The National Park Nahuel Huapi has its origin in the three square leagues donated by Francisco Pascasio Moreno in 1903, earth which they formed the main body, giving beginning thus to the history of the national parks in the country.
Distributed between the southwest of the province of Neuquen Province and the northwest off Rio Negro Province, makes the greater protected area of Argentina. The north it limits with the National Park Lanín, which many enter with the "Route of the 7 Lakes" and, the west, with several protected areas Chilean, forming around the park a mattress type that cushions the negative impact of the own antropics activities of areas nonprotected.
The zone characterizes by the presence of lakes and mighty rivers, fed in rains and meltings on snow and glaciers. The most important river basin is the one of the lake Nahuel Huapi that gives its name to the national park, which means in araucanos words "island of the tiger" and make reference to the greatest island of the lake and the most visited by the tourists: the island Victory (the reference to the tiger originates in tótem of some family puelche that inhabited the island or in the boldness of the natives, who were "brave like tigers").
This lake, center of an extensive lacustrine system has an extension of 530 kilometers square of surface and one depth that arrives at 400 meters.
They stand out in the park, in addition to the lakes, rivers and mountains, the flora corresponding to the subAntarctic forest in which they predominate coihues, larches, lengas and cypresses.
The park escapes to the conventional surrounded ones, the routes enter and leave the protected area.
San Carlos de Bariloche , in the province of Rio Negro, and Villa La Angostura , in the province of Neuquen, are two important tourist centers that are into the National Park Nahuel Huapi .