Puerto Varas

I think I have a thing for volcanoes

The bus from Pucon to Puerto Varas was at 8am. This was my first experience in the "long-distance" bus and it surely did not disappoint. The seat is so comfortable and it fully reclines. It might have even been more comfortable than the hostel beds.

A comfortable bus ride.

I chatted with a retired French couple that were in Chile visiting their daughter. The man had hitchhiked all the way from Quebec to Chile some 40 years ago.

I took a short nap and then did some work.

Puerto Varas

I arrived in Puerto Varas at around 12:30pm and I knew right away I was going to love the town. Walking from the bus station to the hostel, I could already see the 2 volcanoes on the other side of the lake.

The hostel was really nice, and the owner, Pierre, is very friendly. He is (it seems to be a recurring pattern in this trip) French. He has been to Lebanon (as a journalist) some 20 years ago and absolutely loved it. Seeing that I only had 2 days, he recommended I do the bike tour to Frutillar and hike in the Petrohue national park.

I did some work, got some street food (freshly fried empanadas), some sour fruits (very delicious), and got ready to go biking.

View across the lake from Puerto Varas
Delicious sour fruit

Biking to Frutillar

The bike ride from Puerto Varas to Frutillar and back is about 64km (16km on dirt roads next to the train line, and 48km on pavement) and goes along Lago Llanquihue. I left the hostel at around 3:45pm.

It's a beautiful ride with constant sights of one or two volcanoes and I had trouble keeping my eyes on the road :). Thankfully the path had very little car traffic. Once you pass the town of Llanquihue, there are some long steep hills followed right away by long steep descents; My kind of ride!

Biking along the train line
Volcanes across Lago Llanquihue
The beach at Frutillar
Volcanoes on the way back

I stopped quite a bit along the way to look at the scenery and take pictures, and I arrived in Frutillar at 6:20pm. I had some ice cream (chocolate and nougat), chilled at the beach for few minutes and then headed back to Puerto Varas. I was at the hostel at around 8:20pm.

I took shower and went to get a burger and a beer.

Hiking in Petrohue

The next morning, I caught the 8:30am bus from Puerto Varas to Petrohue. The bus was packed and the driver kept letting people in, but people started getting off at various stations and by the end, I was the only one arriving to Petrohue (last stop).

The hike is a 16km loop. The ground is very sandy, and it feels like you are walking on the beach. On the left hand side, you can see Volcan Osorno. They were forecasting rain and the front side of the volcano was covered in cloud. But as I kept walking, there was a great view of the side of the volcano.

On the right hand side, there is a lake surrounded by mountains. The loop takes you back to the lake, and the last 4km or so, you are walking on the beach along the shore.

Hiking in Petrohue
Hiking in Petrohue
Hiking in Petrohue
Hiking in Petrohue
Hiking in Petrohue

The trail was mostly flat. I did it in about 3h20m and dodged the rain. Back at the entrance, I had my first Completo in Chile.

I took the bus back and was at the hostel at around 3:30pm. I did some work and went back to the empanada place. Pierre invited me to go play football at 7pm and we played for about an hour and a half.

Football time

I went back to the hostel, showered, packed, and did some work.

The next day, I am flying to Punta Arenas and then taking the bus to Puerto Natales. I think I should have spent more time here! Well, maybe I'll come back.