- Address: milio Frey 749, 8370 San Martin de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina
- Area: 3.8 square meters. km
- Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 - 18:00
- Phone: +54 2972 42-72-33
- Website: parquesnacionales.gob.ar
- Foundation date: 1937
Argentina is one of the most diverse countries in the world, where the climatic zones, beautiful landscapes, unique flora and fauna, glaciers and waterfalls, mountains and salt marshes intertwined. There are more than 30 national parks in the country. One of the most visited is the third largest reserve of Patagonia - Lanin Park, located at the foot of the volcano of the same name, in the province of Neuquén .
Features of the reserve
Lanin National Park was founded in 1937 to preserve a unique ecosystem with a huge variety of local flora and fauna. The territory of the protected zone occupies 3.8 square meters. km. Here grow quite rare tree species, such as forest araucaria. Their fruits can be collected only by natives, since this tree is considered sacred for the Mapuche tribes. In many rivers there are different kinds of trout and salmon, and in the primeval forests there is a huge number of rare animals. A favorite of tourists is a small deer pood.
sights
The main pride of the national park is the Lanin volcano, because only mountains can be better than volcanoes. It is interesting for its conical top. This Starovolcan is on the border of Argentina and Chile, being part of two national reserves: the Argentinian Lanin and the Chilean Villarrica. The exact date of the last eruption is not known, it is assumed that it was no more than 10,000 years ago. The Lanin volcano is considered a symbol of Neuquén province, it is mentioned in the hymn and is depicted on the flag.
Another no less interesting sight of the park is the lake with the interesting name Echulafken, located at the foot of the volcano. "Echulafken" from the language of the Indian tribes Mapuche literally translates as "high lake", as it is above other neighboring lakes. The depth of this reservoir in some places reaches 800 m. Most of the tourists visit the Lanin Park just from the side of Lake Echulafken. From the opposite, climbers, mostly climbers, climbing the volcano Lanin. From a small mountain, which is located next to the park's office, you can enjoy stunning views of the volcano and the Tromen lake.
How to get to the national park?
Approximately 3 km from the reserve is the small town of San Martín de los Andes . From here to Lanin Park there are 2 trails: Juez de la Paz Julio Cesar Quiroga and RP19. The car can be reached in about 10 minutes. If you want to make a walking tour of the surrounding area, then on the road to the protected area will have to spend about an hour.