Lago Todos Los Santos

Lago Todos Los Santos
[17 de Febrero, 2014] If you would like to taste a piece of paradise, just visit the Lago Todos Los Santos (All Saints Lake) in the Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. This park is a short minibus ride outside of Puerto Varas, our 2nd stop in the Lakes Region in Chile. The national park includes a couple of volcanoes, this aqua colored glacial lake and one big dramatic volcano, Volcán Osorno. I heard about this park because the lake is part of a popular Chile to Argentina crossing. Called the Andean Lakes Crossing due to the number of ferries you have to take, it is supposed to be the most beautiful way to cross the Andes. We did not need to go into Argentina so Eli and I instead opted for the poor man's version of this trip. A local bus ride to the park entrance, a ride on a fisherman's boat (the local tourism industry in this park) and a picnic lunch on a rocky beach.

Volcan Osorno

I cannot say enough good things about this lake- the color of the water was amazing, the 3 volcanoes around it were stunning, the beaches and trails were really well preserved.  I am so grateful for the choices people have made to establish national parks and help preserve our environment. There was no heavy development around the lake and nothing but national park forests as far as you could see. Maybe one day, if I am back again, the view from this shore will be exactly the same. 

Petrohue Falls

Close to the park is a pretty waterfall that many tour companies come out to visit, the Saltos del Petrohue. (Why they stop there and don't go out to the lake is beyond me, but that is where the pavement stops so it is clear it is the more popular destination.) The water in this river was the same aqua blue color as the lake which, against the dark volcanic rock, was really pretty. There was also a high volume of water racing down some narrow passages which obviously can't be captured by camera but was cool to experience. But the most impressive part of this waterfall was that it sat in the shadow of the Volcan Osorno.

Puerto Varas, Chile

The town of Puerto Varas is quaint but we were there in the middle of summer and it was very chilly. If that is how you want to spend your summer months, that's ok, but I couldn't get over how bundled up people were- winter hats, winter coats, gloves- in summer. It's not where I would want to move. However, when we returned in the evening after visiting the national park, all of the morning fog and wet gloom had lifted and it was actually very pretty. We walked out to the pier in downtown for sunset.

Lago Llanquihue and Volcan Osorno

A few days later, with our friend Jesse in tow, we returned to Puerto Varas to watch the USA vs. Canada men's semifinal hockey game. Jesse, a Canadian from Montreal, was just as happy as us to set aside time to watch this Olympic match so we made a nice day out of it. Fortunately Jesse didn't gloat too much when the Canadian team won.

USA vs. Canada