The region of the Lakes in Chile evokes volcanic cones encapsulated in eternal snow, lakes dotting valleys planted with cypress trees for thousands of years, Mapuche traditions... But also the island of Chiloé and its dreamlike landscapes. The region stretches between the Pacific coast and the Andes mountain range over 48,000 km2, due south towards Tierra del Fuego, almost 1,000 km from Santiago
Puerto Montt makes a living from the activity of its port and the city has developed greatly thanks to salmon farming. Its hustle and bustle and modern architecture contrast with the tranquility of the surroundings. While walking around, you can nevertheless discover some beautiful buildings that remind you of 19th century bourgeois Germany. Because it was colonized by Germans at the same time. The regions of Osorno, Puerto Varas and Chiloé are the most visited
Puerto Varas, a major tourist destination
Known as the city of roses, Puerto Varas inspires all its visitors to marvel at the immensity of Lake Llanquihue, which borders it and reflects the snow-covered cone of the Osorno volcano, as well as the somewhat less mountainous one of Cabulco. The blue of the pure water of the lake invites you to swim, while the red tile arrows of its church climb to the sky, offering pretty postcards. Puerto Varas is also a major tourist destination thanks to its infrastructure: hotels, restaurants and agencies offering a plethora of activities throughout the region: rafting, trekking and other mountain sports. Around Lake Llanquihue other small villages are worth a visit, such as Frutillar and Puerto Octay
Petrohue saltos and cypress millennia
From Puerto Varas, a road along the lake passes through the small village of Ensillada and then through the forest to Petrohué, the gateway to Chile's oldest national park, Vicente Perez Rosale. Bounding the surroundings of Lake Todos los Santos where it is good to swim, it is a great place to hike, thanks to its "Saltos": spectacular waterfalls formed when the Osorno volcano spilled lava flows. Today, the grey basalt rock is petrified and extruded by the passage of water from the Petrohue River plunging from the mountains, forming impressive natural sculptures. Nature has regained its rights, planting forests in a setting that is both mineral and full of life. From there, a path leads into the forest of Fitzroya cupressoides. This cousin of cypress, considered one of the oldest tree species in the world, is in danger of extinction. It also gave its name to the nearby Alerce Andino National Park, a preserved sanctuary with remarkable species. The most impressive, accessible by a hiking trail, would be 2,600 years old, 57 metres high and nearly 2.3 metres in diameter!
The Calbuco Volcano, which is less conspicuous than its neighbour Osorno (it reaches a height of 2,003 metres), is nevertheless sulphurous. To the general surprise of scientists and authorities alike, he woke up in two spectacular eruptions in April 2015, after 45 years of relative sleep. Since then, its ascent has been forbidden, so we just watch it from afar.
Trekking on the Osorno volcano
The Osorno Volcano, under its fierce air, is climbed by hikers in good physical condition. The adventure is exciting. It begins after the small village of Ensenada on the banks of the river, when the track climbs to the foot of the "solitary path": 2h30 walk around the volcano to admire it in all its aspects. The next step leads to the volcano's ski resort at 1,400 m by 4x4, the starting point for a trek to the eternal snows. The reward is significant when you reach 2,600 metres: a 360°C view of the volcanoes of Calbuco, Antillanca and Tronador, which appear very close to the sky and are sometimes seen with their heads in the clouds, with lakes at their feet separating fertile and green plains, and in the background the Andes mountain range. Contemplation of this panoramic vision is a wonderful memory.
Osorno, mapuche exploration base
Located further north in the lake region, Osorno is a city founded in 1558, but destroyed by Mapuche rebels, earthquakes and successive fires. It was not until 1796 that it was repopulated by Ambrosio O ́Higgins and the German settlers. The 19th century Germanic houses (classified as national monuments) stand out in Mackenna Street, as well as its ogival cathedral, its Place d'Armes and its craft village. But most of all, we come to explore Puyehue National Park. A day trek can be spent in the north of the park from Toro Lake. The crossing of a Valdivian rainforest to Lake Paradise precedes a breathtaking view of Lake Casablanca. After a transfer to the Antillanca ski resort, only 1,000 m away, a trek climbs to the Raihuen crater on the slopes of the Casablanca volcano. This basalt setting impresses, with the cones of the Calbuco, Puntiagudo and Puyehue volcanoes in the background
From Osorno, there is a thousand-year-old hiking trail on the road to the peaks of the Little Cordillera, between the sea and the Andes mountain range. It offers magnificent views on both sides and is dotted with agro-tourism farms that offer horseback riding, excursions, fishing and hunting.
Not far from there on the Pacific coast, the Mapu Lahual Reserve was created in 2001 to preserve a unique primary forest between the mountain range and the coast, but also Mapuche culture and knowledge. It's a good stopover to buy crafts
Chiloé, a picturesque island
Chile's second largest island (and its eponymous archipelago) has many beautiful beaches and a string of uninhabited islands forming a fjord, a calm and fish-bearing inland sea. The insularity of Chiloé, its southern latitudes and repeated earthquakes in the region have favoured Chile's irreducible people. It is one of the last bastions of cultural resistance. These southern lands are not very populated, but very fervent. The island is haunted by myths and imbued with a syncretic soul between Mapuche culture, pagan beliefs and the Spanish Christian religion. The island has nearly 150 churches built of local Alercian wood, built in the 17th and 18th centuries by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, 16 of which are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are distinguished by an architecture reminiscent of northern European countries with a roof in the shape of an overturned ship's hull
Castro, the capital, is the most touristic city thanks to these famous "palafitos" immortalized from the Gamboa viewpoint on all the photos, and classified as a UNESCO heritage site. These colourful houses on stilts are nowadays, for some, hotels with breathtaking views. In the village's small restaurants, fish and seafood are king. The main city of the island is nevertheless Ancud, which with its fishing and agricultural activity is a village of rustic houses, a port of colourful fishing boats. The Plaza d'Arme, the church, the handicraft market and the ruins of the historic fort of San Antonio are all stops on the way to the penguin colony that lives on nearby islets. The wild landscapes that scroll to Puinhuil Bay are sublime. The zodiac ride as close as possible to this extraordinary colony of penguins reveals itself as a life-size animal documentary, especially when babies are born in October and November. The huge sea lions nearby are more phlegmatic, lying on the sand with their entire mass. Huillinco, a lake city in Chiloé National Park, precedes the northern part called Chepu, an impressive green paradise surrounded by five rivers. A forest path called "the tepual" allows you to explore the forest before exploring the totally wild confines of the Pacific coast. The best way is to spend a night camping and walk along the beach in... electric kayak! Sea lions come to go a long way, they are facetious and play easily with kayaks.
Green, wild and unspoilt Patagonia
Further south, the Cochamo Valley is reserved for long-distance explorers. Compared to Yosemite Park, due to the particularly ancient and immense specimens of Alerce, this valley is an enchantment that can be visited on foot or by horse. A major place for hiking - fishing, horse riding and climbing -, it stretches along the rivers and waterfalls its horizons of granites and thousand-year-old cypress forests. Between snow-covered peaks, azure blue rivers tumble down from the mountain, offering first-class natural pools.
Finally, in the extreme south of the lake region, Chaitén is a village surrounded by the bellicose volcanoes of Michinmahuida, Corcovado and Chaiten. The city serves as an exploration base for Pumalin Park, one of its main tourist attractions, which has several thousand hectares of preserved biodiversity and primary forests
Smart info
When? When? The climate of this region is temperate and cold. The best season is the austral summer, between early January and March.
Getting there. Allow about 14h30 to reach Santiago from Paris.
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