lake district/torres del paine itinerary | Chile - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:19:24 +0000

good evening forum

my boyfriend and i will be going to chile for 3 weeks in february, the third week is destined for santiago/central valley area as we will be visting friends living there.

meanwhile we are a bit in doubts how the first 2 weeks should be planned, we will arrive santiago on friday feb 13th and will book a flight for puerto montt for the next morning. our concern is if we should stay around that area visiting the different towns (as far north as villarica and west to valdivia), stray off to chiloe archipelago and push a bit down the carretera austral, if this is actually doable coming from this direction and not going via argentina.

or;

if we on the other hand should limit our time in the area around villarica/puerto montt/chiloe to one week, and for the second week get on a plane to get to punta arenas and do the torres del paine.

is it possible to get a propper feeling of the lake district/sur chico in one weeks time with a car (and is it eventually possible to pick a car in one airport and drop it in another?), or are we pushing ourselves too much in order to try and get both destinations under the skin?

Whatr mustsees, visits, activities should we aim for in sur chico? we are outdoorsy but a bit in doubt where to go exactly and what is doable - budget is not scarce nor superhighend, we like a great meal and a good bed to tuck into as well.

Also all tips for the lake district/sur chico area is much appreciated.

thanks tornthree forum!

kindest regards

ONLINE

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 18:58:00 +0000

You are going to find air fares bought at the last minute, if available in high season, very expensive. Get an overnight bus to some point in the lake district from Santiago, maybe to Puerto Montt. If you want a flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas, look at booking now. A week is fine for the area if you wish to spend more time somewhere else. Expect it to be crowded in February. Buses go everywhere but a car does give you more independence. Puerto Varas is a good hub for activities, as is Pucon further north. But you could easily find plenty to do just between Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt and Chiloe. A car is a bigger advantage on Chiloe as public transport won't get you off the main roads. Try to visit one of the smaller islands by boat.

Just as a side note, I have never heard the term 'sur chico' used here, only seen it in guide books. There is a norte chico which is a term used here in Chile, but if going to the lakes you are just going 'al sur'.

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ONLINE

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 01:25:20 +0000

In response to #0

Hi,

I'm going to Chile in late February and wlll be spending time in the Lake District. My travel agent is Paula Christensen, paulach@mallincolorado.cl, and her family has a lodge near the largest Lake which is shared with Argentina. She has worked out a travel plan for me that includes flying to Puerto Montt and catching a bus the next day to Pumalin Park (one of the Tompkin parks), a few days there - bus back to Puerto Montt, flight to an airport in the Lake Country, a bus ride to the big Lake, time at her families lodge, a trip to Parque Patagonia, a second Tompkin park and then a ride, flight to catch the commercial ferry up through Patagonia. She knows the area and has worked hard to figure out how I can best do my somewhat atypical itinerary.

Have fun

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Tue, 26 Jan 2016 01:00:45 +0000

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