Hike, Kayak & Ride Puerto Varas

Day 1: Puerto Montt - Puerto Varas

Transfer from Puerto Montt to your accommodation in Puerto Varas. 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: Hike in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park

Today you will be hiking in the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, the first park opened in Chile, in 1926. This active hike covers 12kms of scenic routes, mostly on a gravel trail. The trail begins with some steady uphill sections which will reward you with stunning views over the volcanoes and the surrounding lakes.

As you reach the emerald waters of the Todos Los Santos lake where you end the hike, the Andes mountain range emerges on the horizon. 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.

Meals: Breakfast & Picnic Lunch

Day 3: Kayaking on the Reloncavi Fjord

For your day of kayaking you will meet your guide at your hotel in Puerto Varas at 0830 and then enjoy a scenic drive along lake Llanquihue to the base in Ensenada. You can choose between single or tandem expedition sea kayaks and pick up your gear for the day. After another 30 minutes of driving, you reach the mouth of the northernmost fjord of Patagonia, Reloncavi fjord in Ralun bay.

You'll set off from the more protected waters before heading to the south. Around the first peninsula you will uncover a small cove with green meadows leading to the fjord; a perfect spot to stop for lunch. Señora Yolanda awaits us in her farm to serve a mate (traditional herbal tea) around the wood stove, and the family will eat lunch with us whilst sharing their stories of the land, having lived here for 4 generations.

After a freshly brewed coffee and a short walk around the woods it is time to get back on the waters and paddle in front of snowcapped Yates and Hornopiren volcanoes. There will also be chances to see sea lions and dolphins (local species are smaller than the average ones found in other places of the world) and a rich variety of birds including pelicans, cormorants, and even penguins.

You will then cross the fjord to the entrance of the village of Cochamo, hanging between the Andes and the Pacific. Cochamo valley and its big granite walls are world renowned amongst rock climbers and also offer incredible hiking routes. This is where we'll leave the water, transferring back to Puerto Varas with an arrival time of around 7pm.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4: Bikes and beer - lake Llanquihue

Leave Puerto Varas on your bike riding the back roads, which offer beautiful views of the lake and the volcanoes. After biking for 3kms, you will arrive at the 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. 

You will then cyclie on, to the old industrial town of Llanquihe. Leaving behind Llanquihue, you bike the old road to Frutillar, bordering the lake and offering stunning views of the mountains and the whole region.

After some inclines as you pass various agricultural farms with a strong German origin, a gentle descent takes you 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 you. The second craft brewery of the journey, the Salzburg Brewery, is located here, on hotel grounds and with a beautiful lake view. Different varieties of beer such as Bock, Stout and Pale will make a delightful and refreshing end to the journey. You will then take a private transfer back to Puerto Varas.

Meals: Breakfast & Picnic Lunch

Day 5: Departure to Puerto Montt

Depart from the hotel and travel back to Puerto Montt.

Meals: Breakfast

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.