
San Martín de los Andes is a village in the Province of Neuquén, Argentina. It is located in the Lácar Department in the south-west of the Province, at the foot of the Andes, beside the Lácar Lake, 45 km from the border with Chile and about 1,545 km (960 mi) from Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 24,000 inhabitants in town and throughout its surrounding area.
San Martín de los Andes, modeled like a European style alpine village, was founded on 4 February 1898. At present, either for the ski season or the summer it is a popular destination for tourism, and the seat of the administration headquarters of the Lanín National Park. There are different types of hotels in San Martin de los Andes, mostly little inns. Its landscape is one of the most spectacular of Patagonia. In the summer, adventure sports like kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, rafting, horse riding and others are popular. Golf can be played about 10 months a year on the Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II designed Chapelco Golf Club. Design and construction is starting in El Desafio Mountain Resort on a Greg Norman Signature golf course set in the mountains.
The beautiful Seven Lakes' pebbled road, takes you to Villa La Angostura, the Los Arrayanes National Park and the Nahuel Huapi lake. Chapelco is one of the most important ski centres in Argentina and South America for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding amongst others.
Handcrafted artisan arts & crafts and local culinary delicacies like gourmet chocolates, pastries, organic jams and preserves. Patagonian cuisine and tea houses abound. Alpine-style hotels, lodgings and cabins available throughout. Tourists have different types of hotels in San Martin de los Andes to choose from.