Argentina Guide
Neuquén and the Lake District
Parque Nacional Lanín
The most northerly of Patagonia's superb national parks, PARQUE NACIONAL LANÍN ( 
www.parquenacionallanin.gov.ar ) was formed in 1937 and protects 42,000 hectares of Andean and sub-Andean habitat that ranges from barren, semi-arid steppe in the east to patches of temperate Valdivian rainforest pressed up against the Chilean border. To the south, it adjoins its sister park, the even more colossal Nahuel Huapi, while it also shares a boundary with Parque Nacional Villarrica in Chile.
The great appeal of Parque Lanín lies in its three most characteristic features. The first is the presence of Mapuche communities in and around the park. The second is its geographical centrepiece – the cone of Volcán Lanín, which rises to 3776m and dominates the scenery around. This volcano, and the central sector of the park around lakes Huechulafquen, Paimún and Tromen, is best reached from Junín de los Andes. The park's other trump card is the araucaria, or monkey puzzle tree, which grows as far south as Lago Curruhue Grande, but is especially prevalent in the northern sector of the park, an area known as the Pehuenia region. It's not the easiest area of the park to get around, but this makes for fewer visitors and there are some excellent day-treks, some of which can be linked to make a fantastic, if tough, multi-day hike. Most people access this region via the depressing transport hub of Zapala.