Northern Patagonia is one of the most beautiful parts of the region – more verdant than destinations like Torres del Paine or Los Glaciares, but with landscapes that are equally wild and dramatic: thick temperate rainforests, snow-capped volcanoes and lots and lots of water.
Collectively known in English as Patagonia’s Lake District, the region is divided neatly in two by the Andes Mountains. The Chilean Lake District lies to the west, and the Argentinian Lake District to the east. Both offer beautiful scenery, and amazing hiking and adventure activities, but each has its own particular character.
At Swoop, we love the outdoor opportunities so much that several of our team members live there – on both sides of the border. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what makes each region so special, so that you can decide which to visit for yourself, or whether you should combine the two into a single trip.
- The Chilean Lake District: the basics
- The Argentinian Lake District: the basics
- Hiking in the Chilean Lake District
- Hiking in the Argentinian Lake District
- Adventure activities in the Chilean Lake District
- Adventure activities in the Argentinian Lake District
- Where to stay in the Chilean Lake District
- Where to stay in the Argentinian Lake District
- How to get to the Chilean Lake District
- How to get to the Argentinian Lake District
- Travel between the Chilean and Argentian Lake Districts
The Chilean Lake District: the basics
The Chilean Lake District, better known in the country as Los Lagos province is one of the greenest areas in Patagonia. It’s the wet winds that blow in from the Pacific Ocean that shape the region, parts of which have some of the oldest and most pristine temperate rainforests in the world, with alerce trees that are thousands of years old.
Seven national parks dot the region, with much of the action for travellers taking place around Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, with its immaculate snow cone of Osorno Volcano on a lake opposite the main town of Puerto Varas. To the north, you’ll find the adventure sports centre of Pucón, in the shadow of Villarica Volcano. To the south, lie the start of the northern Chilean Fjords, which are perfect for exploring on the water, and Chiloé island, with its own unique culture and wildlife.
Away from the scenery, the Chilean Lake District has a great foodie culture, with some of the country’s best farm-to-table dining, as well as a lively craft beer scene.
The Argentinian Lake District: the basics
The Argentinian Lake District is often generically called the Bariloche region by locals, after its largest city. It’s the best place in the country for getting outdoors, whether you’re looking for summer adventure activities or winter sports.
There are two main national parks to explore: Nahuel Huapi and Lanín National Parks. The former is best explored from the main gateway of Bariloche, and has great day hikes and remote treks among some of the craggiest peaks in the Andes. The town has a distinctive alpine character thanks to its original Swiss immigrants – a fact that has also made it Argentina’s gourmet chocolate capital).
In the northern part of the region, San Martín de Los Andes (usually just known as San Martín) sits near the mighty extinct Lanín volcano, with its epic hiking trails and prehistoric-looking araucaria trees. This is a particularly beautiful area for road trips, thanks to the gorgeous Route of the Seven Lakes (Ruta de los Siete Lagos), as well as kayaking and whitewater rafting.
Hiking in the Chilean Lake District
Hiking in the Chilean Lake District is really all about the day hikes – it specialises in short concentrated bursts of adventure in truly spectacular surroundings.
Great day hikes from Puerto Varas centre on Vicente Pérez National Park, for hikes around the shores of Lago Llanquihue and the picture perfect cone of Osorno Volcano and. To the south Alerce Andino National Park and Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park offer contrasting experiences thanks to ancient alerce trees, along forest trails dripping with moss and ferns. Pumalín is particularly extraordinary after its remarkable recovery from a volcanic eruption nearly 20 years ago.
In the north, Villarrica National Park has volcano trails, including the chance to climb Villarica volcano itself, and to gaze (from a safe distance) into its lava-filled crater.
Finally, the trails of Chiloé island shouldn’t be neglected, particularly those along its Pacific coast. The opportunity to see the island’s rich wildlife is a big draw here, including the pudu – the smallest deer in the world.
Hiking in the Argentinian Lake District
While it’s often overlooked as a destination in favour of places like Los Glaciares in southern Patagonia, hiking in the Argentinian Lake District is actually some of the best in the country.
Nahuel Huapi National Park is threaded with hiking trails, whether you wanted to hike for an afternoon or a day, or head deeper into the wilderness for something more testing. Some of the best long distance hikes are between mountain refuges, such as the hut to hut trek from Refugio Frey, which takes you around the craggy peals of Cerro Catedral and Cerro Navide, with epic views over a procession of mountain lakes.
Alternatively, the great peak at the heart of Lanín National Park offers some truly remote volcano hiking, with trailheads that can only be reached by boat, camping deep in ancient forests and tackling the snowy volcano at its climax.
Adventure activities in the Chilean Lake District
A big clue for what to do in the Chilean Lake District comes in its name: it’s a great place to get out on to the water.
The whitewater rafting here is particularly good, with a selection of rivers with Class 3 and 4 rapids. The Petrohué River in Vicente Pérez National Park offers some of the most accessible rafting, with excellent rapids below the Saltos de Petrohué waterfalls. Near Pucón, the Trancura River draws plenty of rafters, but for the real enthusiasts the place to go is a little further afield on the Fuy River, which has some of the best rafting in the region.
For kayakers, the presence of the coastal fjords is what makes the Chilean Lake District such a delicious prospect. Paddling around Pumalín National Park allows you to get truly away from everything, wild camping on forest-lined beaches after a day of spotting dolphins and sea lions.
For those who prefer wheels to paddles, there are lots of mountain bike trails – including a joyfully relaxed one that involves cycling between microbreweries. For those who want a taste of everything, multi-sports activities are readily on offer.
Adventure activities in the Argentinian Lake District
Mountain biking is a great way to explore the Argentinian Lake District. There are some gorgeous bike trails between Villa Angostura and San Martín that offer relaxed pedalling rather than punishing ascents. Around Bariloche, the Río Manso and Circuito Chico bike trails are also very picturesque.
The smaller lakes here are popular with kayakers, such as Lago Machonico near San Martín and Lago Perito Moreno near Bariloche. Those who prefer their water a little faster running should head for Río Hua Hum or Río Manso, both of which have superb whitewater rafting among stunning scenery.
Unlike many parts of Patagonia, the Argentinian Lake District doesn’t shut down in winter. Instead, it becomes the nation’s winter sports capital, with skiing and snowboarding in mountain resorts close to Bariloche.
Where to stay in the Chilean Lake District
There are main places to base yourself when exploring the Chilean Lake District: around Puerto Varas, around Pucón or on Chiloé Island. While you’ll find the best selection of accommodation in the towns—both in variety and budget—the sleeping scene really takes off when you head out into the wilds.
The Chilean Lake District is home to some of our favourite lodges in Patagonia, such as Vira Vira near Pucón, and Futangue Hotel deep in the Valdivian rainforest. On the shores of Lago Llanquihue, Hotel Awa gives sublime sunset-and-volcano views over the lake, plus a distinctive farm-to-table dining experience.
Chiloe has some particularly unique accommodation choices, including the architecturally striking hilltop Refugia Chiloé, and boutique hotels converted from palafitos – the traditional waterside stilt houses that the island is famous for
Where to stay in the Argentinian Lake District
While there are three main places to stay in the Argentinian Lake District, for most travellers, the choice comes to one question: Bariloche or San Martín?
The city of Bariloche is the biggest hub with the most choice. In our experience, the centre of town can get very busy, so we recommend staying on the outskirts or further out along the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, where the views are better and the mountain air cleaner. The Llao Llao Peninsula (pronounced shao shao) is a favourite option.
The small resort town of San Martín is perhaps more immediately picturesque. It has great access to some adventure sports activities, and some charming guesthouses and lodges, though a smaller choice than Bariloche.
If you can’t decide between the two, it’s less than four hours drive between them – or you can opt for a third option in tiny Villa Angostura, which has a small number of excellent boutique lakeside hotels.
How to get to the Chilean Lake District
The Chilean Lake District is less than two hours’ direct flight from Chile’s capital city Santiago. There are three main entry points. Most travellers fly to Puerto Montt, whose airport is just 22 km (14 miles) from Puerto Varas, the gateway to Los Lagos. Puerto Montt is also perfectly positioned for the northern Chilean Fjords. A second option is to fly into the north of the region to Temuco, which is best placed for those heading for Pucón. Finally, those going to Chiloé can fly direct to Castro in the north of the island.
It’s also possible to travel between Puerto Montt and Chiloé: the combined road and ferry trip takes around four hours.
How to get to the Argentinian Lake District
The main gateway point to the Argentinian Lake District is Bariloche, which has multiple direct daily flights from Buenos Aires, taking about two hours. Bariloche is also connected by direct flight to El Calafate for Los Glaciares, as well as Mendoza and other Argentinian cities. If you’re in a part of Chile that isn’t the Lake District, it’s worth noting that you can also fly to Bariloche direct from Santiago.
There are also a smaller number of direct flights from Buenos Aires to San Martín.
Travel between the Chilean and Argentinian Lake Districts
There are no direct flights between the Chilean and Argentinian Lake Districts, but the overland route is far more enticing anyway: why fly when you can take a series of boats over the Andes Mountains?
The spectacular Cruce Andino route allows you to do just that, taking a full day to travel between Puerto Varas and Bariloche or vice versa, by taking a series of boats over the Andes Mountains. The route sails across Lago Todos Los Santos in Chile, before crossing the border and continuing by boat across Lago Fría and finally Lago Nahuel Huapi, with the gaps in between taken by bus. It’s a truly scenic crossing, travelling through national parks the entire way.
We hope this guide has helped show you the attractions of the Chilean and Argentinian Lake Districts, and how they differ from each other. Travelling to either offers a great way to discover northern Patagonia – but as the Cruce Andino shows, if you have the time then why not explore both!
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