Lakes & Volcanoes

Chile

Squeezed between the mountains and the sea, Chile’s beautiful Lake District region stretches over a large distance.

General Pinochet’s famous Carretera Austral road – an unforgettably scenic journey - connects Temuco and Pucon in the north with Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt in south, where the land ends and the fjords and ocean take over.

Sparkling lakes, snow-capped peaks and rich green primary forest have caused the area to be compared with both New Zealand and Switzerland, but it has a personality all its own. Pucon is known as the adventure capital of the region, offering water sports on Lake Villarrica and volcano climbing.

Puerto Varas is a rather gentler place, where small villages and farmhouses sit around Lake Llanquihue, Osorno volcano soars, and excursions include the waterfalls at Petrohue. There is a strong Germanic heritage here, and quaint colonial villages such as Frutillar and Puerto Octay are well worth a visit.