Seven Lakes Route by Car: Bariloche to San Martín de los Andes

The Seven Lakes Route is the stretch of Ruta 40 that links Villa La Angostura to San Martín de los Andes in Argentine Patagonia, crossing two national parks over roughly 110 kilometers of Andean forest, viewpoints and water. For anyone starting out from Bariloche, it is the region's most classic road trip.

Almost everything written about it in Portuguese is aimed at the tourist who rents a car in Bariloche in summer. This itinerary is for people driving their own car: what changes in winter, where to fill up, where to camp and how to get there from Brazil.

In short: The Seven Lakes Route is about 110 kilometers of Ruta Nacional 40 between Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes, now fully paved. From Bariloche to San Martín along the route it is between 185 and 200 kilometers. There is no fee to drive it and no gas station along the stretch. In winter the road often closes for snow without warning, and metal snow chains are mandatory. The best time to go is October through March, with April and May for fall colors.

Where it starts, where it ends and how to get there

The stretch runs from Villa La Angostura to San Martín de los Andes. From Bariloche to Villa La Angostura it is 83 kilometers on Ruta 40, along the shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi. All told, from Bariloche to San Martín via the Seven Lakes Route it is between 185 and 200 kilometers.

There is an alternative road, Ruta 237 via Confluencia, about 276 kilometers long, fully paved and at a lower elevation. It is longer and less scenic, and that is exactly why it matters: when the Siete Lagos closes for snow, this is plan B.

Without stopping, the main stretch takes an hour and a half to two and a half hours. With stops, it is a full day. If you want to take it slow and spend the night along the way, set aside three or four days.

One detail that trips people up when planning: the highway today is Ruta Nacional 40, the same road that runs the length of Argentina, but until 2012 this same stretch was numbered Ruta 234. Old maps and materials still use the old number.

The seven lakes, and why the lists don't match

There is no single official list. Five lakes show up in every version: Correntoso, Espejo, Escondido, Villarino and Falkner. The other two depend on who is counting. The municipal government of Villa La Angostura rounds out the list with Nahuel Huapi and Lácar, the lakes at either end. The province of Neuquén includes Machónico. Other versions include Hermoso.

In practice, heading north from Villa La Angostura, the geographic order is Nahuel Huapi, Correntoso, Espejo, Escondido, Villarino, Falkner, Machónico and Lácar, with Espejo Chico, Hermoso, Traful and Meliquina reachable by side roads. Count as many as you like: the name stuck and nobody is going to check.

It is worth knowing that the Neuquén government is studying expanding the circuit to nine lakes by paving the access roads to Meliquina and Lolog. The work is underway and the classic route stays the same.

The pavement arrived in 2015

This is where much of the information in Portuguese is still out of date. The Seven Lakes Route has been fully paved since June 2015, when the last stretch of ripio (gravel) was finished, about 26 kilometers between Lake Villarino and the turnoff to Villa Traful. Paving the whole thing took 42 years.

Any text that says there is ripio on the main stretch is more than ten years old. The side roads are another story: the road to Villa Traful still has dozens of kilometers of dirt, and the access roads to Meliquina and Lolog are under construction.

For the route itself, then, a regular passenger car is fine. A 4x4 is not required.

There is no gas station in the 110 kilometers

Simple and important: there is no gas station between Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes. The stations are at both ends. Options for food and water along the way are also limited.

Leave with a full tank. It is the kind of oversight that turns a half-day outing into a problem, especially in high season.

Winter: the route doesn't close for the season, it closes for the day

Officially, the route is open every day of the year. In practice, in winter it closes often, for hours or days, with no advance notice.

In the winter of 2026 alone there was a closure due to snow buildup, with vehicles stranded without chains getting in the way of the plows; a closure due to a landslide of earth and rock, reopened with restricted hours and escorted traffic; and a preventive closure for ice in the late afternoon, to be reassessed the next morning.

Metal snow chains are mandatory throughout the winter season. The provincial highway authority treats carrying chains the same as carrying the vehicle's documents, and it is explicit: textile snow socks are not accepted. Putting them on when conditions require it is the driver's responsibility.

Before tackling the stretch between June and September, check road conditions with Vialidad Nacional and the daily report from Vialidad Provincial de Neuquén. That check is what separates a beautiful day from a lost one.

When to go

October through March is the open season, with hiking trails, lake beaches and long days. January and February are peak high season. April and May bring fall colors, with the lenga and ñire trees turning red and orange, and that is when the route delivers the best photos with fewer people. June through September is snow, with everything described above.

Viewpoints and stops

The viewpoints (miradores) are signposted and most have parking by the road. The main ones include Mirador Pil Pil, the Lago Correntoso, Lago Escondido and Lago Villarino viewpoints, the Cascada Bullinganco viewpoint, the Lago Machónico viewpoint and Mirador Arroyo Partido. The Bandurrias, Arauco and Inalco viewpoints are in the Villa La Angostura area.

The side trips worth the extra stop are Lago Espejo Chico, Lago Traful and Lago Hermoso.

To put this route together with the stops in the right order, GT Overlander handles it in one sentence: type "from Bariloche to San Martín de los Andes via the Seven Lakes Route, stopping at the viewpoints and sleeping along the way", and the app builds the route with context for each stretch.

Camping on the route

The route crosses Nahuel Huapi and Lanín national parks, and there are campgrounds inside them, including free ones.

The organized ones, with a check-in desk, restrooms, drinking water and a fire area, include the Lago Falkner campground and Pichi Traful. Among the rustic, free ones are Villarino and Bahía Guardaparque, on Lago Espejo, the latter with room for only a few tents. No fires are allowed at Villarino. Outside the parks there are private campgrounds at both ends.

Wild camping outside designated areas is not allowed. In a national park, camp where it is authorized, and since choosing the right place to sleep changes a lot when park rules apply, it pays to decide on your stop before dark.

Park entrance fees

There is no charge to drive Ruta 40 along the Seven Lakes Route. There is no gate on the highway.

Entrance fees apply to specific areas of the parks, such as the road to Cerro Tronador and the Bosque de Arrayanes in Nahuel Huapi, or the access roads to Quila Quina and Lago Lolog in Lanín. Brazilians pay the foreign visitor rate, with no special category for Mercosur. Since prices are adjusted often, check the current rate on the national parks administration website before planning these visits.

Driving from Brazil

Coming from southern Brazil, the most used border crossing is Uruguaiana to Paso de los Libres, the shortest way for anyone coming from Rio Grande do Sul. The alternative is Foz do Iguaçu to Puerto Iguazú.

From Porto Alegre to Bariloche it is about 2,800 kilometers, from Curitiba about 3,300 and from São Paulo about 3,700. This is not a long-weekend trip: people who drive their own car usually set aside at least three weeks, counting the drive there, the drive back and the time on site.

As for paperwork, the essentials are the same as for any entry into Argentina by car: a valid ID, driver's license, vehicle registration, mandatory Mercosur insurance and, if the car is not in your name, authorization from the owner. The complete border documents checklist covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for the Seven Lakes Route? One day is enough to drive it with stops. Two to four days let you sleep along the way and take the side trips, such as Villa Traful and Lago Hermoso.

Is the Seven Lakes Route fully paved? Yes. The main stretch between Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes has been fully paved since 2015. The side roads, such as the one to Villa Traful, are still dirt.

Does the Seven Lakes Route close because of snow? It doesn't close for the whole season, but in winter it closes for hours or days, often and without warning. Between June and September, check road conditions on the day.

Do you need snow chains on the Seven Lakes Route? In winter, yes. Metal chains are mandatory during the season, and textile snow socks are not accepted.

Is there a gas station on the Seven Lakes Route? No. There is no station in the roughly 110 kilometers between the two towns. Fill up in Villa La Angostura or San Martín de los Andes.

How many kilometers from Bariloche to San Martín de los Andes? Via the Seven Lakes Route, between 185 and 200 kilometers. Via the alternative road through Confluencia, about 276 kilometers.

Can you camp for free on the Seven Lakes Route? Yes, at rustic campgrounds inside the national parks, such as Villarino and Bahía Guardaparque. Camping outside designated areas is not allowed.

Do you have to pay to drive the Seven Lakes Route? No. Driving the highway is free. Fees apply only to specific areas of the parks, which are not on the route.

A short road that asks for time

It is 110 kilometers that anyone can drive in two hours, and almost no one should. The Seven Lakes Route is made of stops: the viewpoint that appears after the bend, the pebble beach on the lakeshore, the light shifting over the forest. Leave with a full tank, check road conditions if it is winter and set aside more time than the map suggests.