Los Lagos, Chile

When thinking of Chile, destinations like Valparaiso, Santiago, Atacama Desert, and Torres Del Paine come to mind. However, the overlooked Los Lagos region in Southern Chile is one of Chile’s most breathtaking regions. I learned about this region from a screensaver on my work computer. The image on display was the Petrohue Waterfalls with Chile’s Osorno Volcano in the background. The beauty of this image heavily influenced my decision to spend a few days in Chile after my Peru trip.

I visited this region on a day trip by plane from Santiago to Puerto Montt. Because it was June, wintertime in Chile, I experienced light rainfall and weather in the low 50s. No mater the time of year, I strongly recommend exploring this region with a guide. Puerto Montt, the region’s capital and the gateway to Patagonia, had a nice tourist friendly seafood market called Angelmo. At the market, I had fresh salmon and sea bass ceviche, and I met friendly locals and some not so friendly sea lions.

From the market, my local guide took me by vehicle around the massive Lake Llanquihue to quaint towns and villages full of Spanish, indigenous Mapuche and German (yes German) culture. Puerto Varas was the most charming and walkable village. I learned that many of Chile’s wealthy have swanky summer homes in this German influenced town by the lake. One would think I was in Switzerland and not in Chile.

The most captivating part of this region was the natural green environment. Driving around the lake, I saw numerous volcanoes. Chile is home to around 500 volcanoes. Chile’s Los Lagos region is home to around 15 of them. We could even see an Argentine volcano from our vantage point on the lake. While many are active (including Osorno), Chile has one of worlds most efficient volcano warning systems. I felt safe at all times. Due to the rainy weather, Osorno Volcano was completely covered in clouds. Still, witnessing the outline of the massive volcano was beyond surreal. Watching the volcano from the gorgeous Petrohue waterfalls was an unforgettable experience. The beauty of the sun emerging from the clouds and shining on both the waterfall and volcano outline was something that pictures could not do justice.

Having a local guide for this region made the experience one I would love to repeat. Due to the winter season, I experienced no crowds around the scenic lake and waterfalls. Although I didn’t hike the volcano, Osorno has a nice resort at its base for ski enthusiasts. Maybe next time.