TREKKING IN PUERTO VARAS 4 days / 3 nights

Airport reception and transfer to your hotel in Puerto Varas. Departure for Osorno Volcano at the agreed hour, skirting Lake Llanquihue. On reaching 3,000 feet you'll stop to see the Burbuja Crater, one of many that exist on this volcano. From there you'll enjoy splendid views of Petrohue Valley, Calbuco Volcano and the Andes. Then you'll continue to the Ski Center, from where you can see the entire Lake Llanquihue basin, and on a clear day as far as Reloncaví Sound. After enjoying this spectacular view you'll descend to 700 feet, leave the car and start walking through El Solitario Trail. The first part of the trail passes through an area covered in vegetation, with huge ferns. Climbing a low ridge you will to see the effects of the volcano's eruptions and nature’s efforts to re-colonize the area. Along this route you'll have beautiful views of the glacial valley below and the perfect cone of the Osorno. After an hour walk you'll reach an area where snowmelt from the volcano has turned the zone into a lunar landscape. After receiving safety tips from the guide, you'll cross this area and go back to the woods. As you go downhill the noise of rushing water grows, revealing the next destination: The falls of Petrohue River.
Then, you'll have lunch at a local restaurant. The trip continues, and you'll discover the origins of the blue-green waters rushing over them: Lake Todos los Santos or Lake Esmeralda as it is also known. Return to Puerto Varas. (L)

Breakfast. Departure for Puerto Montt at the appointed time. From there you'll take the first 36 kilometers of Carretera Austral. The route skirts the shoreline of Reloncavi Sound, providing views of fishing villages and traditional fishing methods. On reaching the village of Lenca, you'll begin your ascent to the mountains. You leave the vehicle at the park entrance and follow a footpath bordering the Chaicas River. As you gain elevation, the forest gradually changes from new growth to mature Valdivian rain forest. Some 3 kilometers in, you come to a picnic area under the shade of gigantic Southern Beeches. You continue walking through the forest, stopping to admire what appears to be nature’s cathedral. A short climb brings you to Chaicas River Falls, and another short climb to the foot of “Methuselah”, a more than 3,000-year-old Alerce Tree (Fitzroya cupressoides). Box lunch in the forest and return to Puerto Varas. Accommodation (B, BL) 

Breakfast. Departure for Puyehue National Park, located in the Andes some 150 km. away from Puerto Varas. The weather in this park has a climate that favors the growth of temperate evergreen rain forests. Within its 10700 hectares (26,440 acres) lie more than 20 lakes, ponds, rivers, and trees reaching heights of up to 45 meters (147 feet). The foliage is so thick it barely allows sunlight to filter through. The most important volcanoes in this area are Puyehue (2336 mts.) and Antillanca (1990 mts.). In Antillanca you begin walking through one of the park’s beautiful trails, discovering a marvelous forest composed by Ulmos (Eucryphia cordifolia), Tepas (Laureliopsis philipiana), Ñirres (Nothofagus antartica) and many other native species. The walk ends in Aguas Calientes Hot Springs where you'll have time for a soothing bath soak in the thermal pools. Return to Puerto Varas during the afternoon. Accommodation. (B - BL).

Breakfast. Departure for Llanquihue National Park at the appointed time (45 drive from Puerto Varas. On arriving, as you get closer to Calbuco Volcano you'll start seeing the abundant vegetation and the presence of trees such as Southern Beech (Nothofagus dombeyi), Ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia), Winter’s Bark (Drimys winteri), Tepas (Laureliopsis philipiana) and Mañios (Podocarpus nubigena), among others. You'll have the opportunity to see impressive cascades and waterfalls. Between 600 and 800 meters (1,970 and 2,625 feet) above sea level, you'' see Alerce trees (Fitzroya cupressoides) which are up to 3000 years old. Lunch in the forest. At the end of the day, return to the airport for your return flight. (B – BL)