Chile Lake District Route from Puerto Varas

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Puerto Varas

   Puerto Varas looks across Lake Llanquihue at a volcano that appears to have been drawn with a ruler. Osorno, at about 2,650 metres, is a near-perfect snow-capped cone, and from the lakeshore at sunset, when the cone turns pink and the water goes flat and glassy, it is one of the great views of southern Chile. Beside it, the more jagged Calbuco, which erupted dramatically in April 2015 and sent a column of ash high into the sky, looks darker and more menacing.

   Read the complete Puerto Varas write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Puerto Varas is where the day begins. Next is Frutillar.

2. 2. Frutillar

   Frutillar looks as if a piece of Bavaria had been dropped on the shore of a Chilean lake, and in a way it was. German settlers arrived in southern Chile in the mid nineteenth century, invited by the government to colonise the forested south, and they built wooden houses with steep roofs and neat gardens on the western shore of Lago Llanquihue. Their descendants still run bakeries that sell kuchen, the cakes made with berries and cream, and the town keeps a quiet, tidy air.

   Read the complete Frutillar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Frutillar comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Osorno Volcano.

3. 3. Osorno Volcano

   The Osorno volcano rises from the shore of Lake Llanquihue with the neatness of a child's drawing: a perfect cone, 2,652 metres high, white with snow at the top and dark with forest at the base. Its symmetry is often compared with Mount Fuji, and on a clear day, when the cloud lifts and the lake is still, it fills the sky at the southern end of the Chilean Lake District. It is among the most beautiful volcanoes in the Andes and is a landmark you can see from far away.

   Read the complete Osorno Volcano write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   At least about 125 km into the recorded legs you reach Osorno Volcano. Next is Petrohue Falls.

4. 4. Petrohué Falls

   The Petrohué River leaves Lake Todos los Santos, a deep green lake at the foot of Osorno, and a few kilometres later squeezes through a channel of black volcanic rock, turning milky-turquoise and loud. This is the Petrohué Falls, not tall but broad and powerful, tumbling through dark basalt that was laid down by eruptions of Osorno in earlier centuries. The contrast between the glacial blue water and the almost black rock is the whole show, and Osorno itself, white-capped and perfectly conical, fills the sky behind.

   Read the complete Petrohue Falls write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Petrohue Falls, about halfway. Next is Ensenada.

5. 5. Ensenada

   Ensenada is a small village at the eastern end of Lago Llanquihue, and its charm is mostly its position. The lake is on one side, and the two volcanoes, Osorno and Calbuco, stand on the other, with the Cordillera behind. It is a place where the road runs along the water, where the beach is made of dark volcanic sand, and where a few simple restaurants and guesthouses take advantage of a very good view. There are only about a thousand people here, and the pace is gentle.

   Read the complete Ensenada write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Ensenada sits at 107 km, late in the day. Next is Puerto Varas.

6. 6. Puerto Varas

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Puerto Varas write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 217 km.