February 10, 2023 Puerto Montt, Chile Tender Port 8:30-5:00 Bring food.
Scenic Petrohue Falls and Puerto Varas
Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Our ship was late arriving. Then we were another hour late getting off the ship. We spent about five hours on the bus traveling for 3 hours and being stuck in traffic for two hours.
The Lake District has lots of beautiful green landscapes and brilliant, turquoise blue lakes. The backdrops include snow-capped mountains. The scenery of the Lake District gives Switzerland some tough competition.
The Osorno Volcano is one of sixty volcanoes being monitored. There is a glacier on the top. The mid-point of the volcano is a ski area. The other volcano at the south end of the lake is Calbuco. Its last eruption was 2015 and spewed 16 km into the air. .
Petrohue Waterfalls offer green water fringed with white froth, the falls are spectacular and are part of the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. We spent 30 minutes at this park.
Today we went to Puerto Varas first for 30 minutes. Then we sat in traffic for at least 90 minutes before we drove an hour to the National Park. I considered it a torturous day.
Random thoughts - Many German immigrants came to Puerto Varas. Forty percent of the population are from other parts of Chile. Salmon industry is important and began in 1980. Chile is number two in salmon exports. The salmon live in the lakes for six months before they are transferred to aqua farms in the ocean. The temperature is quite consistent. The range of temps is 70-80 degrees in the summer. It is very rainy. There used to be many large trees like the sequoias in the US, but the wood was used for building. To clear the land for farming, men set fire to the sequoia-like trees. It will take 800-1000 years for the trees to regrow. People are allowed to use wood from the stumps and roots.
Tour Description
Discover firsthand why the Lake District is considered one of Chile’s most visually stunning areas. NO Travel through a landscape defined by Andean peaks, pristine lakes and charming remote towns.Visit the shore of vast Lake Llanquihue, its horizon dominated by snow-capped Osorno Volcano. NO Enjoy a walking tour within unspoiled parkland where the famous Petrohue Waterfalls cascade. Stroll in Puerto Varas, where lunch on your own (No lunch), a lakeside rose promenade and a crafts market await.
Take in the visual splendor of Chile’s Lake District with visits to Llanquihue Lake, the waterfalls of Vicente Perez Rosales National Park and the handicraft market of Puerto Varas. Its horizon dominated by impressive, snow-capped Osorno Volcano – South America’s answer to Mount Fuji – the region surrounding Puerto Montt is one of spectacular natural beauty. Dozens of active volcanoes and hundreds of lakes dot the landscape, foremost among them vast Lake Llanquihue to the north of Puerto Montt. You’ll journey there by coach, skirting its southern shore to Ensenada and the roaring emerald chutes of Petrohue Waterfalls within the national park. NO WALK A refreshing 45-minute guided walk here features standout Osorno views and a primal landscape little changed by time or man. Circling back along the shore road, you’ll disembark in the quaint lakeside resort town of Puerto Varas, beloved for its sprawling rose-lined promenade and Swiss-German architecture. Enjoy some free time here to smell the roses and browse the handicrafts market for souvenirs of the region before reboarding for (NO spin)a brief orientation spin around Puerto Montt en route back to your ship.
HELPFUL HINTS
- Wear weather-appropriate clothing.
- Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
- Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.
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