San Martín de los Andes is a city at the foot of the Andes, beside the Lácar Lake, 45 km from the border with Chile and about 1,545 km from Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 24,000 inhabitants in town and throughout its surrounding area (2001 census)
The town was founded on 4 February 1898. Its landscape is one of the most beautiful of Patagonia. The town itself is a centre for handcrafts and local culinary delicacies like gourmet chocolates, pastries, organic jams and preserves .Alpine-style hotels, lodgings and cabins are typical of the area.
San Martín has grown considerably in the past 10 years, yet it hasn't succumbed to the development that has overtaken Bariloche. Local planning laws that limit building height and regulate architectural styles.
We navigated the direct road from Villa Angostura, which was mainly a hair-raising dirt track that disappeared under earth moving machines in a number of places. We returned by a different, but still difficult route over a narrow mountain pass, reminiscent of the wild west.
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| A difficult road from Villa Angostura to San Martin de los Andes | Mind you the scenery was stunning |
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| Waterfalls | and lupins |
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| and lupins | ranches |
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| ranches | Where the stream divides under the bridge, one goes to Atlantic, other to Pacific |
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| San Martin de los Andes | Still San Martin de los Andes |
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| San Martin de los Andes | One of the original inhabitants of San Martin de los Andes |
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| Back to Villa Angostura by another road | Pause for lunch |
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| Mountain pass | Mountain pass |
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| Mountain pass | Mountain pass |
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| You can walk or take the car |