Ready-made plans

Custom planning is temporarily unavailable for this route. Ready-made plans are still available.

Home › Journeys › South America › Chile's Lake District & Chiloé

Chile's Lake District & Chiloé: Route Guide

Last updated:

Villarrica's cone above the lake at Pucón
Photo: Draceane · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Smoking volcanoes over black-sand lakes, German-founded towns heavy on kuchen, and an island of painted stilt houses and shingled churches.

Chile's Lake District & Chiloé is a 480 km one-way journey (mixed transport). It works best as a 6-day trip; the plan below is the 6-day version for January, built from 74 verified places, with planned transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

6
days
480km
distance
4
Stops
74
curated stops

View ready-made plans 6-day plan · best time to go

The route

Pucón→ 150 kmValdivia→ 180 kmPuerto Varas→ 150 kmCastro (Chiloé)
Turquoise water tumbling through dark rocks at Petrohué Falls with snow-covered Osorno behind

Petrohué · Day 3

Petrohué Falls

Watch the Petrohué River surge through black volcanic rock beneath Osorno Volcano.

6-day plan →

Photo: Alexmrz · CC BY-SA 4.0

What you'll see

Huerquehue National Park
Walk a short open forest trail beneath Huerquehue’s araucaria-covered mountains.
Pucón
Oncol Park
Explore temperate rainforest trails and viewpoints in Oncol Park.
Valdivia
Cerro Philippi Urban Park
Climb forested urban paths to viewpoints over Puerto Varas and Lake Llanquihue.
Puerto Varas
The Regional Museum of Castro
Discover Chiloé's rich heritage through diverse artifacts.
Castro (Chiloé)
Thermal Springs Los Pozones
Relax in warm natural pools beside a snowy river landscape.
Pucón
Universidad Austral Botanical Garden
Explore native and exotic plant collections in this university garden on Isla Teja.
Valdivia

Choose your length

6-day plan18 stops · 11.7 h transit3 stops/day · 1.9 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: November, December, January, February, March

Volcano climbs and lake beaches in the southern summer; Chiloé's penguin colonies active.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

View ready-made plans