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The snow-covered Osorno volcano above the Petrohué landing, seen from a boat on Lake Todos los Santos

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Over the Andes by water: Puerto Varas to Bariloche

Puerto Varas, Osorno & Petrohué, Lake Todos los Santos, Peulla, Bariloche & San Martín de los Andes

Photo: Trevor Vannoy / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Our Chilean Lake District journey stays on one side of the Andes. This one crosses them, and not by plane or highway but along the old lakes route that travellers and traders were using a century ago. From Puerto Varas a bus takes you to Petrohué, a boat carries you across the emerald Lake Todos los Santos beneath the peaks of Osorno and Puntiagudo, and from Peulla the road climbs over a pass into Argentina. There, two more lakes, Frías and Nahuel Huapi, before you step ashore near Bariloche. The whole route links the oldest national parks in each country, Vicente Pérez Rosales and Nahuel Huapi.

On each side there are a few unhurried days: Puerto Varas with its German settlers' houses and volcano views, Bariloche with its mountain trails, boats to the islands and chocolate, and, to finish, the Road of the Seven Lakes to quiet San Martín de los Andes. It suits couples and active travellers who like to move slowly and are happy to walk for a few hours a day; stays range from a cabin by a lake to a mountain hotel with a terrace, and the crossing day is long, but mostly spent on deck.

The route

The journey

  1. Puerto Varas
  2. Osorno & the Petrohué Falls
  3. Lake Todos los Santos & Peulla
  4. Lake Frías & Puerto Blest
  5. Bariloche & Nahuel Huapi
  6. The Road of the Seven Lakes
  7. San Martín de los Andes
  1. The waterfront and buildings of Puerto Varas on Lake Llanquihue

    01Days 1–2 · Puerto Varas

    A town with a volcano on the far shore

    From Santiago, a flight of about an hour and a half to Puerto Montt and half an hour by road to Puerto Varas on Lake Llanquihue. Three nights here. The first day is gentle: a walk along the waterfront where, on a clear day, the perfect cone of Osorno rises across the lake, and the timber houses of nineteenth-century German settlers with their steep roofs, among them the red Sacred Heart church. The next day, by bike or by car along the lakeshore to Frutillar, where a small museum tells how the settlers carved farms from the forest and cafés still bake kuchen, German-style cakes. Evenings in Puerto Varas belong to the local kitchen: seafood from the Reloncaví Sound, lamb and a first pisco sour.

  2. The Osorno volcano above the turquoise Petrohué River and its falls

    02Day 3 · Osorno & Petrohué

    Up the volcano and past the falls

    A day in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, Chile's oldest. In the morning, the road up Osorno's flank to where the forest ends and black volcanic sand begins. For the active, a trail past the old craters with views over Lake Llanquihue and the neighbouring volcanoes; for others, the chairlift if it's running that day, and a coffee with a view. In the afternoon, the Petrohué Falls, where a turquoise river tumbles over ledges of black lava and, on a clear day, the white summit of Osorno rises above. Nearby is the Petrohué landing you'll leave from tomorrow, and a short walk along the shore of Lake Todos los Santos between forest and black sand. You can end the day in hot springs in the forest, or simply return to Puerto Varas and get ready for a long but restful crossing day.

  3. Turquoise water, a wooden jetty and forested mountains at Puerto Blest

    03Days 4–5 · The lakes crossing: Todos los Santos, Peulla & Frías

    Three lakes and a pass between them

    In the morning a bus takes you to Petrohué, and the crossing begins. First, about two hours by boat across Lake Todos los Santos: Osorno falls behind, the sharp spire of Puntiagudo rises to one side and ahead, with luck, the glacier-hung Tronador appears. Peulla is a handful of buildings in a valley among waterfalls, and this is where we suggest spending the night: in the afternoon, a trail to the Cascada de los Novios falls or horses in the valley; in the evening, a quiet that day travellers never know. The next morning, Chilean border formalities, a bus along a forest road over the Pérez Rosales Pass, nearly a kilometre up, and the Argentine border post beside little Lake Frías. A short boat across it, another bus to Puerto Blest and a final boat, about an hour across the western arm of Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Pañuelo, near Bariloche. Some make the whole crossing in one long day, but with a night at Peulla it becomes a journey rather than a transfer.

  4. Timber houses among the trees by the lake on the Llao Llao peninsula, with Cerro Campanario behind

    04Days 5–8 · Bariloche & Nahuel Huapi

    A lake, the mountains and chocolate

    Three nights by Nahuel Huapi, ideally not in town but on the Llao Llao peninsula or along the lakeshore. On the first day, the Circuito Chico, a loop of about sixty kilometres around the lake: the chairlift up Cerro Campanario, with one of the finest lake views in Argentina, López Bay and the small village of Colonia Suiza. On the second day, a boat to Isla Victoria and the Arrayanes forest on the Quetrihué peninsula, where the cinnamon-coloured trunks of the myrtles seem lit from within, or, for keen walkers, the trail to the mountain refuge by Laguna Toncek beneath Cerro Frey, about four hours each way. On the third day you can drive to Pampa Linda at the foot of Tronador, where the glacier tumbles in dark avalanches towards the Ventisquero Negro lagoon: a long day on gravel. Evenings in Bariloche mean trout, lamb and, of course, the chocolate the town is known for.

  5. The snow-capped Lanín volcano beyond a windswept lake and stony shore near San Martín de los Andes

    05Days 8–10 · The Seven Lakes & San Martín de los Andes

    Seven lakes to a quiet ending

    North from Bariloche runs the Road of the Seven Lakes, about four hours with stops: past Villa La Angostura and the lakes of Espejo, Correntoso, Escondido, Falkner and more, each a different colour. The road is now paved all the way but winding, so there's no point hurrying: stop at beaches and viewpoints and take short walks into the forest. San Martín de los Andes is a small town of timber houses at the end of Lake Lácar, quieter than Bariloche. Two nights here: in the morning, a trail to the Mirador Arrayán above the lake; in the afternoon, kayaks or a boat on Lácar. On the second day, the road to the Lanín volcano, whose near-perfect cone rises above Lake Huechulafquen and its forests of monkey-puzzle trees; on the lands of Mapuche communities we visit with local guides, on their terms. On the last day, a flight from nearby Chapelco airport, or the road back to Bariloche.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Lake Todos los Santos

    Emerald water between three volcanoes: the first and loveliest stretch of the crossing.

  2. 02

    A night at Peulla

    A valley among waterfalls where, by evening, only a few overnight travellers and the quiet remain.

  3. 03

    The Arrayanes forest

    The cinnamon-coloured myrtle trunks of the Quetrihué peninsula: one of Patagonia's most unusual forests.

  4. 04

    The Road of the Seven Lakes

    Lakes, forests and viewpoints: a road worth a whole day, even if four hours would do.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More active

    A guided climb on Osorno's slopes, a multi-day trek between Bariloche's mountain refuges or a day kayaking on Nahuel Huapi.

  • For a honeymoon

    A lakeside cabin on the Llao Llao peninsula, a private boat to Isla Victoria and one more long night in San Martín de los Andes.

  • By season

    In summer (roughly December to March) the days are long and the trails open; in autumn (April and May) the forests turn red, and in winter Bariloche becomes a ski resort, though some trails close and crossing schedules thin out.

  • With Chiloé or Patagonia

    Before the crossing, a few days on the Chiloé archipelago; after it, a flight from Bariloche to El Calafate and the glaciers, stretching the journey to around three weeks.

Practical considerations

  • The lakes crossing runs most of the year as a single linked route of boats and buses, but there are fewer departures in winter, and strong wind or snow on the pass sometimes changes plans. We book places in advance and check schedules before you travel.
  • On the crossing you pass Chilean and Argentine border controls on either side. We check current requirements before you travel; your luggage travels with you, so a small bag for the day on deck is useful.
  • Andean weather changes quickly: the volcano summits often hide in cloud, and rain is more frequent on the western, Chilean side. Layers and a waterproof jacket are worth having even in summer.
  • On both sides the journey can be planned as a self-drive or with a driver; the Road of the Seven Lakes is winding, so we allow more time than the map suggests.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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