Chilean Lake District
Description
Who is it for?
Travellers looking for low-impact active experiences amid the flora and fauna of one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
What is it?
Hiking and trekking make-up the foundation of this 5-day experience in the gorgeous Chilean Lake District. Created to be actively rewarding without being aggressively challenging, the itinerary is composed of beautiful drives and hikes, wildlife encounters abound, as well as relaxing activities such as kayaking and fly-fishing throughout Chile’s Lake District, with visits to charming locales including Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Puerto Octay, Alerce National Park, the Carretera Austral, Perez Rosales National Park, Osorno Volcano, and Lake Todos los Santos.
Included/Excluded
Tour Amenities
Tour Duration
Duration
Starting Price
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Travel Style
Tour Type
Day by Day Itinerary
Lake District, Chile We start our trip in Puerto Montt in the morning and are met by our guide at the airport. We start the drive to Puerto Varas, a beautiful town just 15 minutes away located on the shore of Lake Llanquihue – just before entering the town we get a great view of the Lake’s bay and the magnificent Osorno Volcano behind it. Puerto Varas has a marked German architectural style due to significant German immigration in early twentieth century and is known for its delicious German kuchen. From Puerto Varas we drive around the shore of Llanquihue lake to Frutillar, passing the German colony monument. In Frutillar we visit the Colonial museum and enjoy a stroll along the promenade, then we head to the little town of Puerto Octay before returning to our hotel in Puerto Varas. (L/D)
Today we visit a National Park named after the millenary Alerce tree, native to the region and undoubtedly one of the most interesting species of tree in Chile. In this park some of the Alerce trees are more than 3,000 years old! We drive down Los Colonos route heading to the city of Puerto Montt, passing by the small town of Alerce, then we meet the Carretera Austral. This famous road, carved through Northern Patagonia, is lined with abundant fauna, flora and the beautiful lowlands of the Andean Cordillera. Along the road there are also small farming villages with a marked European look. We arrive at the 39,255 hectare park and start a beautiful hike on the different trails going through the Park. If we are lucky we see some of the interesting fauna that lives in the park including the Chilean deer (huemul), puma, pudú (the smallest deer in the world), condor, black carpenter bird and many other birds. We stop for lunch in one of the picnic facilities then continue hiking among the ancient trees, looking out over the lake. We return to Puerto Varas and go for dinner and enjoy a chilled pisco sour, a reward for all our walking effort! (B/L)
We depart Puerto Varas for Ensenada and drive to the Osorno Volcano and ski center. From here we get an incredible view of Lake Llanquihue and the surrounding volcanoes. After taking in the view, we head back down the hill and start our trek along the El Solitario trail, a small track formed by lava which weaves its way through ancient native forest. After 6 kilometers of this undulating trail, with constant views of the volcanoes and the lake, we reach Saltos de Petrohue, close to Lake Todos los Santos. (B/L/D)
We wake up in the middle of the Lake District, surrounded by magnificent views of Todos los Santos lake. Today we have the option of choosing an activity from the Lodge’s excursion menu, including kayaking on Todos los Santos, hiking through the dense millenary forest, or going fly fishing. In the afternoon we come back to the Lodge and have free time to relax and enjoy our final evening. (B/L/D)
After breakfast we have the option of doing a short walk along the Lake shores, enjoying our final views of the beautiful scenery. Around midday we are picked up and driven towards Puerto Montt. We go through Perez Rosales NP, along the shores of Lake Llanquihue, past Puerto Varas and to Puerto Montt airport. Adios Lake District! (B)
Explore Tours
Who is it for?
Travellers looking for low-impact active experiences amid the flora and fauna of one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
What is it?
Hiking and trekking make-up the foundation of this 5-day experience in the gorgeous Chilean Lake District. Created to be actively rewarding without being aggressively challenging, the itinerary is composed of beautiful drives and hikes, wildlife encounters abound, as well as relaxing activities such as kayaking and fly-fishing throughout Chile’s Lake District, with visits to charming locales including Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Puerto Octay, Alerce National Park, the Carretera Austral, Perez Rosales National Park, Osorno Volcano, and Lake Todos los Santos.
Included/Exclude
Tour Amenities
Tour Plan
Lake District, Chile We start our trip in Puerto Montt in the morning and are met by our guide at the airport. We start the drive to Puerto Varas, a beautiful town just 15 minutes away located on the shore of Lake Llanquihue – just before entering the town we get a great view of the Lake’s bay and the magnificent Osorno Volcano behind it. Puerto Varas has a marked German architectural style due to significant German immigration in early twentieth century and is known for its delicious German kuchen. From Puerto Varas we drive around the shore of Llanquihue lake to Frutillar, passing the German colony monument. In Frutillar we visit the Colonial museum and enjoy a stroll along the promenade, then we head to the little town of Puerto Octay before returning to our hotel in Puerto Varas. (L/D)
Today we visit a National Park named after the millenary Alerce tree, native to the region and undoubtedly one of the most interesting species of tree in Chile. In this park some of the Alerce trees are more than 3,000 years old! We drive down Los Colonos route heading to the city of Puerto Montt, passing by the small town of Alerce, then we meet the Carretera Austral. This famous road, carved through Northern Patagonia, is lined with abundant fauna, flora and the beautiful lowlands of the Andean Cordillera. Along the road there are also small farming villages with a marked European look. We arrive at the 39,255 hectare park and start a beautiful hike on the different trails going through the Park. If we are lucky we see some of the interesting fauna that lives in the park including the Chilean deer (huemul), puma, pudú (the smallest deer in the world), condor, black carpenter bird and many other birds. We stop for lunch in one of the picnic facilities then continue hiking among the ancient trees, looking out over the lake. We return to Puerto Varas and go for dinner and enjoy a chilled pisco sour, a reward for all our walking effort! (B/L)
We depart Puerto Varas for Ensenada and drive to the Osorno Volcano and ski center. From here we get an incredible view of Lake Llanquihue and the surrounding volcanoes. After taking in the view, we head back down the hill and start our trek along the El Solitario trail, a small track formed by lava which weaves its way through ancient native forest. After 6 kilometers of this undulating trail, with constant views of the volcanoes and the lake, we reach Saltos de Petrohue, close to Lake Todos los Santos. (B/L/D)
We wake up in the middle of the Lake District, surrounded by magnificent views of Todos los Santos lake. Today we have the option of choosing an activity from the Lodge’s excursion menu, including kayaking on Todos los Santos, hiking through the dense millenary forest, or going fly fishing. In the afternoon we come back to the Lodge and have free time to relax and enjoy our final evening. (B/L/D)
After breakfast we have the option of doing a short walk along the Lake shores, enjoying our final views of the beautiful scenery. Around midday we are picked up and driven towards Puerto Montt. We go through Perez Rosales NP, along the shores of Lake Llanquihue, past Puerto Varas and to Puerto Montt airport. Adios Lake District! (B)
