Beneath the Volcanoes

Pick up your rental car at the airport in Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt Airport, follow the signs to Puerto Varas. Before you reach Ruta 5, take a detour to the “Monumento Natural Lahuen Ñadi”. There you can see how the landscape in the whole region looked like before the German colonization around 1850. Due to excessive forest clearance, these wonderful Alerce forests exist today only in protected areas such as national parks - fortunately, there are quite many of them.

After the walk of about an hour at Lahuen Ñadi, drive to Puerto Varas. Spend the rest of the day exploring this pretty town at the shore of Lago Llanquihue and try your first local delicacies.

Overnight stay in Puerto Varas. Distance covered: about 35 km on asphalt.

There is a wide range of excellent gastronomy in Puerto Varas, some with lake views. The offer ranges from grill restaurants to fish specialties, great cafes, international cuisine and locally inspired burger and pizza adaptations, among others. For fish lovers, we recommend the restaurant “La Olla” (expect waiting times) with a large selection of local specialties and generous portions.

After a delicious breakfast, go on a daytrip to the beautiful surroundings of Puerto Varas. Drive along the lakeshore towards Ensenada. First stop of the day is by the wild ‘Saltos de Petrohue’, rapids and waterfalls that seem to dance over the lava rocks that have their origins in former outbreaks of the nearby volcanoes. The waters have been shaping these impressive rocks for thousands of years. If the weather permits it, you can see the majestic volcano Osorno rising behind the rapids - like in a picture postcard! Follow the road a bit further until you reach the shore of Lago Todos los Santos. There is a small museum about the pioneers of tourism in the area and you may have a great view of the volcano Puntiagudo, the “peaked volcano”.

Go back to Ensenada and continue your tour driving up the perfectly shaped Osorno volcano (2,660m). The road ends at 1,200m. Enjoy the unforgettable views of the mighty towering heights of the Osorno and the neighboring volcanoes of Calbuco, Antillanca, Tronador, as well as to Lago Llanquihue, which lays below.

Hike across the volcano’s immense lava fields, the panoramic views will improve with every step. Weather permitting, enjoy a ride by chairlift.

Overnight stay in Puerto Varas. Distance covered: about 150 km, mostly on asphalt.

Tip: On your way back, stop at the café “Onces Bellavista” and enjoy what in Southern Chile is called “Once Alemana” - the portions are huge, and the home-made breads and cakes are delicious. Spectacular view of the lake and volcano round the experience up.

By this day, you surely have discovered many traces of German immigrants and their descendants in the region, be it names, dishes, or the construction method. Approximately 10 km west of Puerto Varas, behind the village of “Nueva Braunau”, lies the small, family-run “Museo Antonio Felmer”. Here, the grandson of a settler family leads guests through a well-sorted collection in a nicely restored old barn. A visit to this museum helps to understand the harsh living conditions the settlers faced upon arrival and during the first generations. Afterwards, go on to the lovely town of Frutillar, located a little further north on the lake shore. The beautifully restored houses are so picturesque next to the modern and impressing concert hall “Teatro del Lago”. It can be visited with a guided tour.

The open-air museum in Frutillar awaits you with several restored houses from the early German settlement phase and a small cemetery. Everywhere in town you will find German cakes and tartes. Relax on the sandy beach next to the theater or in one of the many lakeside cafés with view of the Osorno Volcano.

Overnight stay in Puerto Varas. Distance covered: about 85 km on asphalt.

Tip: Drive along the lakeshore on your way back. This route takes a bit longer but is very beautiful.

Get up early today for a wonderful tour: The Alerce Andino National Park located on the first kilometers of the famous Carretera Austral, just south of Puerto Montt, offers a fairy tale landscape. The forest is very dense, but where it opens, you will find crystal-clear rivers, waterfalls and secluded quiet lakes, surrounded by steep cliffs. There are some of the last millennia old Alerce trees, that seem to reach directly into the sky. Hiking trails of different lengths and difficulties start from each of the entrances.

Probably the most beautiful hiking tour goes from the Lenca-entrance to the spectacular “Laguna Triangulo”. Depending on the fitness of the hikers and length of the break you take at the lagoon, this hike takes a total of 6-9 hours.

If you prefer not to hike, we recommend a panoramic drive from Puerto Varas along the idyllic Reloncaví Fjord to the villages of Cochamó and Puelo.

When reaching the Fjord at Puelche, take the ferry to Caleta La Arena and try some of the region’s tastiest empanadas at “Donde la Pola”. From there, head north on the Carretera Austral to Puerto Montt and from there, after a stop at the Angelmó fish market, return to Puerto Varas. If the weather is fine, you will have a great view of several volcanoes and the surrounding cold rainforest on this route.

Overnight stay in Puerto Varas. Distance covered: Alerce Andino about 120 km, including about 15 km on a gravel road / Reloncaví Fjord about 260 km, including about 85 km on a gravel road.

If you would like to do both trips, or go rafting on Rio Petrohue, or do a sea kayaking excursion, stay for one or more extra days in Puerto Varas.

After breakfast, leave Puerto Varas heading southwest and transfer to the island of Chiloé by ferry in Pargua. The island is full of myths, legends, ancient customs, and interesting people with their own pace of life - you’ll feel like you’re out of time there. Drive to the northwest corner of the island, to Puñihuil Beach. Weather permitting, local fishermen will take you with their small wooden boats to see penguins that live off Chiloé on rocks in the sea. This is one of the few penguin colonies where Magellan and Humboldt penguins live together.

After meeting the cute penguins, drive via Ancud to Ruta 5 in the direction of Castro, the island‘s capital. You may visit the fortress dating back to the struggle for independence and an interesting museum with models and plans of Chiloé´s typical wooden churches. In this rural area you will find many „Chilotes“, as people of Chiloé are called, who offer tourists “Curanto”, a delicious traditional dish made with potatoes, cabbage, meat and seafood cooked in an earth oven (book in advance).

Overnight stay in Castro or surroundings. Distance covered: about 240 km on asphalt.

Start your day exploring Castro with the central square, the Plaza de Armas, and its cathedral painted in daring lilac and orange. Castro is famous for its ‘palafitos’, houses built on stilts above the water. Today many of them are hostels or restaurants but some are still owned by fishermen, who „park“ their wooden boats in front of the house as you park your car. The island’s largest craft market is located near the harbor.

Then drive to the fishing village of Dalcahue, with its lovely wooden church. Dalcahue is a regional hub and provides good insight into the traditional way of life on Chiloé. Take a ferry from Dalcahue to the Island of Quinchao to visit the local wooden churches.

The wooden churches of Chiloé were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000 and are among Chile’s most valuable cultural treasures. They were built in the 18th century by Jesuit monks with the help of skilled local carpenters, entirely made of wood, without using a single nail. Try a tasty seafood soup, seafood empanadas, crab casserole or freshly caught fish in many variations at one of the local restaurants or food stalls.

Overnight stay in Castro or surroundings. Distance covered: about 240 km, mostly on asphalt.

Drop off your rental car in Puerto Montt and take your return flight.

Distance covered: about 170 km on asphalt.