Available in :
The Ruta de los 7 lagos bike route is one of the most popular routes for cyclists around the world. This route is located in northern Argentine Patagonia: in fact, it connects San Martin de los Andes to Villa la Angostura. The Ruta de los 7 lagos is part of a splendid
30-day trip to Argentina
.
La Ruta de los 7 lagos by bike: San Martin de los Andes – Lago Machonico
I reached San Martin de los Andes by bus: this small mountain town can be reached by a five-hour bus ride from Bariloche, the largest city in the area. As soon as I arrived in San Martin, I went to
Adventure Store
to rent the bike, booked a few days before-I chose a mountain bike as I had planned some dirt roads to see the lakes up close. This gave me a chance to try out the bike and learn about San Martin de los Andes, which is home to beautiful viewpoints above Lacar Lake.
After a good night at Hostel Rukalhue the next day I left early in the morning.
The first 14 km were practically always uphill: ready, set, go and immediately 500 meters of elevation gain! After this nice awakening the road becomes flat: at the 30th km I met the first lake, named Machonico.
La Ruta de los 7 lagos by bike: Machonico Lake – Villa La Angostura
At the 35th kilometer of the route I took a detour to see Lake Hermoso: it is not officially one of the seven lakes, but as the name says it is really beautiful and worth the extra five kilometers. I was also able to have breakfast at a nice café right on the lakeshore.
After returning to the main road, I pedaled an additional 15 km (still on the flat) to reach no less than two lakes: the Villarino and the Falkner. From here, a 5-kilometer descent took me down to another beautiful lake: Lake Traful is not one of the seven lakes, but it is a great place to camp or have something to eat.
The road after Traful Lake goes up and down again. You pass by Escondido Lake, and shortly afterwards you can see the beautiful Correntoso Lake. It is also possible to take a small detour that leads to Lake Espejo: again, the detour is worth it!
The last spectacular view is at km 120: you can again see Lake Correntoso in all its magnificence!
IN ADDITION TO THE RUTA DE LOS 7 LAGOS BY BIKE YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….
The Carretera Austral in Chile!
Free tour in San Martin de los Andes!
Excursion by car to los 7 lagos!
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT RUTA DE LOS 7 LAGOS BY BIKE
- In total, including detours, I covered 126 km with 1,500 meters of elevation gain. This is the
Garmin track
. It is not a difficult route and the dirt roads are always easy. I picked up the bike in San Martin de los Andes and left it in Villa la Angostura.
- I tackled the Ruta de los 7 lagos by bike in a single day. However, there is no shortage of campsites (including the splendid one at Lake Traful) where both eating and sleeping are possible.
- In Villa la Angostura I slept in hostaria Bajo Cero. I hadn’t made a reservation (I wasn’t sure I could cover the whole ruta in one day) and I had pretty good luck finding a place, since January is very high season.
- I traveled the Ruta de los 7 lagos in January-the good months to travel it are generally from December to March, which is the austral summer.
- Both San Martin de los Andes and Villa la Angostura are easily accessible by bus from Bariloche.
- The Ruta de los 7 lagos is very close to Chile (specifically the Chilean lake region): of course
this area is also worth a trip
!
- The seven lakes in order are: Lacar, Machonico, Villarino, Falkner, Escondido, Correntoso, and Espejo.
- The Ruta de los 7 lagos is part of the RN 40, which is an impressive 5,000 km long and connects Punta Loyola, Patagonia, to La Quiaca, Jujuy.
