We woke up to lots of clouds and occasional rain. Our hotel is right on Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Vargas. It is the second largest lake in Chile and is quite magnificent with the Osorno Volcano looming in the background. We decided to drive partially around the lake to the “ski area” which is right on the Osorno Volcano, considered one of the most active volcanoes in southern Chile! Both the top of the volcano and its main crater are fully covered by a permanent glacier. It was very foggy and raining on the drive up the volcano. Volcanic ash was heavily laden on both sides of the road and the trees appeared stunted in growth. As we approached the ski area, it felt like we were on the moon. There were no trees with only large black “lava” boulders and volcanic ash scattered all over and dense fog. It was very eerie. There is only one chairlift and a very small lodge at the ski area. We wanted to take the chairlift up and hike down; but the lift was not operating due to the heavy rain. We have discovered that the ski areas in New Zealand and Chile are quite small and often difficult to get to by car (due to long dirt & gravel roads) compared to our US ski areas.
Our next stop was the Petrohue “waterfall”. It is below the volcano and is actually a fast-moving, chute-type waterfall with frothy white and aquamarine crystal clear water. The unique thing about this waterfall is that it flows through narrow volcanic canyons shooting out immense volumes of water. Apparently, it is one of the most photographed falls in Chile.
The Puerto Varas area is our favorite area so far in South America. The town is very quaint and has a predominant German influence due to the German immigrants who arrived in the lakes region in the mid 1800’s. Lake Llanquihue is absolutely stunning. The area contains a myriad of picturesque barns, rolling green farmlands, tiny, adorable churches, charming ” cabañas” (cottages), and impressive estates that are on the lake and tucked into the hills .
We drove north along the lake to Frutillar where there is a very large concert hall on the shore. It is a small artsy community and absolutely adorable. There are many little German cafés and restaurants on the shore and throughout this little town. We couldn’t figure out how this enormous hall was supported until we were driving out towards the freeway. The area has a large industrial base of research labs (Novartis, Nestle, etc.) and manufacturing facilities that must provide the support.
