After the amazing Torres del Paine we continued south to Punta Arenas for two nights then took a plane heading north to the large port of Puerto Montt. We then headed to the lakeside town of Puerto Varas. This charming town is the tourist centre of the Chilean Lake District and it’s easy to see why. Sitting on the shore of Lago Llanquihue with the perfect snow capped cone of Volcano Osorno dominatingthe town. The German influence left by the early settlers in the late 18th- and mid 19th- centuries can be seen in the wooden clad houses reminiscent of alpine chalets and the wonderful Küchen tempting taste buds in the numerous cafés.
The famous German church of Puerto Varas.
The silver lining of so much rain, rainbows!
Some striking graffiti/street art in town.
Our arrival coincided with late autumn and although the roses that decorate the streets and parks were still in bloom the sunshine had been replaced with rain. Luckily our hostel, Margouyen 2 was the perfect place to take shelter from the weather for the week.
The lovely old wooden house was built in 1930 and its wood burning stove, feather duvets, tea and coffee on tap, comfy sofa and large film collection made the rainy afternoons a real treat.
Oh to have a log burning stove…
When the rain stopped we ventured out to visit the local area. Further along the coast is the German town of Frutillar, home to a beautiful wooden theatre and cute cafes to watch the rain from.
Some friendly Patagonian gnomes.
Hmmmm, Küchen!
The Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales sits at the far side of the lake and one day we took a local bus to visit the falls at Petrohué (Saltos del Rio Petrohué). Fortunately the sun was shining and we saw Orsono volcano in all its glory as well as the waterfalls.
The elusive Orsono Volcano.
A dusting of snow on the tree tops, Winter is coming.
As the water crashed into the river below we could see huge salmon swimming and splashing as they jumped through the churning water. They energy they must need to climb the ferocious water of the falls is extraordinary.
After seeing their exertion we headed back to town for a large piece of Küchen 🙂
Recommendations
Margouya2, Purísima 681, Puerto Varas
Kirstperson 