A spring crossing at Paso Trabunco

 Thermos in hand, cup ready, heading back through the forest after another mate stop. This is what most of our winter days actually look like: less about covering distance, more about moving slowly through snow like this and stopping whenever it feels right.If that sounds like your kind of trip, San Martín de los Andes in winter has plenty of trails just like this one waiting for you.

 A fallen log, a thermos, and good company — that's really all mate time requires. Somewhere in the lenga forest outside San Martín de los Andes, the trail always seems to find a spot like this: sheltered from the wind, close to the snow, with the dog stretched out nearby waiting to see who gets up first.Mate isn't a side detail on our tours, it's part of how the day is paced. We stop when the spot is right, not when the clock says so — and in a Patagonian winter forest, the right spot usually finds you.

 Every good hike needs a proper stop. Snowshoes off, a small stove going, and mate passed back and forth while the dog decides whether to nap or keep watch — this is how a Patagonian winter afternoon is supposed to feel.There's a rhythm to it: walk out into the snow, find a clearing with a view, sit down, and let the cold air and the mate do the rest. No rush to get anywhere else. If you ask anyone from San Martín de los Andes what they actually love about winter here, it's usually some version of this.

 Snowshoes are the easiest way to earn a view like this. A short climb above San Martín de los Andes trades the road for untouched snow, and the payoff is a full panorama of the cordillera — volcanoes and all — with nobody else in sight.This is the kind of half-day outing that works for almost anyone: no technical skill required, just snowshoes, warm layers, and a bit of curiosity about what's above the treeline in winter. It's one of our favorite ways to show visitors why this part of Patagonia doesn't shut down when the snow arrives — it just changes what's possible.

 Some days in San Martín de los Andes start with a full whiteout — and our trail dog doesn't mind one bit. This is what a proper Patagonian snowstorm looks like from ground level: thick, wet snowflakes settling on a coat built for exactly this weather.Winter here isn't a season we wait out — it's one of the best times to be outside. The trails around Mallín Grande and Trabunco turn quiet and completely white, the lenga forests go still, and a hike that takes three hours in summer feels like a different world in July and August.If you're planning a winter trip to Patagonia, don't leave San Martín de los Andes off the list. Bring good boots, expect snow like this, and maybe make a four-legged friend along the way.

 ~ Mate and Lanin ~

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