Chilean Lake District: Volcanoes & Thermal Pools

Departing Temuco brings you east into the high volcanic valleys of Conguillio National Park, affectionately known as 'The Jurassic Park of Chile' due to its spectacular, prehistoric landscape. Here, massive forests of ancient Araucaria (monkey-puzzle) trees—prehistoric conifers with thick, armor-like scaly bark and horizontal branches—grow directly out of rugged, black lava fields created by the active Llaima Volcano. Walking the Sendero Sierra Nevada track is a breathtaking experience; you climb through lush beech forests to elevated platforms, looking down onto the emerald-green waters of Conguillio Lake with the smoking volcanic cone of Llaima rising elegantly in the background.

Driving south brings you onto the scenic national route 5, entering the Los Lagos region to trace the shores of Lake Llanquihue, Chile's second-largest lake. Winding along the western shore, the landscape features historic, white-shingled German colonial churches and timber houses. The journey culminates in the waterfront resort of Puerto Varas. Perched on the lake edge, the town offers a jaw-dropping visual climax: the perfectly symmetrical, snow-capped cone of Osorno Volcano rising vertically 2,652 meters out of the deep blue lake water, looking like Chile's Mount Fuji! Standing on the lakefront boardwalk, looking at the glowing white peak reflecting perfectly in the glassy water, is an unforgettable landscape travel memory.