Distantpeak.com

This small city in Lake District (Chile) has everything I need for a comfortable life. Plenty of nice hostels, good restaurants, internet-cafes on every corner, and last but not least, Lieder Supermarket. What more can I ask for......


Puerto Varas is located on the shore of Lake Llanquihue, one of the largest natural lakes in South America. The perfect cone of Volcan Osorno and the snowcapped peaks of Mt. Calbuco and Mt. Tronador are clearly visible from the lakefront.

I arrived Feb 11 on such a sunny day. Even the "JAC-experience" (JAC is a bus-company with a lot of bus breakdowns) and a 2 hours delay did not ruin my day. I managed to do all sightseeing during that single day and planned to move on already the next day. But yesterday was cloudy and today even rainy. So my plan to move east along the lake, to do a little camping around Ensenada and beyond, has been postponed. I can't stand to spend boring weather days in a small tent. Instead I continue to stay in a nice and cheap (8 USD a night) hostel here in Puerto Varas and spend most of the time reading, eating, surfing (internet) and talking to other travelers. Even the nightlife is pretty good here, so the hostel's 2 a.m curfew starts to really bother me. Anyway it's a fun place to stay. So let me think, YES, I actually want to stay here much longer.

Hopefully I get my ass out of the hostel tomorrow and move on to Ensenada. Weather and time will show.