Lago Hermoso

Lago Hermoso is a long, narrow glacial lake tucked into Lanín National Park, just off of the Seven Lakes Road (RN 40) that links San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura. The lake's name means beautiful, and the whole area lives up to it. It sits in a forested valley with mountains on either side, and because you reach it down a 2 km gravel road, the shoreline stays a lot quieter than other the lakes sitting right on the route. The gravel road takes you right to the beach on the eastern shoreline where the water is deep blue and the long, thin shape of the lake pulls your eye west down the valley toward the peaks. Mornings are the perfect time to be here, when the air is usually still and the lake is glassy enough to mirror the trees and mountains, plus the early sun lights the western slopes across the water. You can easily use the pebbles and clear shallows of the beach as foreground or the wooden dock as a leading line, or find a fallen log along the shore to anchor a wider frame. If you come in autumn,( April or May) and the forests slowly turns red and gold across the hillsides. Be sure to bring a longer lens in your kit, since the forested slopes and the far shore sit well across the water. (Lanín National Park, Neuquén, Argentina)