Cycling Patagonia: La Ruta de los Siete Lagos

The Seven Lakes Road is one of the most iconic and breathtaking stretches along Argentina’s longest road, Ruta 40. Winding through northern Patagonia, it connects San Martín de los Andes to Villa La Angostura, a 110 km stretch of paved road through stunning landscapes, crystal-clear lakes, and dense forests.

Getting There: Bikes, Boxes & Mate

Our journey began with a flight into Chapelco Airport, located about 25 km from San Martín de los Andes. There, we unpacked and reassembled our bikes under a tree in the airport parking lot. As soon as we stepped off the plane, we were offered some mate (the famous traditional South American herbal drink) by a group of curious taxi drivers who were intrigued by why we had shipped our bikes to such a small airport.

Three hours later, we finally peddled out to Villa Paur, a small village just before San Martín. That evening, before setting off the next morning, we treated ourselves to one last hearty meal at Piscis, a recommended carnicería in San Martín. Food: 4/5, Vibe: 5/5 shoutout to the accordion guy.

Day 1:

The next morning, we woke up early to beat the peak-season traffic and hit the road. From Villa Paur, we cruised downhill into San Martín de los Andes, then began our first real climb, 500 meters of elevation gain over the next 15 km. A nice leg burner to kick off the journey.

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We took a detour to visit Lago Hermoso and, true to its name, it was absolutely stunning. We stopped for lunch, soaked in the views (and a bit too much sun), then pushed on for the final 20 km of the day. We found a perfect meadow tucked beneath the trees, alongside a river with grazing horses nearby. They were cute and all until we saw them relieve themselves in the water as we were sipping our evening tea (can confirm the Sawyer water filter works). After pitching the tent, we attempted to recreate a Peruvian dish we’d recently had called Salsa Criolla. Unfortunately, we grabbed the wrong kind of tuna, and the result was... let’s just say we were glad we’d cycled all day and would eat anything. Food: 2/5, View: 5/5.

Day 2:

Feeling pretty beat, we set off again, rolling through the hills, when we were passed by a German bikepacker who casually mentioned he had started in Alaska just six months earlier… humbling, to say the least. He stuck around and chatted with us for about half an hour before taking off to finish his 200+ km day.

We continued at our own pace, passing the beautiful Lago Correntoso, reputed to be the warmest lake on the route, before arriving at the free campsite by Lago Espejo for the night.

There, we met several other bikepackers and began settling into our bike-travel rhythm. Even though our first dinner had been a bit of a flop, Sophia and I were now eating like royalty. Breakfasts were usually eggs or porridge, lunches featured avocado and ham sandwiches (with a surprisingly delicious dehydrated hummus we picked up at a local store), and that night’s dinner was risotto with dehydrated mushrooms and sweet potatoes. It turned out pretty tasty, though we ended up eating a bit late. Food: 4/5.

Day 3:

On our third day, we rolled into Villa La Angostura around midday, where we stopped to resupply and grab some lunch. This is the end of la ruta de los siete lagos. After a short break, we were back on the road, heading toward Bariloche, the famous tourist hub of northern Patagonia. But before reaching the city, we enjoyed a spectacular day of riding along the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, the blue water glistening beside us the whole way.

Using iOverlander (app), we searched for wild camping spots and lucked out with an incredible beach right on the lake. We pitched our tent alongside another bikepacker we’d met the night before, sharing stories as the sun set over the water.

Day 4:

On our final day, we peddled around the rest of the lake and made our way into Bariloche, arriving in the early afternoon. We checked into our hostel (Hostel Refugio Kau), where the staff kindly showed us a secure place to store our bikes. Then came the moment we’d been dreaming of: a hot shower followed by a godly nap.