302 - Puerto Varas Basic Program

Day 1

PUERTO VARAS: Arrival to the Lakes District

Arrival to Puerto Montt Airport or to Puerto Varas pier and transfer to your hotel in Puerto Varas. It`s the starting point for many excellent activities in the lakes district of Chile. Free time to rest. Anyway, if you`re an active person, you can choose any of the optional activities available. Check options below!

• Half Day City Tour of Puerto Montt & Puerto Varas
  A nice half day trip to visit both cities
• Half Day Rafting in Petrohue River
  Enjoy a class II and IV white water rafting in Petrohue Falls.

Day 2

PUERTO VARAS: Visiting Frutillar and Puerto Octay

After breakfast, we will enjoy a full day visit to Frutillar, a city and commune located in southern Chile in the Los Lagos Region. The bay of Frutillar is placed on the banks of Lake Llanquihue, the largest lake entirely within Chile. Frutillar is known as the “City of Music”. The village was founded by Vicente Pérez Rosales in 1856, after a period of clearing up the land and upon the arrival of German settlers from Hamburg in 1852 and other cities of Germany in sailing ships to the ports of Valdivia and Puerto Montt.

Vicente Perez Rosales on a later expedition towards the south of Valdivia changed the course of the incoming colony to Lake Llanquihue. Rosales was searching for more land for the German settlers, south of Valdivia, as many sailing ships were arriving to the port of Valdivia from Germany sent by Bernardo Philippi under the official colonisation program of Southern Chile. This program was granted by President Manuel Bulnes and executed by president of Chile Manuel Montt naming officially Vicente Perez Rosales the head of the German colonisation of Llanquihue, as a continuation of the initial efforts done by Bernard Philippi.

There is an interesting local german museum. Travel back in time as you browse exhibits with your guide and then enjoy free time to wander around the town at your leisure. Return to your hotel in Puerto Varas and free evening. Overnight.

Day 3

PUERTO VARAS: Visiting Chiloe Island

After breakfast, we will start our full-day tour to Chiloe Island. We will take the route to the south for about 130 kilometres to arrive to a small town called Pargua. Once in this city, we take a ferry that will allow us to cross the Chacao Canal and reach the Isla Grande de Chiloe. Chiloé Island is the second largest island in Chile, after the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and the fifth largest in South America. We will go to Chacao, one of the oldest villages of the island founded in 1567 which has a typical square where stands a curious and picturesque building of strong color. We will visit the old and interesting church.

The Churches of Chiloé are a unique architectural phenomenon in the Americas, and one of the most prominent styles of Chilota architecture. Unlike classical Spanish colonial architecture, the churches of Chiloé are made entirely in native timber with extensive use of wood shingles. The churches were built from materials to resist Chiloé Archipelago’s humid and rainy oceanic climate. The churches represent the fusion of European Jesuit culture and local native peoples’ skill and traditions: an excellent example of mestizo culture.

The Churches of Chiloé were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000. The University of Chile, Fundación Cultural Iglesias de Chiloé and other institutions have led efforts to preserve these historic structures and to publicize them for their unique qualities

We will go to the city of Ancud, to visit the Plaza de Armas, the Church, the crafts market, the Museum, the Gulf of Quitalmahue, Cerro Huaihuén and Fort San Antonio, historic site located in the uptown built in the late eighteenth century, all in the midst of stories of customs and myths of one of the larger islands of South America. Ancud is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. It was established in 1768 to function as the capital of the archipelago and held that position until 1982.

Later we will go to Castro, capital of Chiloé Island. Castro is Chile’s third oldest city in continued existence. Rodrigo de Quiroga as the temporary governor of Chile in 1567 launched a campaign led by his son in-law Captain Martín Ruiz de Gamboa to conquer Chiloé Island, establishing the city of Castro there, and pacifying its inhabitants, the Cuncos. From its founding on 12 February 1576 until 1767 Castro was the administrative centre of Chiloé Island. In 1594 Castro had 8.000 inhabitants most of whom were farmers. Up to the mid of the 17th century the town was looted by Dutch pirates several times. In 1767, during the time of the Bourbon Reforms that sought to modernize the Spanish Empire, Chiloé was separated from the General Captaincy of Chile to which it had previously belonged and made a direct subject of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The town hall and many of the wooden palafitos houses ( typical constructions made wooden pillars on water), were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake and the tsunami of 1960. Only in 1982 did Castro regain its role as capital in Chiloé Archipelago.

We will visit the local Church which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, handicrafts market and the Mirador del Barrio Gamboa to appreciate the famous “Palafitos”. We finish our tour visiting Dalcahue, famous for its craft fair on Sundays where locals bring from the outer islands of the archipelagos the most varied handicrafts for marketing. During the tour we will have time for lunch in a typical restaurant Chiloé Island. It`s a full day trip. Return to your hotel in Puerto Varas and overnight.

Day 4

PUERTO VARAS: Good bye lakes district!

After breakfst, free time to enjoy  Puerto Varas, until your tranfser to airport or local pier. There are many optional activities you can choose if you leave the city in the afternoon or the evening. Take a look to the list below

Good bye Puerto Varas!

• Half Day City Tour of Puerto Montt & Puerto Varas
  A nice half day trip to visit both cities
• Half Day Rafting in Petrohue River
  Enjoy a class II and IV white water rafting in Petrohue Falls.