Lago Lacar is the reason San Martín de los Andes sits where it does. The town opens directly onto the lake, with a beach, pier, and cold clear water framed by forested slopes.
It is not a tropical beach scene, and the water can be bracing even in summer. But for a morning walk, a swim on a hot day, or the first view after arriving by bus, Lacar gives the town its sense of place.