Volcanoes, ancient trees and history in the Lake District of Chile

Hikers make their way up Osorno, a volcano in the Lake District of Chile. Pam LeBlanc photo

Unlike other volcanoes I’ve seen, all of them in tropical places where palm trees grow and dolphins frolic, Osorno Volcano in the Lake District of Chile wears a cap of snow and ice. It’s known as the Mount Fuji of South America, and I’m inching my way up to a glacier that clings to its shoulders.  

The cone-shaped mountain last erupted in 1869. I’m told chances are low that it will go off again today, although nearby Calbuco Volcano blew in 2015. For that I’m grateful. But I’ve got other things to mull as I creep up the rust-colored lower slope, which is awash in marble-sized volcanic rocks.  

The ground shifts slightly with every step, making progress slow. After two hours, our group of six pauses. We’ve reached the snowfield. After a brief rest, we don harnesses, helmets and ice axes, and we strap spiky crampons to our boots. From this point on, I’ll be roped to a guide and one other hiker as we creep toward the glacier. If one of us takes a spill, we’re supposed to stab our axes into the snow. That, at least theoretically, will stop us from sliding to our doom. 

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Far beneath us, Lake Llanquihue glints in the distance. In front of us, a wide-open slab of white beckons. We take our first tentative steps on the snowpack. Soon, we’re clomping along carefully, smacking our boots into the snow with each step.  

Two hours later, we make it to the glacier, with its wave-like swirls of blue and white ice several stories high. We plop onto the ground, awestruck by the view. It’s not every day you get to stand on a snow-capped volcano. But thanks to a relatively low elevation – the top of the volcano stands at 8,700 feet, and we stopped short of the summit – the hike is doable even for a Texan  Just make sure you’re reasonably fit.

Visit Chile’s oldest national park

This is my second trip to Chile this year. I can’t get over the diversity. The southern part of Patagonia is all grassy windswept steppes, glaciers and jagged spires. The Lake District, which I’m exploring this week, is filled with lush forests, shimmering lakes and dormant volcanos. 

For this trip, I’ve based myself at Hotel AWA near Puerto Varas, on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. The hotel specializes in adventure, organizing outings to nearby destinations including this volcano. And at the end of the day, I can soak in a giant bathtub while looking out at the lake and the volcano I’m now climbing. 

Climbing a volcano isn’t all that’s on my agenda.  

Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, which covers about 620,000 acres in the Lake District, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The park includes Osorno Volcano, plus Todos los Santos Lake and Petrohué Falls. It’s worth at least a day of your time. 

You’ll find crowds of people at the falls, where water surges through ancient lava chutes. Photographers flock to a surrounding boardwalk to get shots that include the volcano in the background. For a quieter experience after you’ve done that, take one of the nearby trails through the forest to the river down below. 

Boat cruises on Lake Todos los Santos are also available. We arranged to cruise partway across the lake, taking in views of the encircling mountains and volcanoes, then hike a few miles back. Part of the trail winds through the forest, which is carpeted in tiny ferns and mosses. Some look like nickel-sized purple snowflakes. The trail pops out on the beach, where we watched chimango caracara feasting on fish.  

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On the water

Fresh oysters are farmed in brackish waters in the Lake District of Chile. Pam LeBlanc photo

One day, the hotel arranged a visit to a nearby oyster farm. There, we boarded a floating platform towed behind a motorboat. When we reached the farm – marked by a series of buoys in the estuary – a diver jumped overboard and returned a few minutes later with a bucket of oysters. We ate them right there, along with glasses of sparkling wine. Our platform bobbed and a few seals looked on. I’m officially spoiled when it comes to oysters. I’ll never eat one so fresh, or one that tasted as perfectly of the sea.  

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Hike through a forest of ancients in the Lake District of Chile

I always appreciate a walk in the woods, especially when I’m surrounded by trees that are hundreds ––– or even thousands ––– of years old.  

At Alerce Andino National Park, it takes about an hour to hike back to the most revered specimen, a Patagonian cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides ) estimated to be about 3,000 years old. Along the way we passed a beautiful waterfall. This area was once covered by the ancient trees, but most of them were wiped out in the last century to use as water-resistant construction material for homes and boats. The trees grow only a few millimeters a year. Another interesting fact? A park ranger spends all day in a little booth next to the tree, guarding it.  

Seek out local handicrafts

To learn more about the culture, meet some of the locals. We visited Gladys Cabrero, who runs a “wool bank” not far from Alerce Andino National Park.  

Area ranchers bring in bags of sheep wool, which she carefully washes and then spins into yarn. She dyes the yarn naturally, using plants and soil, then weaves it into blankets.  

Cabrera showed us the building where the wool is stored, then took us to her workshop, where she demonstrated how to use a drop spindle to make yarn.  

If you visit the wool bank (Hotel AWA can arrange a trip), save room in your suitcase. I loved Cabrero’s work so much that I brought home a forest green blanket dyed with leaves.  

Surrounding towns in the Lake District of Chile

Aside from the backdrop of volcanos, the small towns around Lake Llanquihue feel strangely Bavarian. That’s because thousands of Germans moved to this area in the 1850s as part of national program to colonize Chile. (They had nothing to do with the later influx of Germans who fled to South America after World War II.) 

Two small towns stand out. 

One day, I made the 30-minute trip from the hotel into Puerto Varas to wander through the market and take in some live symphony music on a platform along the waterfront of Lake Llanquihue. Today, about 53,000 people live in Puerto Varas, and tourists flock there for shopping, dining and to see the historic German buildings.  

On the outskirts of town, look for a madcap structure with the bow of a fishing ship bursting from its exterior. That’s Museo Pablo Fierro, the brainchild of artist Pablo Fierro. Inside you’ll find slides, twisty staircases and a bus, plus antiques, artwork, clocks and classic cars. 

On the other side of the lake lies my favorite town, Frutillar, also known as the “City of Music.” 

The focal point of the town is Teatro del Lago, a 1,178-seat concert hall that opened in 2010. The theater hosts a classical music festival in late January and early February (that’s summertime in South America). If the weather’s good, walls behind the stage are rolled open, providing a stunning view of Osorno Volcano across the lake. Tours are available.