Hike, Kayak & Ride Puerto Varas

Day 1:

Transfer from Puerto Montt to your accommodation in Puerto Varas. For your accommodation you are able to choose the style and level of comfort that best suits you from 5* luxury with uninterrupted lake views to small boutique bed and breakfast style accommodation in restored historic houses. For more information visit our Hotels in Puerto Varas page.

Day 2:

Today you will be hiking in the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, this active hike covers a large and scenic section of the first park opened in Chile in 1926. The hike takes 6 hours covering 12kms in total mostly on a gravel trail. The trail begins with some steady uphill sections but you will be treated with stunning views over the volcanoes and the lakes that surrounded this section of the park. The Andes mountain range emerges on the horizon as you reach the emerald waters of the Todos Los Santos Lake where you end the hike. On your return journey back to Puerto Varas you will visit the Petrohue Falls, where waterfalls cascade through channels formed by a combination of lava flows and water erosion.

Day 3:

For your day of kayaking you will meet your guide at your hotel in Puerto Varas at 8h30 and we enjoy a scenic drive along lake Llanquihue to our base in Ensenada. You can choose between single or tandem expedition sea kayaks and pick up our gear for the day. 30 minutes driving later we are at the mouth of the northernmost fjord of Patagonia, Reloncavi fjord in Ralun bay.
We put in ideally protected conditions before heading to the south. Around the first peninsula we arrive in a small cove with green meadows getting to the fjord, this is where we stop for lunch. Se?ora Yolanda awaits us in her farm to enjoy a "mate" around the wood stove. Lunch is served and we have great exchanges with this family who has been living here for 4 generations.

After a freshly brewed coffee and a short walk around the woods it is time to get back on the sea and paddle in front of snowcapped Yates and Hornopiren volcanoes. We also have chances to see sea lions and dolphins (local species are smaller than the average ones we found in other places of the world) and a rich variety of birds that can go from Pelicans to Cormorans and even Penguins. We then get to cross the fjord to the entrance of the village of Cochamo, hanging between the Andes and the Pacific. Cochamo valley and its granite big walls is world renowned between rock climbers and also offers incredible places to hike around. This is where our van awaits us and we get out of the water before driving back to Puerto Varas and being back in town at around 7pm.

Day 4:

Leave Puerto Varas on your bike riding the back roads, which offer beautiful views of the lake and the volcanoes. After biking for 3 kilometers, we arrive at our first stop of the day, the Chester Beer brewery, owned by Derek Way. Derek has been producing traditionally brewed beer for 5 years, and this brewery is the result of years of effort and providing good beer to his friends in Puerto Varas. With an excellent location, this first stop is just the beginning of our journey.

We continue biking back roads until we reach Llanquihe, an old industrial town without much tourism interest. We leave behind Llanquihue biking the old road to Frutillar, bordering the lake and with stunning views of the mountains and the whole area. After the upward parts of the road and finally passing many agricultural farms with a strong German origin, a gentle descent takes us to Frutillar, one of the most interesting cities of Llanquihue Lake's basin. Its well-preserved German architecture and the city's cultural movement, linked to classical music and the Teatro del Lago (Lake Theatre), welcomes us. The second craft brewery of our journey is located in this city. The Salzburg brewery, located in the grounds of the hotel of the same name and with a beautiful lake view, has already had some years of development; their "extreme" beers are proof of this. Different varieties such as Bock, Stout & Pale delight and refresh us at the end of our journey. Don't worry, our private transport awaits for our return to Puerto Varas.

Day 5:

You will leave your hotel and take a transfer back to Puerto Montt.

NOTE: This itinerary is 100% flexible so if you'd prefer more biking and less hiking or more birding and less kayaking or perhaps even some white water rafting then please just let your Swoop Travel consultant know and they will tailor the trip to your specifications.