We left Viña del Mar on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, took a bus to Santiago, and then flew south to the Patagonia region of Chile. For the next two weeks, we are staying in Puerto Varas. It is a small, quaint town located on the shore of Lake Llanquihue (the second largest lake in Chile).

As we entered Puerto Varas, we saw an unforgettable view of the lake and mountains. Our apartment is a few blocks from the lake and is close to the beach, restaurants, and shops. We plan to visit other small towns which dot the lakeshore.

Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas (nicknamed the City of Roses) is a town of about 40,000 people and is the gateway to many outdoor adventure destinations.  The town has a German influence because it was founded by German immigrants who settled the shores of Lake Llanquihue as part of a government colonization project in the 1800s. It is known for traditional German dishes, especially Kuchen (German for cake) which can be found in most bakeries and restaurants in town.

The main streets and boulevards here are lined with roses. In the small Plaza de Armas rose gardens line the plaza. The town is known for its traditional German architecture, houses built from wood which look like houses in the German Alps.

But what really makes this town so picturesque is the deep blue water of the lake with the snowcapped Andes Mountains as its backdrop. It’s nice to sit on the lakeshore and to gaze at the nearby volcano that appears to rise out of the lake.

Petrohué

We visited Salto del Petrohué in the Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park to see the river rapids and waterfalls that flow into Todos Los Santos Lake (All Saints Lake). As it is the end of summer here, the river is really low, exposing many deep crevices.

The river and lake are located on the east side of Lake Lanquihue. From Los Santos Lake, we could see two active volcanos, Osorno and Calbuco. In fact, Calbuco last erupted in 2015 and spewed ash for two weeks. Luckily the prevailing winds blew much of the ash east, away from Lake Lanquihue and Puerto Varas.

We hiked along the river and then took a relaxing boat ride on the lake. The river and rapids are reminiscent of the rivers in northern Minnesota (although Minnesota doesn’t have mountain views).

Osorno Volcano

The Osorno Volcano is a beacon on the lake calling us to come and explore. After exploring the Petrohué river and Los Todos de Santos Lake, we drove around the lake to the mountain.

In the winter, the mountain is a ski destination for locals. During the summer months, it is a place to hike and to see astounding views of the Andes mountains. There are two chairlifts that provide hikers a head-start up the mountain.

After riding the second chairlift, we hiked to the base of the glacier that caps the mountain. The terrain is lava rock, ash, and sand. There is no vegetation. As we hiked up, it felt like we were taking one step up and 2 steps sliding back down.

Once we could go no further, we turned around and saw the beautiful view. It was our first real look at the Andes and just how majestic they are.

We were happy to be at the top to take in the view.

We are glad we decided to come to this quaint little town in Chile. In many respects, it reminds us of the northwoods of Minnesota. Every time we step out of our apartment, we see the lake with the mountains as the backdrop and realize how lucky we are to enjoy what nature in Chile has to offer.