Puerto Varas

Chile - The Lake District

Perched on the shores of Lake Llanquighuie overlooking Osorno and Calbuco Volcanoes, Puerto Varas is an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding national parks of Chile’s Lake District.

Accessed from the bustling port of Puerto Montt, a short flight from Santiago, Puerto Varas is a pretty Germanic town looking out across Lake Llanquihue to the spectacular volcanoes of Osorno, Puntiagudo and Calbuco that loom high on the far shores. Ringed by dramatic national parks, Puerto Varas is the gateway to Chileā€™s southern Lake District, a picturesque area of temperate rainforest, aquamarine lakes and glacier-topped mountains that straddles the border with Argentina. Originally founded in 1854 by German settlers, Chileā€™s ā€œcity of rosesā€ retains its traditional, wood shingled architecture and pretty churches and now brims with bars, hotels, restaurants and tour agencies. Close by, Volcano Osorno offers excellent walking, rafting and fishing as well as access to Bariloche just across the border via the breathtaking ā€œCruce de Lagosā€ lake crossing, a series of boat and bus trips that cuts through the heart of the Andes. Further south, punctuated by the towering, granite peaks of the Cochamo Valley, lush temperate rainforest competes with millenary Alerce trees, giant redwood like conifers, in the Alerce Andino National Park before the landscape splinters into a myriad of islands and vertical Patagonian fjords, inaccessible by road.

Puerto Varas Hotels

Hotel Awa$$$$

Set amidst 20 hectares or prime lakeside real estate that overlook the magnificent Osorno Volcano, Awa is an eye-catching, modernist structure of polished concrete, shimmering glass and angular metal work. Inside, native wood flooring and volcanic stone are drenched in natural light that softens the hotelā€™s urban factory feel while water features add yet another natural element to the design. Admittedly, Awa may not be to everyoneā€™s taste, but for those interested in modern design and who...

Casa Molino$$$$

Casa Kalfu$$$

Hotel Enjoy Puerto Varas$$$$

smiling white male wearing a backpack

Ready to discuss your trip to Chile?

Speak to one of our travel specialists and weā€™ll create your personalised itinerary just for you.

Start Planning