The Los Lagos region of Chile's Lake District has numerous lakes and volcanos, the most famous is Osorno, called the "Fujiyama of South America" for its perfect cone.
Things to Do
Tour Osorno to see
- Museo Municipal de Osorno - Casa de la Cultura José Guadalupe Posada, the museum housing artifacts from pre-Colombian times to the present
- Auto Museum Moncopulli - classic cars
Spend time touring the area around Osorno, the gateway to lakes Puyehue, Rupanco and
Puyehue National Park
Ski
Climb Osorno in
Villarica National Park for both the spectacular view from the mountain but also to see the volcanic activity or hike around the base to see lava flows and debris and a look at the caves
Use Puero Varas as a comfortable and convenient base to ski at La Burbuja
From Puerto Varas on Lago Llanquihue, you can take a circle tour around the lake, stopping at:
- Ensenada, for black sand beaches and the gateway to
Vicente Perez Rosales National Park for rafting, cycling, horseback riding, walking, and trekking
- Las Cascadas where river rafters congregate
- the popular resort town of Puerto Octay
-
Frutillar to tour the open-air museum with restored colonial homes and furnishings from the early German settlement period and the operating blacksmith shop. Check into the schedule for the summer classical musical concerts.
Along the way, you'll see volcanos Calbuco, with its jagged crater,
on the southern edge of the lake and Osorno on the eastern side and
the rich dairy farmland with historic settlements and typical architecture that makes the area known as Little Bavaria.
The road may be rough in places as a result of rain and weather.
Take a horseback tour from Ensenada through native rainforests to some of the scenic areas not seen from the road or the lake
Vist the Parque Alerce Andino to see dense larch forests and other native vegetation, such as ferns, climbing vines, wild grasses and more. You might see a puma, a gray fox called chilla,the
endangered dwarf deer called pudu, wild cats called güiñas, and skunks called chingues.
Visit Pelluco and Chinquihue on the Tenglo Channel
Climb, with the appropriate skill and equipment, Calbuco
Trek or backpack the numerous trails around Petrohue and the lake
Swim, sunbathe, picnic, fish and enjoy the beaches
of Playa La Baja, Playa Cascadas, Playa Maitén and Playa Puerto Fonck.
The Termas de Puyuhuapi is one
of the better known hot springs resorts in the lake district.
East of Llanquihue is Petrohue
on Lago Todo Los Santos
From
Lake Todos Los Santos climb to the magma canyon on the Desolation Path
from where Jesuit priests discovered the lake in the 17th century.
Petrohue is the
departure point on the lake crossing to
Peulla
where passengers disembark for a bus ride over the pass to
Puerto Frias in Argentina, then board another boat for the trip along Lago Frias to
Llao Llao and on to other Argentine destinations. Some visitors like to trek between
Peulla
and Puerto Frias.
Hill Walking
Tour Views of Puerto Montt to see the German Colonization
Monument and the Cathedral on the Plaza Central, the first
to include a garden on the square.
Mountain bike,
trek, climb or snowshoe in winter
Raft on the Petrohué river on rapids of Level III and IV difficulty.
Photo of Lago Llanquihue with Volcan Osorno in the background
or Calbuco and the oddly shaped Volcano Puntiagudo
In
National Park Vicente Pérez Rosales hike to the
Cascada de la Novia or Bridal Veil Waterfall, surrounded by the "Valdivian Rainforest".
Whenever you visit Chile's Lake District, enjoy yourself, and tell us:
What's your favorite place in
the Lake District?
