there you'll have to turn left off the highway right after the restaurant El Viejo Amacen. You'll go down a dirt road for 4 km to get to the lake, where you'll also see a camping area. Right behind it you'll also find a tiny laguna called Pudu Pudu.

💧 Lake #6: Lago Machonico

Once getting back to the main highway you'll have just another 4 km to reach the next lake, Lago Machonico. This one is simply a quick stop, as it is just a viewpoint. It is beautiful, but at this point you will probably be ready to get to San Martin de los Andes as things start to look very similar.

💧 Lake #7: Lago Lacar

This is the final lake along the route of the seven lakes! (or the first if you are coming from San Martin de los Andes). Lago Lacar is actually right next to the city of San Martin de los Andes, and has a lot of different areas that you can enjoy it from.

As we had started for sunrise, we had been exploring the whole day, and were starving by the time we arrived to San Martin de los Andes. We grabbed a bite right on the lake, and it was the perfect way to finish the day.

As it was starting to get late, we didn't have a ton of time to experience all that the lake had to offer, so we definitely suggest spending the following morning seeing all of the other great areas of the lake. The furthest point is actually over an hour away! 

Lago Lacar has a beautiful area that we went to called Yuco Beach, which actually has 5 different small beaches all just a few minutes walk from one another.

With bright turquoise waters and mountains as the backdrop, this is definitely one of the most beautiful areas of Lago Lacar to check out. We were also recommended Playa Quila Quila, Pucara, and Muelle Hua Hum.

Where to Stay Around Route of the Seven Lakes

The route of the seven lakes can be done as a day trip, or can be stretched into a few days depending on how many things you'd like to do. Here are the different options for places to stay before and after:

🛏️ Option #1: Stay in Bariloche

If you simply want to take a tour, or to drive there and back, you can stay in Bariloche. It will be a long day, and you will really only have time to do the 7 lakes. However, this is a great option if you have limited time in Bariloche, and don't want to move your belongings around.

The place that we stayed in Bariloche was Selina, which has both hostel-style rooms, as well as nice private rooms. We also love that they have pool and spa passes, a fireplace, and a DJ playing at night.

Two other great places that we highly recommend that are located along Circuito Chico are the famous Llao Llao Resort & Spa (the top hotel in all of Bariloche) and Hotel Amancay, a beautiful hotel with some of the best lake views in the area, and incredible medialunas for breakfast.

🏕️ Option #2: Stay in Villa La Angostura

Villa La Angostura is where we decided to stay the night before starting to do the route of the seven lakes. This cut off the first hour of our drive from Bariloche, and allowed us to start going to the lakes first thing in the morning. We booked at Acceso Bayo, which was an adorable and cozy cabin right off the highway. 

The family took us in last minute, and even agreed to wake up an extra half hour early to serve us breakfast. Their homemade medialunas were so good, and we were so comfortable in our room! 

There are also two great Glamping spots worth checking out are Las Ramblas de Puerto Manzana and Glamping Patagonia Inspira.

🏨 Option #3: Stay in San Martin de los Andes

If you happen to traveling to San Martin de los Andes from the north, then you may want to stay there, and then do the route of the seven lakes as a day trip.

We finished the route of the seven lakes and then spent a night in San Martin de los Andes before heading back towards Bariloche, which we also highly recommend.

The hotel that we stayed at was super cozy, and was located right along the river. The breakfast was incredible, and the staff was incredible, making La Fontaine Hotel y Apart another great hotel that we suggest checking out. They also have a sister hotel which is incredibly popular located right along the water called Rotui Apart Hotel.

🏨⛺ Option #4: Stay Along the Route of the Seven Lakes

If you're looking to explore deeply and slowly travel the route of the seven lakes, this is an option as well! Right along the route of the seven lakes you can find various hotels and campsites.

One thing to keep in mind though is that most of these are only open during the high season, which is either in the summer (December to March) or winter (June to August).

Other Things to Keep in Mind for Visiting Route of the Seven Lakes

Now that you know almost everything you need to know for visiting the route of the seven lakes in Patagonia, we have just a few more things to share and keep in mind.

🌤️ Weather in Neuquen

We visited Neuquen in the first week of May, which is the autumn. The leaves were all colorful, and it was simply beautiful. This area of Patagonia experiences all four seasons, with warm and sunny summers, and very cold and snowy winters.

If you happen to visit in the spring or fall like we did, the weather can be pretty unpredictable. One minute it can be warm and sunny, and the next it can be cold, cloudy, and windy, so it's important to be prepared for all types of weather.

📆 The Best Time to Do the Route of the Seven Lakes

We think that the two best times to visit the route of the seven lakes are in summer or in fall. If you visit from December to March you'll be able to take advantage of the warm temperatures, and get to swim in the blue waters.

If you happen to visit in May you might have rain, but the leaves will start to change colors, making the drive insanely beautiful.

🧳 How to Prepare for the Route of the Seven Lakes

Here are some of the things we suggest bringing on a trip doing the route of the seven lakes:

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Reusable Water Bottle (we use this water bottle from Cafago because it holds the temperature)
• Snacks for the road
• Umbrella (In case it rains)
• Layers or a jacket
• Flip Flops for the beaches (we personally always get Havaiana flip flops, as they are comfy and long lasting) 
• Sneakers (if you do any of the hikes)
• Zippered Bag or Backpack - take a look at these backpacks for travelers!
• Power Bank (we use Anker power banks, as they are super long lasting and sturdy)
• Camera (we use the Sony A7Riii)
• Standard Lens for a dynamic range (we use the Sony GM 24-70)
• Wide Lens to capture great panoramas (we use the Sony GM 14 F1.8)
• Telephoto Lens to capture the mountains closer up (we use the Sony GM 70-200)
• Tripod to get pictures while no one is around or for multiple shots from far away (We use the JOBY Rangepod Tripod)
• Drone (Our Mavic Mini 4 Pro held up well even with the strong winds!)
  
• Bathing suit if you visit in the summer
• Travel Adapter (we use Tessan travel adapters as they are affordable and reliable)

So are you ready to explore one of the most beautiful areas of Patagonia? There are so many beautiful locations in Argentina, and we love continuing to explore all that this incredible country has to offer.

Want to discover more incredible spots around? Make sure to check out all of the other Argentina travel guides that we have to offer! Also make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to hear about more related articles that we have coming up.

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