Patagonia Lake District – Volcanos, Waterfalls & Pudus
This is my seventh post from the March 2024 trip to Chile with Adventures Abroad. In the last post we visited the first of what I deemed to be the big three on this trip, Torres del Paine National Park and it far exceeded even my very high expectations for these famed mountains. From there we returned to Punta Arenas and took a flight to Puerto Montt and spent two nights in the Patagonia Lake District. While the weather was not as cooperative as it could be, we had a very full day exploring this part of Chile including a boat trip on Lago Todos Los Santos (All Saints Lake) that took us to a resort hotel on the border with Argentina. Along the way we spotted a pudu, the world’s smallest deer and stopped at a very interesting waterfall. So please join our group as we continue or exploration of Chile in the Patagonia Lake District.
Puerto Varas
Until this trip I really had no notion of just how big Patagonia actually is – larger than 80% of all the countries on earth. We had seen just a fraction of it on our visits to Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine. Our group now boarded a flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt some 1335 kms. (830 miles) due north. From the airport we took a short bus ride to Puerto Varas which is not a seaport, but rather on the shores of Llanquihue Lake, the second largest in Chile. The city has a beautiful location directly across the lake from Osorno volcano which played peekaboo with us for the duration of our time in the city.
Puerto Varas is not a Spanish colonial city, but rather one settled by German immigrants in the mid 19th century and its architecture reflects that heritage.
We had a excellent accommodations in Puerto Varas, the Hotel Cumbres which sits on a ridge high above the lakefront. From the exterior you might think it was in the Bavarian alps rather than the Patagonia Lake District of Chile.
The interior of the hotel maintains the alpine theme with skis, antlers and fly fishing equipment.
Our first night in Puerto Varas, Chris took us to Las Buenas Brasas for dinner and I had something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, abalone. Only problem was that abalone isn’t found off the waters of Chile, so what was this delicious seafood entry described in English on the menu as Chilean abalone?
The two large white things on the left side of the plate are concholepas which are actually members of the murex family which makes them vicious predators that track down hapless barnacles for their sustenance. The barnacles will thank me for removing at least two of their enemies from the field. This plate which also included a generous helping of Chilean king crab and some oysters was, for me, a true gastronomic highlight of this trip. BTW the concholepas were as good as shellfish gets.
Lago Todos Los Santos, Patagonia Lake District
The next morning our Patagonia Lake District exploration began in earnest as we boarded the bus for the one hour trip to Petrohue where we would catch the ferry across Lago Todos Los Santos to Puella, but first we had two stops, one planned and one unplanned. The unplanned stop was to get a good look at the world’s smallest member of the deer family, the pudu.
The planned stop was to see the Saltos del Petrohue which are a series of waterfalls on the Petrohue River not far from Lago Todos Los Santos. This photo really doesn’t do justice to the place as there are a series of deep channels cut through the rocks that extend for a substantial distance before ending in this chute.
At Petrohue we boarded this catamaran for the two hour journey to Puella. I was surprised at the number of passengers who had substantial amounts of luggage and upon inquiry learned that is part of a regular route to go from Chile to Argentina.
I mentioned that the weather was not overly cooperative during this part of the trip and unfortunately what on a clear day would have been a majestic ride through the Patagonia Lake District, was today shrouded in mist.
The occasional sun ray burst through the clouds, but mostly the volcanoes that surround Lago Todos los Santos were not to be seen. Incidentally the lake was given its name by a group of Jesuits who stumbled across it on All Saint’s Day in the 17th century and the name stuck even though it had numerous Indigenous names before that.
Puella is mostly just a name for the ferry landing as there is no town there of any substance there. A rickety old bus appeared which takes the passengers with luggage to the ferry dock on Lago Frias which is in Argentina. From there the ferry goes to the resort city of Bariloche which is a major ski destination. This was once part of the Cruce Andino, a major shipping route for Argentinian wool to the ocean at Puerto Montt. It was kind of neat being in a place that can only be accessed by water.
Forsaking the bus, our local guide led us on foot alongside the road in the Patagonia Lake District.
Given the fact that you can only get here by boat, the last thing I was expecting was this massive structure, the Hotel Natura Patagonia.It has extensive grounds with some very nice and well tended gardens which Alison and I explored before heading inside for lunch.
We stayed in Puella for about three hours before returning to the ferry where three dogs were gamboling near a small waterfall. Having two dogs of our own I know how much fun they can have on their own and these ones were a treat to watch as they chased, had mock fights and rolled in whatever pile of stink they could find, occasionally running through the waterfall to cool off.
On the way back the mist continued, but that should not discourage future visitors to the Patagonia Lake District as, with luck, you’ll get this view of Puntiagudo volcano.
Back in Puerto Varas Alison and I had a chance to walk along the lakefront before dinner.
Here is where you will find the Museo Pablo Fierro, an eclectic mix of German artifacts from the Patagonia Lake District and Chilote artifacts from the nearby Chiloé archipelago collected over the years by a local artist. You will either like it or hate it as the reviews on Trip Advisor seem to indicate.
Our final stop on this short trip to the Patagonia Lake District was at this monument to Bernardo O’Higgins, the liberator of Chile who in what was to become a trope of Latin American politicians, promptly became a dictator.
Although I wish the weather had cooperated better, I did not regret for one minute our short visit to the Patagonia Lake District. In the next post we’ll move further south and take another boat trip, this one to the San Rafael Glacier. Hope to see you onboard.