A few hours south of Santiago nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes (as is all of Chile) is the Lake District, a region of national parks, snow-capped volcanoes, and deep, clear lakes, hidden in the mountains. My visit here was my first chance to get out of urban Chile and explore the natural beauty for which Chile is famous. Puerto Varas is a quaint little town in the Lake District located on Lago Llanquihue (the second largest lake in Chile, full of crystal-clear blue water).
The town was settled by German settlers in the 1800’s, and accordingly has a distinct look which reminds me more of Europe than Latin America. 
After this short hike, we trekked 6km through the forest, across volcanic rocks, and over a dried river bed, all in the foothills of the Osorno volcano. The absolutely stunning scenery makes the hike that much easier – although I need to remember to bring more water – it was in the 80’s!
Just so it doesn’t sound like all sunshine and roses, I have to admit that this national park seems to be the home base of flies the size of small felines. No kidding. And they insist on flying close to your ears to add a little “mood music” to the trek. Oh, and they bite. Good times. 
In the meantime, I’m happy to be here and I’m happy it’s summer! 
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From the hotel in Puerto Varas, there are beautiful views of three snow-capped volcanoes: Volcans Osorno, Calubco, and Tronador. The plan for the first day was to do some hiking in the National Park and around the Osorno Volcano. We (me and my small tour group) hiked to the Petrohue Falls - beautiful rapids with the Volcan Osorno in the background. They are absolutely stunning and reminiscent of some parts of Montana.
After the hike, we drove up the base of the volcano to a ski resort. It was strange to see a ski area with no trees (above the treeline) – it just looked so barren! But the views were incredible and if I were here in the winter, I’d have to take a run or two, just to experience skiing down a volcano!
In the meantime, I’m happy to be here and I’m happy it’s summer!
Hi Renee,
ReplyDeleteJust looked at your blog.Wow,It's beautiful.Your right it does remind you of Montana,right down to the flying insects.In my case it was bees when we went on our hike.