Dear friends,
I’ve got more volcano-filled adventures for you…
We arrived in Puerto Varas, a city on the shores of Lago Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile and similarly to Pucón, it is surrounded by volcanoes! From the town’s promenade and the black sandy beaches, you can see snow-capped Volcán Osorno (2,652m) and Volcán Calbuco (2,015m), both of which are still active. Further in the distance you can make out the snowy peaks of Cerro Tronador (3,491m), the now extinct stratovolcano in the Southern Andes, located near the Argentinean city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Puerto Varas is known as “la cuidad de las rosas” which translates to “the city of roses” and references the large number of rosebushes you see whilst wandering the streets.
Following the German revolutions of 1848-1849, many Germans left Europe and as a part of a state-led colonization scheme under Chilean President Manuel Montt, they moved to Southern Chile. From 1850-1875 the regions around Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue received over 6,000 German immigrants, many of which were skilled and contributed significantly to development in the region. It was in 1853 that Puerto Varas was founded and named after Antonio Varas, the Minister of the Interior at the time. The long-lasting influence of the German families who immigrated and founded the city is both beautiful and bizarre. Streets are lined with traditional German architecture, steins of craft beers are served everywhere, with nearby town Frutillar even celebrating Oktoberfest and most restaurants serve traditional German dishes – and lots of Kuchen! Having just left the EU… It was nice to be transported back to Europe for a little while!
Once again, we found ourselves in adventure-town, but still a little tired from our previous excursions in Pucón, we didn’t fancy another summit expedition. For closer views of Volcán Osorno, we travelled to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. We opted for the easier trail, which took us through previous lava flows, now bare ashy rocky canyons and through old lush green forest, which managed to survive the last eruption of 1869. For most of the hike we had been aware of Volcán Osorno’s presence but unable to see it behind the clouds, but just as we reached the shores of Todos Los Santos Lake, the clouds began to clear. We were rewarded with incredible views of its perfect conical peak and able to make out the many craters around its base. Volcán Osorno has yet to blow it’s top off, with previous volcanic eruptions happening through these side craters.
Not far from the National Park, we visited Saltos de Petrohué, some recommended waterfalls. We were a tough crowd after visiting Iguazu Falls a few weeks earlier, but even so we were impressed by the sheer velocity of the water and the dazzling blue river. After a long day of exploring the nearby nature, we headed into town enjoying tacos and German beer!
The following day, we went out to explore the city a little more. We visited a local museum, Museo Pablo Fierro, a quirky dilapidated house filled to the brim with eclectic antiques, memories and pictures. Inside there are seemingly never-ending staircases up into attics, rooms and balconies. You can explore this weird museum and even have a chat (in Spanish) to Pablo himself. It’s worth a visit if you’re in Puerto Varas but I preferred the afternoon, which we spent lounging on the beach, taking bracing swims in the lake and having a picnic dinner whilst the sun set.
Having read about the picturesque towns around the lake, we decided to hire bikes for the day to take a leisurely ride to nearby Frutillar, which promised gorgeous beaches and excellent food. Setting off on our mountain bikes, it became clear that there was no specific cycle route and it would involve a whole lot of hills, biking alongside an old railway line and some busy lakeside roads. After 32 kilometres, we finally reached Frutillar, enjoying a delicious meal and a few beers (to take the edge off the cycle back) whilst gazing out at the views of the lake and Volcán Osorno. After getting a little lost and struggling up the steep hills, we made it back to our hostel, cycling 65 kilometres in total! It was after this that Simon announced he quite fancied cycling the whole 170 kilometres around Lake Llanquihue! Exhausted and saddle-sore we spent a few days relaxing on the beach and pottering about town, eating delicious ice-cream and planning the next part of our trip.
I’d just about recovered from the traumatic cycle ride and so we set out looking for our next adventure. After researching kayaking in the area, we decided to take a day trip to one of the fjords. In our sea kayaks we paddled along the Reloncavi Fjord between the small fishing village of Cochamo and Ralun passing mussel farms and sea lions lounging on the buoys. After a few hours we stopped for lunch at a local family’s farm, enjoying their produce and playing with their animals – including a small dog obsessed with rocks! With only a little way left to go, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of two dolphins as they disappeared down the estuary. After a long day in the sun, we spent our last evening in Puerto Varas walking along the beach, gazing up at the full moon.
For the next three weeks we will be leaving the sometimes noisy but comfortable hostels behind as we pick up our campervan, and catch a ferry to the island of Chiloé before heading into Patagonia. I’ll try to keep you updated as much as I can!
Keep your eyes peeled for Pumas!
Lots of love,
Xaverie
xxx