Mountain biking in the Chilean Lake District

A host of bike trails spread along Lake Llanquihue and into the neighbouring national parks from Puerto Varas, the southern gateway town to the Chilean Lake District.

The Paso Desolacion trail is a great day ride that leads from Lake Llanquihue through Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. The route winds up from the shoreline through beech forests to stark volcanic lava fields, before descending to Lake Todos los Santos. There are plenty of fast descents on the second half of the ride, and some truly stupendous views throughout.

If you prefer something a little more relaxed, the route west from Puerto Varas takes you along back roads through the towns of Llanquihue and Frutillar. It’s a pretty ride along the lake, overlooked by Osorno Volcano, with some quaint Germanic alpine architecture along the way. Sometime dubbed the Beer and Bike route, as there are several stops along the way to refresh yourself at a local microbrewery.

As one of South America’s premier outdoor sports destinations and Villarrica and Huerquehue National Parks on its doorstep you can hardly throw a spanner in Pucón without it landing on a bike trail.

By far the most dramatic experience you can have on a bike in Pucón is to tackle the Downhill Rukapillan trail on Villarrica Volcano. The 1000m descent of Villarrica’s rocky slopes on a steep but well-marked trail will have your adrenaline pumping in no time, but it’s not all about the downhill as there are plenty of opportunities to stop and drink in the truly sublime views of Pucón and Lake Villarrica that the ride affords.

Just outside the northern boundary of Villarrica National Park, the Cerduo Bike Park has five well-marked trails across hills and rivers overlooked by Villarrica. The combined Puma-Carpintero trail has some exciting descents through forest and old lava fields.

The volcanic landscape means that there are plenty of hot springs within an easy bike ride of Pucón – the Alto Palguín-Chinay trail takes you to one of the nicest. Alternatively, the ever-popular Ojos de Cabargua Loop takes you across the Trancura River east of Pucón and into the forest, where waterfalls leap into the pretty Ojos de Cabugua pools.