Chile and Argentina Lake District: Puerto Varas to Bariloche

1. Day 1: Arrive in Puerto Varas

   El Tepual airport, Puerto Montt, to Puerto Varas

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Puerto Varas
   Day 1 details

   Fly into El Tepual airport (PMC) at Puerto Montt, usually via Santiago, and a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive of about 35 minutes north to Puerto Varas, on the shore of Lago Llanquihue, Chile's second largest lake. Plan to land by about 4 pm so you are settled before the evening briefing; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Puerto Varas was settled by German families from the 1850s, and the timber houses with steep roofs and the red and white Sagrado Corazón church on the hill still show it. On a clear evening the cone of Osorno volcano stands across the water to the east, with Calbuco beside it. Walk the lakeside promenade before your See Sight Tours guide meets the group to run through the week: the border crossing, what the weather can do and how the days are paced. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of southern Chilean food, with fish and shellfish from the Reloncaví Sound close by.

   Included

   • Pick-up at El Tepual airport, Puerto Montt (PMC)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in Puerto Varas

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   

2. Day 2: Osorno volcano and the Petrohué falls

   Puerto Varas to Ensenada and Osorno volcano, then the Saltos del Petrohué and Petrohué

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Varas
   Day 2 details

   We leave at 9 am and follow the lake shore east to Ensenada, with Osorno filling the windscreen, then climb the road up its western flank to the ski area at about 1,200 m. Mornings are often the clearest time on the mountain, which is why we go up first. On a clear day the view runs back over Lago Llanquihue to Puerto Varas and across to Calbuco, which last erupted in 2015. In summer a chairlift takes you higher for a walk on loose red and black scoria; if wind closes it, we walk the marked paths from the road end instead. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Ensenada. In the afternoon we drive into Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, created in 1926 and the oldest in Chile, for the Saltos del Petrohué, where green water pours through channels of black basalt, quieter once the morning coaches have moved on. Then on to the black-sand shore of Lago Todos los Santos at Petrohué. We are back in Puerto Varas by about 5 pm and the evening is yours.

   Included

   • Osorno volcano: the road to the ski area and the summer chairlift, with a walk on the upper slopes
   • Sit-down lunch in Ensenada
   • Saltos del Petrohué, with Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park entry
   • The shore of Lago Todos los Santos at Petrohué

   Easier option: Stay at the chairlift's upper station or the café at the road end while the others walk on the scoria.

   More active option: A longer walk on the marked trails across the lava fields from the ski area, with your guide, if the weather is settled.

   Free time: Evening free in Puerto Varas

   Activity: The chairlift runs in summer when the wind allows. Scoria is loose underfoot; wear shoes with grip and bring a warm layer.

   

3. Day 3: Chiloé: the Puñihuil penguins and Ancud

   Puerto Varas to Pargua, the Chacao Channel ferry, Puñihuil and Ancud, and back

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Varas
   Day 3 details

   This is the longest day in Chile: we leave at 8 am and are back in Puerto Varas by about 7 pm. We drive about 80 km south-west past Puerto Montt to Pargua and cross the Chacao Channel to Isla Grande de Chiloé by car ferry, about 30 minutes on the water plus any wait at the ramp, with ferry times we confirm at booking. First we head for the beach at Puñihuil, where small boats take us out to the islets of the Puñihuil natural monument; Humboldt and Magellanic penguins nest here from about September to March. The boats run when the sea allows, which is usually best in the morning. Lunch is curanto in Ancud, the island's dish of shellfish, meat and potato breads steamed under nalca leaves, eaten at a table. Afterwards your guide shows you Ancud: the Spanish fort of San Antonio, the last royalist foothold in Chile until 1826, and the visitor centre for the wooden churches of Chiloé, sixteen of which are on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Driving is about four hours in all, our daily cap, broken by the two ferry crossings, the boat and lunch.

   Included

   • Chacao Channel car ferry to Chiloé and back
   • Puñihuil penguin colony by small boat
   • Curanto lunch in Ancud
   • Ancud with your guide: Fuerte San Antonio and the Chiloé churches visitor centre

   Easier option: Stay in Puerto Varas for a free day on the lakeshore, or take the local bus to Frutillar, about 30 minutes north, for the Teatro del Lago and the German settlers' museum; your guide sets it up before we leave.

   More active option: Walk with your guide from the centre of Ancud along the waterfront and up to Fuerte San Antonio, under an hour with a short climb at the end, while the van meets you at the fort.

   Free time: Back in Puerto Varas by early evening

   Activity: Penguin boats depend on the sea and may be cancelled at short notice; if so, we spend longer in Ancud and on the coast. Expect wet feet at the boat launch.

   

4. Day 4: Across the Andes by lake to Bariloche

   Puerto Varas to Petrohué, Lago Todos los Santos to Peulla, Puerto Frías, Lago Frías to Puerto Alegre, Puerto Blest, then Lago Nahuel Huapi to Bariloche

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bariloche
   Day 4 details

   Today is the reason many people come to this region: the Andean lakes crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche by three boats and four bus legs. It is a long day, about 11 hours door to door, but only about three hours of it are on the road. The crossing coach leaves Puerto Varas at about 8 am and stops at the Petrohué falls, which you saw yesterday without the crowd. At Petrohué a catamaran takes about 1 hour 45 minutes across the emerald water of Lago Todos los Santos, with Osorno behind and Puntiagudo and Tronador ahead. Lunch is included in Peulla, at the head of the lake, where Chilean exit formalities are done. A bus then climbs through forest to the border at about 1,000 m and down to Puerto Frías for Argentine entry, a short boat crosses green Lago Frías to Puerto Alegre, and a short bus runs on to Puerto Blest. The last boat takes about an hour down the western arm of Lago Nahuel Huapi, in Argentina's oldest national park, to Puerto Pañuelo, and a coach brings you into Bariloche in the early evening.

   Included

   • The Andean lakes crossing with your guide: Lago Todos los Santos, Lago Frías and Lago Nahuel Huapi by boat, with the connecting buses
   • Lunch in Peulla
   • Border formalities at Peulla (Chile) and Puerto Frías (Argentina)
   • Your luggage carried through to Bariloche

   Free time: Evening free in Bariloche

   Activity: A long day mostly seated on boats and buses, with short walks between them. The boats have indoor seating; bring a warm layer for the open decks.

   

5. Day 5: Cerro Campanario and the Circuito Chico

   Bariloche to Cerro Campanario, Llao Llao, Bahía López and Colonia Suiza, and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bariloche
   Day 5 details

   We are at the foot of Cerro Campanario when the chairlift opens, at about 9 am and ahead of the tour coaches, and ride up a few minutes to the summit terrace at about 1,050 m. The view takes in Lago Nahuel Huapi, Lago Moreno, the Llao Llao peninsula and, on clear days, Cerro Tronador on the Chilean border. From there we drive the rest of the Circuito Chico, the loop of about 60 km west of town: the Llao Llao hotel on its hill and the chapel of San Eduardo, the shore at Bahía López, and the Punto Panorámico viewpoint over Lago Moreno. Lunch is a sit-down meal at Colonia Suiza, a hamlet founded by Swiss settler families in the late 19th century. We are back in Bariloche by about 2:30 pm and the afternoon is free: walk the stone and timber Centro Cívico, the lakefront and Mitre street with its chocolate shops, or visit the Museo de la Patagonia on the square for the region's Mapuche and settler history. Dinner tonight is your choice; Bariloche is known for lamb, trout and craft beer.

   Included

   • Cerro Campanario chairlift at opening
   • The Circuito Chico with your guide: Llao Llao, the San Eduardo chapel, Bahía López and Punto Panorámico
   • Sit-down lunch in Colonia Suiza

   Easier option: Ride the Campanario chairlift both ways and see the Circuito Chico viewpoints from beside the van, with no walking beyond the terraces.

   More active option: Walk up Cerro Campanario on the forest path, about 30 to 40 minutes of steady climbing, and ride the chairlift down.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Bariloche

   

6. Day 6: Cerro Catedral, or a free day

   Bariloche to Villa Catedral and Cerro Catedral, and back

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Bariloche
   Day 6 details

   A lighter day, with the choice in your hands. In the morning we drive about 20 km to Villa Catedral and ride the lifts up Cerro Catedral, where the upper stations sit near 2,000 m among the granite spires that give the mountain its name; in summer they run for walkers when the weather allows. A short walk along the ridge looks down on Lago Gutiérrez and across to the peaks around Refugio Frey and, on clear days, Tronador. We are back in town by early afternoon and the rest of the day is free. If you would rather walk properly, take the active option: a full day on the trail to Refugio Frey with a local mountain guide, about 20 km return with 700 to 800 m of climb through lenga beech forest to a mountain hut beside a granite tarn. If you would rather rest, stay in town, or book a boat to Isla Victoria or a lake kayak, priced when you book. This is your third and last night in Bariloche, so the evening is for packing slowly and a last walk by the lake.

   Included

   • Cerro Catedral lifts and a ridge walk with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • Boat to Isla Victoria from Puerto Pañuelo, price shown at booking
   • Kayaking on Lago Nahuel Huapi or Lago Moreno, price shown at booking

   Easier option: Skip the mountain and spend the whole day in Bariloche at your own pace.

   More active option: Hike to Refugio Frey and back with a local mountain guide, about 20 km and 7 to 8 hours, in place of the lifts, with a packed lunch we provide.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Bariloche

   Activity: The Frey hike is rocky in its upper section; choose it only if you regularly walk six hours or more.

   

7. Day 7: Villa La Angostura and the arrayanes forest

   Bariloche around Lago Nahuel Huapi to Villa La Angostura, then by boat to the Quetrihué peninsula

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Villa La Angostura
   Day 7 details

   We leave Bariloche at 9 am and drive about 90 km around the eastern and northern shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi to Villa La Angostura, a small town of timber and stone set in forest on the lake. From the pier at Bahía Brava an early boat crosses in about 45 minutes to the tip of the Quetrihué peninsula and Los Arrayanes National Park, which protects a forest of arrayán trees with cinnamon-coloured bark that is cool to the touch, some of them centuries old. A boardwalk loops through the trees, and we walk it before the later boats arrive. The easy way back is the boat. The active way is the 12 km trail back along the peninsula through coihue and cypress forest, with some short climbs, about three to three and a half hours with your guide. Lunch is a sit-down meal in town for the boat group; walkers carry a packed lunch. The afternoon and evening are free: walk to the lake at Puerto Manzano, or to the Río Correntoso, a river only a few hundred metres long between two lakes.

   Included

   • Drive from Bariloche to Villa La Angostura with your guide
   • Boat to Los Arrayanes National Park, with park entry
   • The arrayanes boardwalk
   • Sit-down lunch in Villa La Angostura, or a packed lunch on the trail

   Easier option: Boat out and back, with the boardwalk loop and lunch in town.

   More active option: Walk the 12 km trail back from the forest to Villa La Angostura with your guide instead of the return boat.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Villa La Angostura

   

8. Day 8: The Seven Lakes Road

   Villa La Angostura north on Ruta 40 to San Martín de los Andes, and back

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Villa La Angostura
   Day 8 details

   Today is the Camino de los Siete Lagos, the stretch of Ruta 40 that runs about 108 km north from Villa La Angostura to San Martín de los Andes, now paved all the way. We start at 9 am and take it slowly, stopping at the viewpoints rather than driving through: Lago Correntoso, the clear water of Lago Espejo, Lago Escondido in the forest, the Vuliñanco falls, Lagos Villarino and Falkner side by side, then Lago Hermoso and Lago Machónico before the road drops to Lago Lácar and San Martín. It is about two hours of driving each way, about four in all, which is our daily cap; the stops, a short beach walk and a long sit-down lunch on Lago Lácar break it into short pieces. After lunch there is time to walk the lakefront in San Martín or climb to the Arrayán viewpoint above the town. We drive back the same road in the afternoon, when the light falls on the lakes from the other side, and finish in Villa La Angostura with a farewell dinner together.

   Included

   • The Seven Lakes Road with your guide, with stops at Lago Espejo, Lago Escondido, the Vuliñanco falls, Lago Villarino and Lago Falkner
   • Sit-down lunch in San Martín de los Andes
   • Farewell dinner in Villa La Angostura

   Easier option: Stay in Villa La Angostura for a free day and join the group for the farewell dinner.

   More active option: Climb to the Arrayán viewpoint above San Martín de los Andes after lunch, about 40 minutes up.

   

9. Day 9: Back to Bariloche and home

   Villa La Angostura to Bariloche airport (BRC)

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   A last breakfast with the lake outside, and an unhurried morning: walk down to the shore, or take the short path to the Mirador Belvedere for a final look over Lago Correntoso and Lago Nahuel Huapi. We leave Villa La Angostura at about 11 am and drive about an hour and a half back around the lake to Bariloche airport (BRC), east of the town, where your guide sees you to check-in and says goodbye. Direct flights from Bariloche go to Buenos Aires in a little over two hours, and most guests connect home from there. If you want more time, we can book extra nights in Bariloche or Buenos Aires before you fly, or link this trip with our Patagonia trip to Torres del Paine, the Perito Moreno Glacier and El Chaltén, with the connecting flights planned for you. Book a flight leaving Bariloche after about 2 pm; for an earlier flight we leave Villa La Angostura straight after breakfast, and a morning flight means a private transfer at the start of the day.

   Included

   • Drop-off at Bariloche airport (BRC)

   Free time: Morning free in Villa La Angostura

   Activity: Book a flight leaving Bariloche after about 2 pm.

   

Wildlife and weather: November to March is the season: long days, the lifts on Osorno and Cerro Catedral open for walkers, and penguins nesting at Puñihuil from about September to March. December to February is warmest and busiest; November brings lupins to the roadsides and March is quieter, with autumn colour starting in the beech forest. Rain is possible on any day.

• Puerto Varas3 nights
• Bariloche3 nights
• Villa La Angostura2 nights