- Puerto Varas
- Chiloé Island
- Bariloche
- Pumalín Park
- Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael
- Campo de Hielo Norte
- Campo de Hielo Sur
- Milodon's Cave
- Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
- Perito Moreno Glacier
- Strait of Magellan
- Cape Horn
Puerto Varas
Located on the southwest margin of Lago Llanquihue, 20 kilometers away from Puerto Montt, one can appreciate the evident influence of German colonization in their typical buildings and beautiful gardens.
With a population of more than 30,000 people, this is the main tourist attraction of Lago Llanquihue. It has been this way since the entire last century. The visitors should definitely stop by its Casino and Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales. This is Chile's oldest National Park and was founded in 1962. Its main attractions are the existence of several volcanoes, native forests, Saltos del Petrohué and virgin lakes, such as Lago Todos Los Santos.
This diverse landscape has made of the Park one of the tourist's preferred spots, because beside the volcanoes and its flora and fauna, the visitors may enjoy thermal baths, skiing, boat trips and fishing.
Its main volcanoes are Puntiagudo (2,490 m), Osorno (2,661 m), Picada ( 1,710 m) and Tronador (3,491 m). The majority of the Park's forest are of the Evergreen kind.
Chiloé Island
Chiloé Island (8,394 km2) is the second largest island in Chile, after the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. Located 135 kilometers south from Puerto Montt, it is detached from the Chilean mainland by the Chacao Strait (Canal de Chacao) to the north, and by the Gulf of Ancud and the Gulf of Corcovado to the east. It has a population of 154,766 people.
The island is 190 km long and its capital is Castro located at the island's east side; the second largest town is Ancud, and there are numerous smaller port towns on the east side of the island, such as Quellón, Dalcahue, and Chonchi.
Its climate is temperate and rainy; and due to the glacier's erosion Chiloé's coast is extremely curvy.
Because of its physical isolation from the rest of Chile, Chiloé has a unique architecture and local culture; a rich folklore with mythological beings, like La Pincoya, El Trauco or El Caleuche, among others.
The Spanish, who arrived in the 16th century, and Jesuit missionaries who followed, built hundreds of wooden churches, as a way of bringing God to this pagan island. These outstanding buildings have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bariloche
This Argentinean city is located in Lago Nahuel Huapi's coast at Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi and 770 meters above sea level. Bariloche is 354 kilometers away from Puerto Montt, it's one of Argentina's main tourist attraction and it is well-known for its skiing facilities.
Bariloche is a Rio Negro's province must see. Nahuel Huapi Park holds a rich bio-diversity in its flora and fauna. The high summits seen in the Park define the border limit with Chile, were Cerro Tronador outstands.
Lla Llao Municipal Park is also worth seeing. This is a protected area and one will find the Llao Llao Peninsula and Conejos Island, which have a mixed forest, with an exquisite flora, such as Coigüe and Cordilleran Cypress, among others. It is also the habitat for different species of birds, reptiles and mammals.
Pumalín Park
Approximately 110 kilometers away from Puerto Montt, it's the perfect spot for eco-tourism lovers. Located in X Region, in the province of Palena, between Hornopirén and Chaitén, Parque Pumalín has a surface of 42,000 acres destined to become a Nature's Sanctuary.
This is the world's biggest private park and grants its guests the chance to experience a flawless nature, value and protect its biodiversity. Pumalín's main attractions are its millennium Alerces, waterfalls, horseback riding, sea kayaking, trekking, ecotourism, cascades and its flora and fauna.
There are two main zones: Coastal Sector and High Sector. The Coastal Sector outstands for its narrow and long beaches. In its fjords, the coast line is defined by mountains of 1.500 meters. The ocean has approximately 300 meters of depth and the sea bottom is extremely plain, which provokes tides with amazing amplitudes. Also here are located Pumalín bay and Huequi Peninsula.
The High Sector main characteristic is that there are strong and sharp summits. The most outstanding summits are Michimahuida Volcano and Chaitén Volcano.
Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael
This is the largest park in Aysén, and includes Campos de Hielo Norte which gives life to several rivers, lagoons and glaciers like San Quintín, San Valentín, Hualas, Leones, Soler, Steffens, and San Rafael. It is located between Río Baker, Exploradores, Lago General Carrera and Golfo de Penas. It's also part of Aysén, Capitan Prat and General Carrera provinces, which makes it accessible by air or sea.
At the park one will find the tallest summit of the Austral Andes: Monte San Valentín (4,058 meters above sea level). On this and other mountains, are located the ice fields that form the 19 glaciers. It's incredibly impressive to watch enormous ice blocks fall into the lagoon's water. It's true the glaciers an lagoons are the park's main attractions, nevertheless, Parque Laguna San Rafael is also home of an amazing variety of flora and fauna. As a matter of fact, the park was created to protect and conserve the species of this extremely biodiverse area.
Its climate is moist and rainy (between 3.500mm and 5.000 mm per year). The average temperature is 8° C.
San Rafael's Lagoon is famous for its impressive beauty and luminosity and was discovered in 1674. It is formed by a 10km x 15 km entrance to the Pacific Ocean.
The 70 meters tall glaciers that you will be able to see at Laguna San Rafael, are the tallest next to Perito Moreno Glacier.
Campos de Hielo Norte
An immense field of continental ice that presents a landscape of numerous summits, merged with the "eternal ices". There are plenty of glaciers which mouths are located in lakes and rivers that finally get to Río Baker. Campos de Hielo Norte (Northern Patagonian Ice Field), is a vestige of a large ice sheet that covered much of Patagonia million years ago.
With its glaciers in retreat and an area of 4,200 km2, it has survived because of its elevation (1,100 to 1,500 m), favourable terrain and climate. The ice field has 28 exit glaciers, the largest two, San Quintín and San Rafael, nearly reach sea level at the Pacific Ocean.
Campos de Hielo Norte is a permanent water source for several rivers. Among these, one must mention Ventisqueros, Colonia, Nef, Soler, Leones and Exploradores river: all of which are located in the eastern end of the park.
Beside the existence of this rivers, there are almost 250 lakes and lagoons, like San Rafael Lagoon.
Campos de Hielo Sur
Campos de Hielo Sur is an enormous area of glaciers that goes throughout 300 kilometers south from Río Baker, creating a landscape of unique beauty, where lakes, fjord and summits shock the visitors.This ice field is formed by hundreds of glaciers that flow to the Pacific Ocean and also to the interior of the Patagonian territory.
In the XII Region of Magallanes, between the 48" and 51" south latitude, the Andes Mountains presents itself almost covered by Campos de Hielo Sur, the largest after the Antarctic, with a surface of 13,000 km2. Its average height is 1,350 meters, interrupted by numerous peaks and cordilleran cordons.
Perito Moreno Glacier
This is one of the most spectacular views one can ever see: The 250 km2 ice formation, of 30 km in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the South Patagonian Icefield located in the Andes system shared with Argentina. This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. Periodically the glacier advances over Lago Argentino forming a natural dam. Every three years approximately, the water held in Brazo Rico produces an enormous pressure and breaks the 60 meters tall ice wall, in a spectacular rupture event.
The end of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km wide, with a total ice depth of 170 meters. It advances at a speed of 700 meters per year approximately. Anyhow it loses mass at the same rate, meaning that its terminus almost has not moved in the past 90 years. At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 m.
Milodon's Cave
Back in 1986 the scientific world was marvelled by the discovery of the remains of a very unusual and extinct animal: the milodon. The tests that were done at the investigation gave as a result that the animal had died thousands of years ago. The milodon was a large herbivore and it is believed it became extinct during the end of the Pleistocene Era.
The cave is located 24 kilometers north of Puerto Natales. It is formed by three caves and the Silla del Diablo (Devil's Chair), a seat-like rock formation.The main cave is 150 meters above sea level and it is 30 meters high, 80 meters long and 200 meters deep.
But the cave isn't the only attraction this zone has. The region has amazing landscapes, since it is located in an area which is the transition between the steppe and forest. Some of the most common flora of the region are the calafate and romerillo.
Torres del Paine
Breathtaking. Definitely one of the most outstanding landscapes of Patagonia. Torres del Paine are three gigantic granite monolith towers that were shaped by the forces of glacial ice, which attract the best mountain climbers from around the World. Located 150 km from Puerto Natales and 400 kms from Punta Arenas, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine was created in 1959 and declared Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1978.
The national park (with an area of 2,400 km2) is approximately 2,380 kilometers south from Puerto Montt and it's a popular hiking destination. There are marked paths and refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Hikers may choose for a day trip to see the amazing towers, walk the "W" route or trek the full circle. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites, and wood fires are prohibited.
The park's vegetation changes depending on the location. The most common species are the Calafate, Estepa and Coirón. There are also small Lenga's and Coigüe's forests near Lago Pehoé and on the way to Lago Grey. Among the characteristic animals, one may find the Guanaco, í‘andíº, Condor and Cougars.
The best season to visit Torres del Paine is between December and March. However, the weather may change from one minute to another. Lago Grey, Salto Grande, Salto Chico and Cordillera Paine are some of this National Park's main attractions.
Beside this amazing views, Glaciar Grey is definitely a must see. With its 6 kilometers wide and 60 meters tall, the glacier is this area's biggest one. This enormous ice wall is divided in two by the island that appeared due to the ices retreats in 1950.
Strait of Magellan
This is the southernmost region in the world and the explorers who followed its discovery where Spanish navigators, English corsairs, scientists, and others arriving at this indomitable place to find that it was only inhabited by indigenous tribes. The strait is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the climate and the narrowness of the passage.
The Strait is approximately 2286 kilometers south from Puerto Montt and on its coast lies the city of Punta Arenas and the village of Porvenir.
Cape Horn
Another impressive site is the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, and last promontory of South America.
Cape Horn, an island featuring cliffs up to 425 meters in height, was discovered on 1616, by a Dutch trade expedition organized by Isaac Lemaire and under the command of Captain Wilhem Schouten. The Cape owes its name to the Port of Hoorn from where the expedition started.
Is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile. It is considered to be the southern tip of South America. Cape Horn is the most southerly of the great capes, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the cape are particularly hazardous, due to strong winds, large waves and icebergs.