Exploring Southern Chile

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During nine years I visited Chile quite frequently on work assignments, as supervisor of a USA Non-Profit association. I had been here, there and everywhere, except Puerto Natales, Pucón, and Villarica. I knew that Pucón really deserved a visit, so I decided to go back and enjoy this beautiful area. That was ten years ago. I still have to visit some day, if God allows, the area between Puerto Mont and Coihayque. I have heard that the San Rafael glacier is beautiful.The last time I visited the area I was living in La Falda, Córdoba. I took a direct bus service from Cordoba city to Santiago (Chile), operated by a very good Chilean bus company (Tur Bus). Unfortunately, they were not using at ...Read More

During nine years I visited Chile quite frequently on work assignments, as supervisor of a USA Non-Profit association. I had been here, there and everywhere, except Puerto Natales, Pucón, and Villarica. I knew that Pucón really deserved a visit, so I decided to go back and enjoy this beautiful area. That was ten years ago. I still have to visit some day, if God allows, the area between Puerto Mont and Coihayque. I have heard that the San Rafael glacier is beautiful.

The last time I visited the area I was living in La Falda, Córdoba. I took a direct bus service from Cordoba city to Santiago (Chile), operated by a very good Chilean bus company (Tur Bus). Unfortunately, they were not using at that time their bests buses. Travel was rather uncomfortable, but now some bus companies offer the service on semi-bed and bed services. To the best of my knowledge, no bus company offers yet the Suite Bed service neither from Buenos Aires to Chile, nor from Córdoba or Mendoza.

You generally travel overnight from Buenos Aires or Cordoba to Santiago. Buses arrive anytime between 4 and 6 pm, and knowing already Southern Chile, I decided to make an immediate connection to Linares, where there is a nice budget hotel in a quiet area. It was the hotel Curapalihue, on Curapalihue 411. However, I have the impression that it is not operating just now. The other relatively comfortable hotel there was then was the hotel de Turismo.

Most 3 star hotels in Central Chile cost about 40 to 60 dollars per night, and prices increase as you go towards Coihayque, Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, where an average 3 star hotel can cost as much as 100 dollars per night.

After a good rest, the next morning I work up and took a bus to Temuco, where you have to change buses for going towards Pucón. All bus companies that travel towards southern Chile are quite comfortable, but the outstanding lines at that time were TurBus, Varmont, and Cruz del Sur. Although all the way down we will be bordering the Andes, the real treat starts south of Concepción, with the Salto del Laja, Temuco, Pucón, Valdivia... Continues in Experiences.

Quick Tips:

Three and four star hotels are expensive in Southern Chile. When I went to Puerto Varas, near Puerto Montt, a 3 star hotel was costing one hundred dollars per night. You need to get out of the downtown and go to some of the hotels the local people use, and prices will drop considerably. When I was at Puerto Varas I stayed at nice hotel for some 12 dollars per night. Pucón is far more beautiful than Villarica, but both villages are very near each other, and hotel prices at Villarica are lower. Of course, in Pucon you can combine volcano climbing in the snow with sunbathing on the beautiful beach on the lake and rainbow trout fishing, if you take a full-day tour to the Trancura river. You MAY fish nice rainbow trout trolling in the lake at the beginning of the fishing season. I did not succeed... But if fishing is your prime consideration, do your fishing at the Petrohue Falls, lake Llanquihue (Puerto Varas), Río Puelo (south of Puerto Montt) and Chonchi (island of Chiloe). Any of these places is really rewarding... Eating is expensive in Chile... Economy restaurants are not...

Best Way To Get Around:

Bus travel is the best option in Southern Chile, as far down as Puerto Montt and Castro. Buses from Santiago de Chile to Puerto Montt take less than 14 hours travel. Semi-bed, bed and suite bed services feature hot meals on board, including wine and pisco. Do not expect any meals on coach class.

Coach class buses in Chile are economical, while suite class bed services are expensive. In Argentina the spread between the luxury and the economy service varies from 60 to 80 percent. In Chile you pay three times more for the luxury service.

Varmont was the best then, and still seems to feature an excellent service.

TurBus features five different classes of services. Standard (coach class, an intermediate economy service, semi bed, bed and premium bed. This company covers all Chile from Arica to Puerto Montt. To go further south you need to cross to Argentina and come back, or travel on a ferry, or take a plane.

Cruz del Sur goes all the way to Ancud, Castro and Quellón (Chiloe).and is my third choice. LAN Chile has a special Visit Chile airfare. Check their site. www.lan.com. Enjoy your trip through Southern Chile. Read Less

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South of Linares

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Linares is a short distance south of the city of Talca, from where you can board buses to Southern Mendoza (San Rafael) through the Paso Pehuenche, a very good fishing area along the Rio Grande (not the Río Grande of Tierra del Fuego, but a tributary of the Rio Colorado). I have gone fishing there a couple of times, and fishing is good, although I would prefer fishing on the Chilean side of the Andes).Although you can find some buses, or trains from Linares to Temuco, you might want to connect buses at Concepciòn. CONCEPCIÓN is the third city of Chile, after Santiago and Valparaíso, has some nice beaches, and is a modern university city. Hotels are slightly more expensive. I stayed at the ...Read More

Linares is a short distance south of the city of Talca, from where you can board buses to Southern Mendoza (San Rafael) through the Paso Pehuenche, a very good fishing area along the Rio Grande (not the Río Grande of Tierra del Fuego, but a tributary of the Rio Colorado). I have gone fishing there a couple of times, and fishing is good, although I would prefer fishing on the Chilean side of the Andes).

Although you can find some buses, or trains from Linares to Temuco, you might want to connect buses at Concepciòn. CONCEPCIÓN is the third city of Chile, after Santiago and Valparaíso, has some nice beaches, and is a modern university city. Hotels are slightly more expensive. I stayed at the hotel Araucano and really enjoyed my stay. It is a nice 4-star hotel, conveniently located in the downtown. You can also change buses at CHILLAN (there is an important ski center near Chillan, check this link: www.viajero.cl/skitermasdechillan). But city for city I prefer Concepción, that is by the seaside, although you will not find any popular beaches like Viña del Mar or Reñaca. There is a fishing club in the nearby mountainside on a lagoon that is really enjoyable.

South of Concepción and/or Chillan you will find the SALTO DEL LAJA. It is a beautiful waterfall with a campground, there is trout fishing in the area and the whole area is enjoyable. I mention this in case you are driving a car. Car rental in Chile is not expensive.

After a few hours travel we arrive at TEMUCO. We already have a taste of the more beautiful places we will be visiting next day. Temuco is the fourth city in importance in Chile, with a strong influence of German Immigration. Now you are only two hours away from a delightful destination: PUCÓN.

Temuco has very good hotels. The most important ones are: Terraverde (5 stars) Av. Prat 220 Phone 23-9999 Trailanqui Hotel Resort Golf Km. 5 road to lake Colico-Los Laureles Phone 57-8218 Hoteles de la Frontera Manuel Bulnes 726 / 733 Phone 20-0400. I have stayed at this hotel, it also has economy standard rooms. Hotel Diego Portales 779 Phone 97-7777 Holiday Inn Express Av. R. Ortega 1800 Tel: 22-3300. The first hotel is a 5-star hotel, and the other four have been rated as 4-star hotels.

If you have never navigated to the SAN RAFAEL GLACIER (SOUTH OF PUERTO MONTT), you do not know what you are missing. And if you have never fished in Lake Llanquihue, you have lost a unique experience. Pucon is beautiful, but VALDIVIA is the city I would choose for living. Here is a brief detail of each city. I will give a more complete explanation in Experiences. PUCÓN is a delicious and rather expensive destination to the west of Temuco, founded by Germans years ago (Temuco is today the fourth city in all Chile). Pucón is a small village, with an Alpine flavor, from where you enjoy the incredible view of the Villarica volcano. The population of Pucon is around 10,000 inhabitants. Weather is so mild that you can sunbathe on the beach next to the lake, or climb up to the snow in the volcano. VILLARICA is also nice, but does not compare. Valdivia is a university city, on the banks of the beautiful Calle Calle river. There are fortifications of the Spaniards, and the whole city has a fantastic panoramic view. OSORNO is another university city that I thoroughly enjoyed. Canoeing and fishing down the Rahue river from lake Rupanco, fishing rainbow trout down to Río Bueno is a fascinating 14-hour fishing expedition. Although trout were not large, we had a beautiful fishing experience. FRUTILLAR is a small and beautiful village north of Puerto Montt, and home of the Musical Week. Black volcanic sand beaches, beautiful gardens, German tearooms and a breathtaking view of the Llanquihue volcano give Frutillar a very special taste. PUERTO VARAS is the place for salmon fishermen. There are large salmon in lake Llanquihue (average 24 inches long)- The view is beautiful, and the fishing guides I found there (hermanos Quiros, at street Estación 234) are amongst the best in Chile. Don't miss it. PUERTO MONTT is the most important tourist destination. From here, don't miss a tour to Saltos de Petrohue by bus, or a more complete tour to Lago de Todos los Santos. Another delicious destination is RIO PUELO (by bus); you will go through a sea gulf surrounded by mountains, and have the chance of renting a motorboat for exploring the river. The ISLAND OF CHILOÉ (ANCUD, CASTRO, CHONCHI AND QUELLÓN) is beautiful; colorful fishing boats, stilt houses hanging over the sea… Read on… Read Less

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Puerto Montt and its Area of Influence

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WHERE TO GO IN PUERTO MONTTThere are many beautiful places near Puerto Montt that I have the chance to visit, and these are some of them: Osorno, Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Petrohue Falls, Lago de Todos los Santos (All Saints Lake), Calbuco, Estuary of Reloncavi, Río Puelo, and Angelmo.OSORNO: The city of Osorno has a very nice nearby fishing area: Lake Rupanco and the Rahue River. This river has some rapids, and requires a certain degree of experience for navigating down the river. There is a stretch of more than ten miles with no road to get out. You need someone to take your boat up to Lake Rupanco and then wait for you at Río Bueno, where the national highway crosses the rive...Read More

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Pucon, a Fascinating Destination

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Pucón is beautiful, its climate is ideal, its scenery just magnificent. You can sunbathe on the very nice beach in front of the Gran Hotel Pucón on the lake, or climb volcano Villarica. You can also fish rainbow trout, or visit the Huerquehue National Park. It has everything you need to really enjoy your stay. And the view of the small Alpine style village is really beautiful. German colonization had a lot to do with this area. The nearby city of Temuco, the fourth in importance in all Chile, still has a strong German heritage.Pucon was one of the few places in Chile I had never visited (I still have to discover Puerto Natales), so I made it my second stop (after Linares) on my trip from A...Read More

Pucón is beautiful, its climate is ideal, its scenery just magnificent. You can sunbathe on the very nice beach in front of the Gran Hotel Pucón on the lake, or climb volcano Villarica. You can also fish rainbow trout, or visit the Huerquehue National Park. It has everything you need to really enjoy your stay. And the view of the small Alpine style village is really beautiful. German colonization had a lot to do with this area. The nearby city of Temuco, the fourth in importance in all Chile, still has a strong German heritage.

Pucon was one of the few places in Chile I had never visited (I still have to discover Puerto Natales), so I made it my second stop (after Linares) on my trip from Argentina to Puerto Varas, where you always fish beautiful salmon in the Llanquihue lake, and that I ended visiting Puerto Montt, Castro, and Quellon in the island of Chiloe. Pucon is really beautiful. It is a small village where the rich go. Villarica is nearby and far cheaper, but does not compare with Pucón. There is a beautiful sand shore on the lake (not very usual in the Andes), everything is green, hotels are rather expensive, but affordable. It is only one hour and a half away from Temuco . TurBus (the best Chilean bus company I know) has a direct service from Santiago de Chile to Pucón, the trip takes some 8 hours. You can check their timetables in this page. Remember that they have FIVE different classes of service. Avoid their most economic "coach-class" and if possible go for the premium bed service, or at least for a semi-leito: www.turbus.com This company also has direct bus services from Pucón to Puerto Montt.

I tried fishing here, but at the wrong time of the day. I went down the river on a boat, through the rapids where the river starts, and a couple of hours downstream. I caught a small rainbow trout, but was told that taking a four-hour tour down the Trancura river, possibilities are far better. I have seen photos taken on the Trancura river, with beautiful views of the Villarrica volcano. You see the magnificent Villarica volcano from practically any part of the lake. There are forests everywhere. The Huerquehue National Park is worthwhile visiting. I took the tour, and really enjoyed it. The best trekking experience you can have there is climbing the Villarica volcano. It is a full-day tour that leaves at 7.30 in the morning, and good physical conditions are required.

One of the travel agencies that offers this tour is Sol y Nieve, O'Higgins y Lincoyán (4920000) Pucón - IX Región – Chile, phone: +56 45 44-1070. On the way back you will come sliding down in the snow, real fun. The Villarica is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile. From the top you will see the fire inside, that heats up the snow near the top, making it more difficult to walk. In any case, they will not take you there if it implies any danger. I went to the Huerquehue National Park and really enjoyed it, specially Laguna Verde. Highly recommended: it is a fantastic place to visit.

If you need to save money, Villarica is very near and cheaper, but the scenery does not compare. You do not need to eat in expensive restaurants. There are some stands on the street where you can buy fried chicken and pizza, and eat them standing at a very low cost. Take the tour to the Huerquehue National Park, and if you are in good physical condition, climb the Villarica volcano. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile, but nobody will dare to take you there if there is any risk involved. Today volcanic activity can be predicted days, or even weeks, ahead of time. The Trancura river offers thrilling rafting experiences (probably not for beginners).

Buses from Santiago de Chile (TurBus). Buses from Temuco (one hour and a half travel). There are probably buses from other destinations, but I have been unable to find them. Organized tours to the Villarica Volcano and to the Huerquehue National Park. Organized rafting tours down the Trancura river, where you can also practice rainbow trout fishing. Trolling in the lake generally is good in November, but chances are reduced during the very warm season. In any case, there are a lot of hidden branches under the water where the river runs into the lake, and you could loose some spinners or wet flies.

For more information on this beautiful area, click here. www.interpatagonia.com/pucon/index_i.html. And for more photos, click here: www.interpatagonia.com/pucon/fotos_i.html. Enjoy your stay in Southern Chile. Read Less

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The Island of Chiloe (Ancud, Castro, Chonchi, Quellón)

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The first time I saw the island of Chiloé was flying from Puerto Montt to Coihayque. I was really impressed by its beauty. The farms seem marked with a square, everything is so green and so colorful...Years later I had the chance of visiting the island. First you cross (on the bus) on a ferry to Ancud. I did not stop there, but saw beautiful sceneries on the shore travelling towards Castro: Colorful fishing boats, very original wooden homes standing on wood pillars in the sea (they call them palafitos), a scenery that was completely different to anything I had seen before. Once I arrived at Castro I stayed at the Hostería de Castro, with a beautiful panoramic view of the sea and all the...Read More

The first time I saw the island of Chiloé was flying from Puerto Montt to Coihayque. I was really impressed by its beauty. The farms seem marked with a square, everything is so green and so colorful...

Years later I had the chance of visiting the island. First you cross (on the bus) on a ferry to Ancud. I did not stop there, but saw beautiful sceneries on the shore travelling towards Castro: Colorful fishing boats, very original wooden homes standing on wood pillars in the sea (they call them palafitos), a scenery that was completely different to anything I had seen before. Once I arrived at Castro I stayed at the Hostería de Castro, with a beautiful panoramic view of the sea and all the green areas that surround it. The island of Chiloe has no mountains, but it is a rolling area and everything is so charming...

I also stayed at Quellón, where you have to take a ferry if you intend to continue further south to then drive along the Austral highway that continues to Coihayque, Puerto Natales (near Torres del Paine) and Punta Arenas. Quellón is a very active port, and on Sundays you see hundreds of people walking along the port area. It is really enjoyable.

CHONCHI is a place where I have never been, but a friend of mine in Castro told me it is an exceptional place for fishing salmon. I have seen photos of the village, and the coastal avenue is beautiful.

Cruz del Sur buses connect all these cities and villages with Puerto Montt and also with Santiago de Chile. It is one of the best bus companies in Chile after Varmont and TurBus. Travel time all the way from Santiago de Chile to Quellón takes at the very most six hours, so if you do not wish to stay at Quellón o at Castro (in my opinión Castro is a better option because it has nice affordable hotels). You can always return to Puerto Montt. Buses run about every 2 or 3 hours.

WHERE TO STAY: I have not stayed ever at Ancud, but in Castro definitively the Hostería de Castro (3 stars) is the best option. There is also a very nice budget option (Casita Española) that is very cheap and that features a fifty percent discount over the week-ends). But, if you have enough time, you will enjoy thoroughly a stay in the island of Chiloé.

Here is a beautiful photo database of the island of Chiloe WITH FIFTEEN THOUSAND PHOTOS. Just click on the type of photo you wish to see. The wide photo on the bottom is of CHONCHI a place I recommend although I have never been there. By the photos I know that it is really beautiful: www.chiloeweb.com/datos/Fotos/Foto_Home.asp

Have a nice time in southern Chile.

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Fishing in Lake Llanquihue (Puerto Varas) and its surrounding area

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I went four times to Puerto Varas for fishing salmon, and three of those four times I had excellent results. The time I was not successful was in May, water was far too cold, and salmon and trout obviously had looked for deeper water.Since trolling is expensive (as in all the world); at that time it was costing 15 dollars the hour, and by now could be costing 20 or 25 dollars), I limited my outings to some 2 or 3 hours.The first time we started off at La Poza, a natural lagoon that spills its waters into lake Llanquihue. The other times I boarded the motorboat at the port of Puerto Varas. The first time, in two hours of trolling I caught three beautiful salmon about 24 inches l...Read More

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