Lanín National Park

Lanín National Park covers nearly 380,000 hectares of the Andean foothills in Neuquén province, stretching from the Chilean border to the pre-Cordillera. The park is named for Lanín volcano (3,776 metres), a near-perfect snow-capped cone of remarkable beauty that is visible from much of the surrounding landscape. The summit can be climbed with proper equipment and a guide in two to three days.

The dominant landscape below the treeline is araucaria forest — ancient, primeval, with trees that look like they belong to a different geological era. The forests are at their most accessible along the road from Junín to the park entrance and around the shores of Lake Huechulafquen. Lower down, the forests transition to lenga beech, which turns gold and orange in autumn (March–April).

The park has good trekking infrastructure, with refugios and campsites at key points. Day hikes from the Huechulafquen lakeshore are the most popular; longer routes into the interior require permits and experience. The park entrance is about 25 kilometres west of Junín.

things to do sight nature
A story
The araucaria tree (Araucaria araucana, also called the monkey puzzle) is the dominant tree of the park's upper elevations and one of the strangest-looking organisms in Patagonia. Individual trees can live for over a thousand years; the oldest in Lanín National Park predate the Spanish conquest by centuries. The Mapuche people, who have lived in this landscape for generations, regard the araucaria as sacred and traditionally relied on its seeds (piñones) as a winter food staple. Harvesting rights in the park are still shared with Mapuche communities.