Things to do in The Lakes District
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Casa Schwerter
Notable constructions in Puerto Varas include private houses from the early 20th century. Several of these houses serve as hospedajes, including the 1941–42 Casa Schwerter. Ask at the tourist offices for the brochure Paseo Patrimonial, which suggests a walking tour of 10 different houses, or the brochure Monumentos Nacionales.
reviewed
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La Calesa
With excellent views out over the water (two tables are outside), this intimate restaurant in a multiroom mansion serves Peruvian staples like garlic-roasted chicken and an excellent lomo saltado. The pisco sours are memorable as is the suspiro, a Peruvian desert made from manjar and meringue and laced with pisco.
reviewed
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OK Corral
A barn of a place serving up hamburgers and sandwiches that are big enough to impress a real Texan, the OK is outfitted in pseudo Old West-style replete with big screen TVs showing ESPN. It's a relaxed place by day that gets crowded, smoky and energetic at night. The bar has a wide choice of drafts and cocktails to help you forget about the decor.
reviewed
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Casa Hitschfeld
Notable constructions in Puerto Varas include private houses from the early 20th century. Several of these houses serve as hospedajes, including the 1930 Casa Hitschfeld. Ask at the tourist offices for the brochure Paseo Patrimonial, which suggests a walking tour of 10 different houses, or the brochure Monumentos Nacionales.
reviewed
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Centro de Información Ambiental
Conaf’s Centro de Información Ambiental offers a variety of programs mainly in the summer (January and February), including slideshows and ecology talks, hikes to the Sierra Nevada and outings for children. Good trail maps with basic topographic information and trail descriptions are available here, as are climbing permits.
reviewed
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Campo Aventura
The best spot for a horse trek is the Cochamó Valley. Campo Aventura offers singleday to multiday treks, often in conjunction with some hiking, rafting or kayaking. The most popular is a three-day jaunt that traverses the valley from its riverside lodge to its mountain lodge in the rainforest. English and German are spoken.
reviewed
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El Bosque
This chic bar-restaurant is Pucón’s most stylish address for a cocktail. There’s a sultry vibe, both in its design (hanging cylindrical rust-hued luminaries, artsy B&W volcano photos) and the music (Faithless, Massive Attack – you get the idea). Mixed drinks easily approach CH$5000 here, but when have you ever known cool to come cheap?
reviewed
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Boule Bar
Old Rolling Stone covers and other musical propaganda dot this multi-roomed bar lit with candles and featuring several tables and a bar rack made from tree bark. The perfect-volume music jumps from, ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ to hip-hop. It’s a good spot to carry on late into the evening with a crowd that appreciates a smart soundtrack.
reviewed
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Casa Wetzel
Notable constructions in Puerto Varas include private houses from the early 20th century. Several of these houses serve as hospedajes, including the 1930 Casa Wetzel. Ask at the tourist offices for the brochure Paseo Patrimonial, which suggests a walking tour of 10 different houses, or the brochure Monumentos Nacionales.
reviewed
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Mama’s & Tapas
Known simply as ‘Mama’s,’ this is the most popular place to go out in Pucón. The bar has an impressive lineup of draft beers, including Kunstmann Bock, which fuels an interesting dilemma when two drunks try to navigate the swiveling bathroom door at the same time. The Mexican food here is worth a try and is discounted 30% before 9pm.
reviewed
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Balzac
Touch up provincial Chilean cuisine with some French culinary accents and you have Balzac. Order from the expansive (and expensive) wine list and sample congrio in a cream sauce, Caesar salads, baked scallops in parmesan, grilled salmon and beef bourguignon. Appropriate for a place named Balzac, it attracts a swanky crowd.
reviewed
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Gohan Sushi
This trendy sushi spot offers some innovative rolls (shrimp pil-pil, avocado and onions) and a soundtrack to get your hips shaking. The two Happy Hour pisco sours for CH$1700 make for a nice chaser. If you stay within these walls, Temuco suddenly starts to feel a little Temucool. Prices are discounted at lunch.
reviewed
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Café Dane’s
This local favorite sums up the hybrid history of the region within its walls: küchen and empanadas, Alpen architecture and Spanish menus, apfelstrudel (apple strudel) and conger eel. It’s one of the few open early on Sunday. Try the empanada de horno (beef, egg, onions and olives), the town’s best (CH$1400).
reviewed
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El Rey del Marisco
There’s a perfect balance of whimsical aquatic art and colorful tablecloths at this don’t-miss seafooder. There are 29 types of fish and the chef has worked all over Chile. Start with the near-perfect pisco sours and shellfish empanadas, move on to congrio, salmon, trout, lenguado or corvina prepared numerous ways.
reviewed
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Viva Perú
Start with the yuquitos (fried mandioca) and move on to the falling-off-the-bone, cilantro-heavy lamb stew at this smart Peruvian that serves slushy pisco sours made with Peruvian pisco. Chilenos can’t handle the aji rocoto salsa served here, but it should satiate your spice-neglected taste buds.
reviewed
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Fly Fishing
Local fishing is good, especially on the Río Toltén, but first obtain a license from the Municipalidad. The season runs from the second week of November to the second week of May. Fly-fishing operators include Süd Explorer, next to the tourist office, and Gastón Balboa is a knowledgeable fishing guide.
reviewed
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La Última Frontera
This bohemian café is the kind of place Valdivia needs more of, hidden away in a restored mansion among a battalion of trees and cutting-edge art. Creative sandwiches, fresh juices and a chill vibe day and night courtesy of the town’s hip artistic front make it a must-stop. If they had rooms, you’d never need to leave.
reviewed
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Restaurant Kiel
If you've been missing your yacht club back home head to Kiel, where you can dine in style around a roaring fireplace and enjoy views of the lake. Try the baked trout stuffed with veggies and crabmeat or the lomo yachting, a choice pork chop with grilled tomatoes and cheese served with Arabian rice.
reviewed
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Krater
If you poke around Pucón you can find some quality dive bars, but most cater to inebriated (and sometimes belligerent) Chilean truck drivers. If you are feeling a little less brave, the volcanic-themed Krater is a divey spot that welcomes inebriated (and rarely belligerent) international visitors.
reviewed
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Bahía Perú
Southern Chile is notorious for monotonous menus, but this Peruvian place offers up a taste of Chile's northern neighbors - with a good dose of spice. Pull up a chair and enjoy enormous platters of salmon or shrimp with veggies, or an authentic Peruvian ceviche with just a splash of Pernod.
reviewed
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Indiana
Indiana (Jones, not the state) may be the Chilean version of a Daytona Beach nightclub. Where else can you get drunk and dance to Snoop Dogg until dawn with a gaggle of vacationing students? It's dingy and loud and guarantees to party hard. The drinks keep flowing and the DJ keeps it going late.
reviewed
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Di Piazza
For some reason it can be a bit more difficult to find pasta places in Puerto Montt than in other towns. Di Piazza is considered the best pizzeria around (that doesn't say much) and also serves plenty of mix-and-match pasta and sauces. The pastas are filling, but relatively devoid of flavor.
reviewed
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Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón
Puerto Varas’ well-maintained German colonial architecture gives the town a distinctive middle-European ambience. The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest, Germany.
reviewed
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Vecchia Cucina
You’ll want to genuflect when they bring out the Italian flatbread instead of ubiquitous tortillas at this, ‘the old kitchen,’ which specializes in antiquated northern Italian recipes. All the ample pasta options are made in-house. Whoever cleans the wine glasses should be fired, though.
reviewed
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Centro de Ski Las Araucarias
The Centro de Ski Las Araucarias at Sector Los Paraguas has just three ski runs, but is a tranquil and scenic area to enjoy a day on the slopes. Ski and snowboard rental costs CH$12,000 per day. In winter, the center has an annex office in Hotel Panamericana Temuco.
reviewed