South & Central America

The Lake District

Stretching from Temuco in the north down to Puerto Montt in the south, the Lake District is a stunning area of outstanding natural beauty boasting lush farmland, dense forest, dozens of crystal clear lakes and snow-capped volcanoes.

This whole area has become one of the country's favourite playgrounds for those seeking outdoor activities such as walking, canoeing, climbing, fishing, horse riding etc.

The first of the two main tourism centres in the Lake District is Pucon which is based on the eastern shore of Lake Villarrica and a pretty town which acts as a gateway into the Villarrica National Park and a base for a huge variety of outdoor activities.

The second main area of adventure tourism is a little further south and based around Lake Llanquihue, which is close to Vicente Perez Rosales National Park and overlooked by the almost symmetrical perfection of the Osorno Volcano. Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and the pretty little village of Ensenada are just some of the towns where you can stay.

A typical day's sightseeing could include a visit to Lake Todos Los Santos, which is one of the most beautiful in the whole of the Lake District and is also known as Emerald Lake on account of its intensely deep green and clear waters. Surrounded by the pine-forested hills of the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park this lake is the gateway to the Argentinian border and lunch can be enjoyed on its beautiful shores.

Later you can drive through the forest to the lower slopes of the Osorno Volcano and walk through the ancient coigue tree forest, which leads not only to the Barbuja crater, but also to the Laguna Verde, a very pretty lake. The lava from the volcano has slowly been eroded over the years into a series of little channels and the Petrohue River that flows out of Emerald Lake is then forced through these channels creating a series of impressive rapids known as the Petrohue Falls. Wild flowers thrive in the area due to the resulting spray of the falls and there are a number of marked nature trails along the river.

Our preferred hotels include:

Quincho Country House (Puerto Varas)
Puelche Hotel (Puerto Varas)
Cabanas del Lago (Puerto Varas)
Villarrica Park Lake Hotel (Villarrica)
Hosteria Ancud (Chiloe Island)