La Berendina

La Berendina is a four-room rural lodge at kilometer 22 on Provincial Route 61, at the mouth of the Chimehuin River, inside Lanín National Park. This is the exact point where the Chimehuin leaves Lake Huechulafquen — and the combination of lake, river, and volcano (Lanín, at 3,776 meters) frames every corner of the property with a panorama that is hard to match anywhere else in the region.

Access is by gravel road, about 22 kilometers from Junín de los Andes and roughly 45 from San Martín de los Andes. That distance from town is not a drawback — it is the point. Arriving at La Berendina means entering the national park and leaving behind the pace of any conventional tourist destination. The lodge runs entirely on solar energy, which shapes the experience in concrete ways: no televisions, no hair dryers. The silence, the views, and the owner’s cooking are the entertainment.

Jazmín and Martín run the lodge themselves. Martín cooks dinner using fresh, natural ingredients — guests who stay for the evening meal find a home-style table shaped by what the land and season offer. Breakfast is included and served in the shared dining room. The team speaks Spanish, English, and Italian, which makes the stay easy for both local visitors and the many international guests who arrive for the fishing.

The Chimehuin River is one of the most respected fly-fishing rivers in the world. The river’s mouth — the stretch where the cold, clear lake water begins its eastward journey — is just meters from the lodge. For guests arriving with a rod, La Berendina is a natural and privileged base. The lake itself offers other water activities: kayaking, shoreline walks, and direct access to the volcanic-sand beach along the coast.

The wider national park opens hiking options at various levels. The Lanín volcano trek — one of the great Patagonian summits — departs from nearby access points and is a landmark experience for experienced climbers. There are also more accessible circuits through native forest, with lenga beeches and coihues, that require no technical gear.

The lodge has four rooms: some with lake or river views, a double, a twin room, and a quadruple for groups or families. All have private bathrooms and heating. The garden and terrace — with sun loungers oriented toward the afternoon light — are where daily life at the lodge unfolds in good weather. A wood-burning stove heats the common areas on grey days.

With only four rooms, La Berendina cannot be an anonymous place. The number of guests is small by design, and that determines the kind of stay it offers: there is real communication between guests and owners, and flexibility to adjust the pace of each day based on weather and river conditions. Ratings on booking platforms — consistently above 9.5 out of 10, based on dozens of reviews — reflect a property that delivers what it promises without unnecessary decoration.