Villa Pehuenia

Villa Pehuenia is a small village on the shores of Lago Aluminé and Lago Moquehue, in the north of Neuquén, among forests of pehuén, the araucaria or monkey puzzle tree that is sacred to the Mapuche. Above it rises the Batea Mahuida, an extinct volcano with a lagoon in its crater; the small ski resort on its slopes belongs to the Mapuche Puel community, which runs it with conservation in mind.

Two nights are enough to feel the place. A drive or a walk up the Batea Mahuida gives a view of several volcanoes along the Andes at once; the lakes are for kayaking and fishing, the araucaria forest for walking. In winter, the same slopes become a family-scale ski area. Villa Pehuenia sits four hours north of San Martín de los Andes and a short drive from the Icalma pass into Chile, towards the araucarias of Conguillío and the volcanoes of Pucón.

Summer is the main season; autumn is quiet and colourful. Winter brings snow and the small ski season.