Forests, Lakes and Volcanoes

The south of Chile surprises its visitors with landscapes laden with exuberant beauty. This territory emerges between volcano cataclysms, glacier sculptures, rain, and snow; molding a geography that is currently full of rivers and temperate rain forests.

From the source of the Bio-Bio River in the city of Concepción, the Andes mountain range slowly loses height and accentuates in volcanic activity; making the highest summits always coincide with volcanoes, as in the case of the following Volcanoes: Villarica (2800 mts), Llaima (3125 mts.), and Lanin (3700 mts).

The lakes that are found throughout the southern region are another one of the attractions in this area, which is considered to be the most important for tourism in all of Chile. In the lakes, you will see crystalline waters with a great range of colors. The lakes Llanquihue, Villarica, Todos los Santos, and Ranco attract travelers from all over the world.

The large quantity of vegetation in this region makes up the so-called temperate rain forest, the second largest on the planet. This makes it possible to find in this area a great number of national parks and environmental reserves, which extend along the border with Argentina and protect a series of ecosystems, going from native forests to volcanic plateaus. Here you can find alerces (a threatened conifer) and araucarias, a millennial conifer that produces pine kernels, a fruit that sustains the diet of the Mapuche people, one of the most important indigenous groups in America. For nearly 300 years, the Mapuche defended from the Spanish the territory of the Araucania.

In this area we also can see the notable influence of the European colonies that advanced toward the mountains, building cities throughout the Central Valley and in exclusive port cities along the indomitable Pacific coast and at the shores of a number of rivers and lakes. Among these we find Osorno, Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Valdivia, Pucón, and Frutillar. Each of these has excellent hotels, restaurants, commercial centers, transportation, and a number of attractions for all tastes, ages, and physical conditions.

Pucón and Villarrica
Recognized as high-level tourist centers in Chile, both cities offer a number of activities, including: water sports, fishing, trekking, and entertaining nights in the casino in Pucón. All of the activities are carried out within an excellent hotel infrastructure.

Temuco
Temuco, the capital city of the Araucania, is the starting point to discover the beauties of the area characterized by lakes, vegetation, and cities willing to offer the visitor an unforgettable stay.

Valdivia
Considered one of the most enchanting cities in all of Chile, Valdivia is located at the meeting point of the Calle Calle and Cruces Rivers, and is surrounded by canals and islands. The architecture of its houses and offices is marked by a strong German influence. Just outside of the city there are a number of interesting places to visit. Not be missed are the historical forts, the most important defense constructions in South America. The most famous are those constructed on the Isla de Macer, in Niebla, and in Corral. All are of stone and have an impressive battery of canons.

Osorno
A quiet city famous for its German influence. Just outside of the city there are good beaches and many places for excursions and outdoor sports. One of the most famous is the Ski Resort Antillanca, located at the foot of the Volcano Casablanca, a few minutes from the city. In addition to modern trails and ski lifts, it is surrounded by an impressive natural environment. Although it is a little further away, at 112 km from the city, Lake Rupanco also deserves a visit. From glacier origin, its shores have beaches and bays where you can do a number of water sports, as well as salmon fishing.

Puerto Montt
Located more than a thousand kilometers from Santiago, this city offers many attractions, in addition to being the starting point for excursions to the lakes, national parks, and islands to the south of Chile, known as the Lake Region. Not to be missed is the area of Pelluco, at four kilometers from the city. This is a residential sector with excellent beaches, restaurants, and bars.

Puerto Varas
Only 20 minutes form Puerto Montt; this is one of the most important resort areas of the Lake Region.  Located on the shores of Lake Llanquihue, the architecture of its houses demonstrates the strong influence of German immigrants.  Outside of the city there are many spots that are worth visiting, such as the National Park Saltos de Petrohué.

National Parks
The South of Chile has a large area of Nacional Parks (in total more than 40,000 hectares), among which we find Tolhuaca, Nahuelbuta, and Conguillío (Malleco), the hill Ñielol, the Pangues, Villarica, Lautaro and Huerquehue in Cautín. In these parks the vegetations displays its splendor, forming true roofs of branches and leaves, under which vines and parasitic plants grow, such as the copihues, the beautiful national flower of Chile. However, without a doubt, one of the most characteristic species of this area is the Araucaria, a millennial conifer whose origin dates it to the Jurassic Age, and which today is a national monument in Chile. We can also find various other types of vegetation, including hazel, boldo (a fragrant evergreen shrub), peumo, maqui, cinnamon trees, wool grass, tineo, etc Among the predominate fauna we find species such as: the great horned owl, the puma, the "chuao", foxes, gray foxes, skunks, wild cats, pudúes (minature deer), deer, coypou (large rodents), and bats.

Volcanoes
In the south there are more than 170 volcanoes in an area that is known for its great hills and beautiful lakes. Some of these summits, covered in snow for the majority of the year, offer excellent conditions for ski resorts, such as those in the volcanoes Villarica and Casablanca. It is also possible to practice mountain climbing, with summits that are easily reached, such as the Volcano Osorno, which seduces and invites you to explore its extensive trails, making it very attractive for all those visitors who like to climb. The highest peaks are found on the Volcanos Llaiima (3,125 mt ) and Lanin (3,700 mt.).