Queñi Lake

A mirror for poets

by Fernando Sánchez

In 1948, when the Chilean writer Pablo Neruda had to go into exile, persecuted by his country’s government, he crossed the frontier through the well-known Paso de los Contrabandistas (smuggler’s pass), today called Lipela.

After walking for some hours along the paths of a beautiful mountain forest, he arrived at Queñi Lake, located 10 kilometers from the border and around 60 kilometers from the city of San Martín de los Andes.

As he recalled those places, the poet would later state in some of his verses,: “...rain from the ancient forest /return to me the fragrance and the swords/that fell from the sky/ the solitary peace of field and rock/ the moisture at the margins of the river/ the scent of the larch/ the wind, alive like a heart.”

Queñi Lake’s beauty is hard to describe. Its crystalline waters intermingle among mountains that reflect in the lake while the sun sets behind the park ranger’s home. The river of the same name feeds the lake with its melt water. If you stay long enough to give your spirit the possibility of perceiving what happens around, you will be able to appreciate the trout jumping to catch flies, or the woodpeckers working the wood of a log.

Peace by the lake

María Sol Mut Coll, 25 years old, is the only person who lives there. She is the park ranger and her duty is to take care of this protected area inside Lanín National Park.

It is an area that aims at preservation: allowing natural processes to go on without human intervention. The only thing you can find there is a camping zone, as from that point up to Lipela Pass, it is all a “strict natural reserve”, and human presence is forbidden.

To get to Queñi from San Martín de los Andes, you have to take the road in direction to Hua Hum, then border Lácar and Nonthué lakes, and finally go through a narrow road built in the mountain that will lead you to the park ranger’s wooden house.

In spite of its beauty, it is one of the less visited places by the thousands of tourists that arrive at Lanín National Park; thus, it is an ideal place to get into deep contact with nature. If you do not have a vehicle, another option is to sail on a motorboat that leaves from San Martin de los Andes towards Hua Hum, and then walk for a bit more than an hour until you finally get to Queñi Lake.

From then on, you just have to enjoy the wonders that this shameless nature shows off and watch what the poet watched.

See Also
Mountain bike		What means to fish in the lakes of the Patagonia
About the city		Queñi Lake
Bandurrias viewpoint and La Islita		Chapelco ski resort