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Los Lagos
The Los Lagos Region is Chile's Lake Region at its most spectacular, a mosaic of emerald lakes, snowcapped volcanoes, and lush forests. Puerto Montt serves as the gateway to Patagonia, while Chiloé Island is a world apart with its stilt houses, wooden churches, and rich mythology.
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Puerto Varas and Lago Llanquihue, Postcard Chile
Lago Llanquihue, Chile's second-largest lake, is the centrepiece of the Los Lagos Region and one of the most photographed landscapes in South America. On clear days, the snow-capped cone of Volcán Osorno (2,652 m) reflects perfectly in its calm waters, creating a scene that has graced a thousand travel posters. The lakeside town of Puerto Varas, with its rose gardens, Germanic architecture, and lakefront promenade, is the region's tourism hub, a base for volcano hikes, lake crossings, kayaking, and fly-fishing.
The nearby town of Frutillar, with its Teatro del Lago performing arts centre jutting over the water, hosts a renowned classical music festival each summer.
The German colonial heritage is visible everywhere: in the half-timbered houses, the kuchen-laden cafés, and the Museo Colonial Alemán that reconstructs the lives of the 19th-century settlers who cleared the native forest and built the farms, mills, and breweries that still define the landscape.
Chiloé, Island of Myths and Wooden Churches
Chiloé is Chile's most culturally distinctive territory, an island (and archipelago) where centuries of isolation from the mainland created a unique blend of indigenous Huilliche and Spanish colonial traditions, expressed in a mythology of sea creatures (the Caleuche ghost ship, the Trauco forest dwarf), a cuisine built around the earth oven (curanto), and an architectural tradition of wooden churches that has no parallel in the Americas. Sixteen of these churches, built by Jesuit missionaries and local carpenters between the 17th and 19th centuries using only wooden pegs (no nails), are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The island's palafito stilt houses, colourful wooden dwellings built on stilts over the water, line the harbours of Castro, the island's capital, and Gamboa.
Chiloé's landscape is one of rolling green hills, misty forests, and rugged coastline, and its fierce independence of spirit is celebrated in festivals like the Minga de Tiradura, where entire houses are moved overland by teams of oxen while the community feasts.
Volcán Osorno and the Andean Crossing
Volcán Osorno, with its near-perfect snow-capped cone, is the iconic landmark of the Los Lagos Region and one of the most climbed volcanoes in Chile. A chairlift from the Centro de Ski Volcán Osorno takes visitors to 1,240 metres, from where experienced climbers can summit the 2,652-metre peak, a technical glacier ascent that rewards with views from the Pacific to Argentina.
In winter, the ski area offers runs through a landscape of volcanic rock and lenga forest. At the volcano's base, the Petrohué waterfalls cascade over a field of volcanic basalt into a jade-green river, and Lago Todos los Santos, an emerald-green fjord-lake surrounded by temperate rainforest, is the starting point for the legendary Lake Crossing to Bariloche, Argentina.
This multi-modal journey by catamaran and bus across two lakes and a mountain pass is one of the great scenic routes of the continent.
Fjords, Sounds, and the Gateway to Patagonia
South of Puerto Montt, the land fractures into a maze of fjords, channels, and islands that marks the beginning of Chilean Patagonia. The Reloncaví Sound, a sheltered fjord ringed by snow-capped volcanoes, is the starting point for boat journeys south to Chiloé and beyond. The fishing village of Cochamó, at the head of the sound, guards the entrance to a granite valley that has been called 'the Yosemite of South America', massive sheer rock walls rising from temperate rainforest that attract rock climbers from around the world.
The Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park, one of Chile's newest and most ambitious conservation projects, protects vast tracts of alerce forest along the Carretera Austral's northern stretch.
And the ferry route from Puerto Montt through the channels to Puerto Natales, a three-day voyage past glaciers, fjords, and uninhabited shores, remains one of the great ferry journeys of the world.
Curanto, Salmon, and the Seafood Culture
The Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's great culinary destinations, built on a seafood culture that stretches back millennia. The curanto, a feast of shellfish, pork, chicken, sausages, and potato dumplings (milcaos and chapaleles) slow-cooked in an earth pit lined with hot stones and covered with nalca leaves, is the region's signature dish and an ancient cooking method still practiced for gatherings and festivals on Chiloé.
The cold, nutrient-rich waters produce exceptional mussels, clams, sea urchins, and the king crab (centolla) that is a delicacy throughout Chile. The region is also the centre of Chile's salmon-farming industry, the world's second largest, which has transformed the local economy while raising environmental questions that are actively debated.
In the towns and markets of Puerto Montt, Angelmó, Castro, and Dalcahue, the seafood is as fresh as it gets, pulled from the water that morning and served in caldillo (broth), empanadas, or simply grilled with a squeeze of lemon and a view of the harbour.
Points of Interest
Cities
Cities
Puerto Montt
Capital of the Los Lagos Region (population around 245,000) and the southern terminus of Chile's Ruta 5, beyond it, the country breaks into islands, fjords and the Carretera Austral. Founded in 1853 as part of the German immigration programme, the city centres on the Plaza de Armas and the Catedral de Puerto Montt. The Angelmó seafood and craft market, the boat shuttles to Isla Tenglo and the ferry terminals to Chiloé and Patagonia anchor a busy, working port. Puerto Montt is also the centre of Chile's enormous salmon-farming industry.
Cities
Puerto Varas
Lakeside town of around 45,000 on the southern shore of Lago Llanquihue, with the snow cones of Volcán Osorno and Volcán Calbuco straight across the water. Founded by German immigrants in 1854, the town carries that heritage in its painted wooden houses, the Sagrado Corazón church and its bakeries. Known as the 'City of Roses' for its annual rose festival, Puerto Varas is the comfortable base for treks on Osorno, kayak trips on the lake and the Andean Lake Crossing to Argentina.
Cities
Puerto Octay
Quiet historic village of around 3,000 on the northern shore of Lago Llanquihue, founded in 1851–52 by German settlers. The town is one of the best-preserved examples of southern Chile's German colonial heritage, the Casa Niklitschek, the Iglesia Parroquial San Agustín and a string of wooden farmhouses give the Centenario peninsula its postcard look. Out of season it's a slow, almost-empty alternative to Puerto Varas, with the Osorno volcano always in view.
Cities
Ancud
Northern gateway to the Chiloé archipelago (population around 40,000), at the point where the ferry from Pargua arrives. Ancud was the last Spanish stronghold in Chile during the independence wars, the Fuerte San Antonio overlooking the bay was held by Royalist troops until 1826. Today the town is the base for visits to the Pingüinera de Puñihuil penguin colony, the Museo Regional de Ancud and the long Chiloé beaches and fishing coves of Mar Brava.
Cities
Castro
Capital of Chiloé (population around 45,000), founded in 1567, the third-oldest continuously inhabited city in Chile. Castro's defining image is its palafitos, rows of wooden houses on stilts over the inland sea, concentrated in the Gamboa and Pedro Montt neighbourhoods. The yellow-and-violet Iglesia San Francisco, an 1893 wooden church on the Plaza de Armas, is one of sixteen UNESCO World Heritage churches of Chiloé and the most famous of them all.
Cities
Chaitén
Patagonian port town of around 5,000 on the Gulf of Corcovado, the official start of the Carretera Austral. Chaitén was destroyed by the 2008 eruption of the long-dormant Volcán Chaitén, the entire town was evacuated, the southern half was buried under a river of lahar, and after years of debate the surviving north side was rebuilt rather than relocated. The town is now the gateway to Parque Nacional Pumalín Douglas Tompkins and the route south into Aysén.
Cities
Hornopirén
Small fjord-side village of around 3,000 at the end of the road-only stretch of the Carretera Austral; from here, two ferries connect onward to Chaitén. Hornopirén means 'oven of snow' in Mapudungun, a reference to the volcano of the same name that rises behind the bay. The village is the base for Parque Nacional Hornopirén and for the long fjord-and-cordillera maritime stretch that defines this part of Patagonia.
Cities
Futaleufú
Tiny Andean town of around 2,000 in the Palena province, near the Argentine border, population swells in summer when international kayakers and rafters arrive. The town is world-famous for the turquoise Futaleufú River, consistently rated one of the planet's top three white-water runs, with its Class V rapids drawing professional paddlers each austral summer. Off the water, Futaleufú is the base for trekking and fly fishing in some of the most pristine Patagonian backcountry.
Natural Reserves
Natural Reserves
Reserva Nacional Llanquihue
Andean reserve east of Lake Llanquihue, protecting native forest on the slopes of the Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $4,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales
Chile's oldest national park (1926), Lake Todos los Santos, the Petrohué waterfalls and the perfect cone of Volcán Osorno.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $5,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint · Picnic area
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Puyehue
Vast Andean park anchored by the Puyehue and Casablanca volcanoes, with native forests, thermal springs and the Antillanca ski centre.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $5,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint · Thermal baths · Ski
Natural Reserves
Termas de Puyehue
Heritage spa and resort on the western edge of Parque Nacional Puyehue, with indoor and outdoor thermal pools framed by Valdivian rainforest.
Daily 10:00–22:00 · $35,000 CLP
Thermal baths · Lodging · Restaurant · Parking
Natural Reserves
Centro de Esquí Antillanca
Family-friendly ski centre and summer trail base on the flanks of Volcán Casablanca, inside Parque Nacional Puyehue.
Ski season Jun–Sep · $35,000 CLP
Ski · Restaurant · Lodging · Parking
Natural Reserves
Termas Aguas Calientes
Open-air thermal pools at the gateway to Parque Nacional Puyehue, set among temperate rainforest.
Daily 9:00–21:00 · $20,000 CLP
Thermal baths · Restaurant · Lodging · Parking
Natural Reserves
Centro de Esquí Volcán Osorno
Ski centre and panoramic viewpoint high on Volcán Osorno, looking out over Lago Llanquihue and the Andean cordillera.
Ski season Jun–Sep · Summer chairlift Dec–Mar · $25,000 CLP
Ski · Viewpoint · Restaurant · Parking
Natural Reserves
Valle Cochamó
Granite-walled river valley northeast of Puerto Montt, often called the 'Yosemite of Chile' for its big-wall climbing, multi-day trekking and old-growth alerce forests.
Open all year (best Nov–Mar) · Free
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Alerce Andino
Coastal-Andean park east of Puerto Montt protecting some of the largest standing groves of the millennia-old alerce tree.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $4,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Monumento Natural Lahuén Ñadi
Small lowland reserve just north of Puerto Montt preserving a rare ñadi forest of ancient alerce.
Dec–Mar 9:30–17:30 · Apr–Nov 9:30–16:30 · $2,000 CLP
Hiking · Viewpoint · Picnic area
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Hornopirén
Wild fjord-and-cordillera park south of Hornopirén, with deep glacial valleys and dense Valdivian rainforest on the maritime stretch of the Carretera Austral.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $4,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Pumalín Douglas Tompkins
Conservationist Doug and Kris Tompkins' vast project turned national park, temperate rainforest, fjords, hot springs and the Chaitén volcano.
Open all year · Free
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Termas El Amarillo
Rustic outdoor thermal pools in the heart of Parque Nacional Pumalín, just outside the village of El Amarillo south of Chaitén.
Daily 9:00–21:00 · $10,000 CLP
Thermal baths · Parking
Natural Reserves
Reserva Nacional Lago Palena
Remote Andean reserve on the Argentine border, centred on Lago Palena and Lago Verde and accessible only by air and water.
Open all year (limited access) · Free
Hiking · Wildlife · Fishing
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Corcovado
Patagonian park sheltering the iconic Corcovado volcano, with fjords, ancient forest and almost no road access.
Open all year (no infrastructure) · Free
Hiking · Wildlife
Natural Reserves
Parque Nacional Chiloé
Coastal park on western Chiloé island combining Valdivian rainforest, long Pacific beaches and a strong Mapuche-Williche cultural presence.
Dec–Mar 8:30–18:00 · Apr–Nov 8:30–17:30 · $4,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint
Natural Reserves
Parque Tantauco
Private conservation park on Chiloé's southern tip, 118,000 hectares of pristine rainforest, lakes and coastline.
Open all year · $15,000 CLP
Hiking · Camping · Wildlife · Viewpoint · Lodging
Natural Reserves
Parque Tepuhueico
Private nature reserve on Chiloé's western coast around Lago Tepuhueico, with ancient alerce stands and the rare Darwin's fox.
Open all year · $15,000 CLP
Hiking · Wildlife · Viewpoint · Lodging
Volcanoes
Scenic Spots
Scenic Spots
Lago Puyehue
Large lake at the gateway to Parque Nacional Puyehue, famous for its hot springs and the Antillanca ski resort. Volcanic eruptions have shaped its dramatic shoreline.
Scenic Spots
Lago Rupanco
Deep glacial lake surrounded by temperate rainforest with views of the Osorno and Puntiagudo volcanoes. Less developed than neighbouring lakes, prized for sport fishing.
Scenic Spots
Lago Llanquihue
Chile's second-largest lake offering postcard views of Volcán Osorno. Its shores host the German-heritage towns of Puerto Varas and Frutillar, with beaches, cycling, and water sports.
Scenic Spots
Lago Todos Los Santos
Emerald-green lake within Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales, part of the historic Andean Lake Crossing to Argentina. Framed by the Osorno, Puntiagudo, and Tronador volcanoes.
Scenic Spots
Lago Chapo
Glacial lake southeast of Puerto Montt surrounded by dense Valdivian rainforest and fed by snowmelt from Volcán Calbuco. Popular for fishing and secluded camping.
Scenic Spots
Lago Cormaz Vidal
Remote lake in the northern Carretera Austral zone surrounded by pristine alerce forests. Accessible mainly by boat, offering a true off-the-grid wilderness experience.
Scenic Spots
Lago Tagua-Tagua
Deep glacial lake east of the Reloncaví Estuary, connected to the sea by the Puelo River. A gateway to the Cochamó Valley and Patagonian backcountry.
Scenic Spots
Lago Azul
Small lake on the island of Chiloé known for its vivid blue waters contrasting with the surrounding evergreen forest. A peaceful spot off the main tourist trail.
Scenic Spots
Lago Tepuhueico
The largest lake on Chiloé island, hidden within the Tepuhueico Natural Park. Surrounded by ancient alerce and coigüe forests, home to rare wildlife including the Darwin's fox.
Breweries
Breweries
Cervecería Tropera
One of the most prominent breweries in the Lake District, based in Llanquihue with brewery tours, an on-site taproom and shop, and an outpost in Concepción.
Wed–Sun 12:00–23:00
Beer tasting · Tours · Restaurant · Shop
Breweries
Cerveza Bordelago
Brewery and brewpub on the road from Puerto Varas to Ensenada, with lake-facing seating, house ales, and a casual food menu.
Daily 12:00–22:00
Beer tasting · Restaurant · Shop
Breweries
Cerveza 860 km²
Craft brewery on the Llanquihue-Totoral road at km 4.7, named after the total surface area of Lake Llanquihue. Production-only with bottle sales by appointment.
By appointment
Beer tasting · Shop
Breweries
Malta Chocolate
The first brewpub in Puerto Varas, on the route to Ensenada. House styles on tap with pub food in a lakeside neighborhood.
Tue–Sun 18:00–01:00
Beer tasting · Restaurant
Breweries
Cervecería Intrinsical
Small Llanquihue-based brewery known for producing over 100 different beer styles, from traditional lagers to bold ales. Bottle sales and tastings by appointment.
By appointment
Beer tasting · Shop
Breweries
Pioneras Casa Cervecera
Brewpub in Castro on Chiloé, with a rotating tap list of locally brewed and guest beers and a menu rooted in island ingredients.
Tue–Sun 17:00–01:00
Beer tasting · Restaurant
Breweries
Cervecería Barloventos
Craft brewery and restaurant in Quemchi, on the northern coast of Chiloé. Vibrant house beers paired with fresh local cuisine.
Thu–Sun 13:00–23:00
Beer tasting · Restaurant