I was looking forward to my first glimpse of Chile. We’d be traveling overland for several hours, across the Andes, into Chilean Patagonia. The sun was shining brightly in a brilliant blue sky when we made an early morning departure from Bariloche. Our route took us around Lake Nahuel Huapi and briefly onto route 40, the famous 5000-kilometer long road that connects Argentina from north to south.
Javi gave us some information about how the border between the two countries was finally settled after a long period of conflict. The Andes mountains form a physical barrier, of course, but where exactly to draw the line was the issue once the two countries gained their independence from Spain in the early 1800s. An international border was established by the Boundary Treaty of 1881. According to the terms of the treaty, the border, down to latitude 52 degrees south, would follow the continental divide and the highest peaks of the Andes mountains. Since the mountains form a natural barrier, there’s a section of no man’s land between the border stations of Chile and Argentina.
It’s impossible to predict how long it will take to get through the security process at the border. Nowadays, with the economy in Argentina so volatile while it’s quite stable in Chile, there is frequent border crossing in both directions, depending on which country has the better prices.
We were fortunate that our bus was able to bypass the long line of private cars waiting to be cleared. Still, it took an hour to complete the necessary formalities. Javi was hopeful that it would be less time-consuming at the Chilean border station. I recalled his previous explanation of some of the differences between the two countries: Chile is more formal, bureaucratic, rule-oriented, and efficient while Argentina is more casual and relaxed, but much less law-abiding and efficient. To paraphrase Javi, in Chile, things work whereas in Argentina, they don’t.
In no man’s land, our bus followed a series of switchbacks, as we climbed up, then down, the road through the mountains.
As we approached the Chilean border station, the vegetation became increasingly lush. We were in a Valdivian forest, i.e. a temperate rainforest. Through the windows we could see ferns, bamboo, deep pink lupines, and big-leafed nalga (also known as Chilean rhubarb).
We were also in volcano country now. The white powder we noticed on the ground was actually volcanic ash that was spewed from one of the active volcanoes in the area. In June 2011, the Puyehue volcano, located near Angostura, erupted, sending out a tall cloud of ash that reached all the way to Bariloche, causing the airport to close. One of the most active volcanoes is the Osorno volcano, with its distinctive pointy top.
When we eventually reached the Chilean border station, it took only a few minutes to complete the formalities to enter the country, as Javi had predicted. We were now officially in the northern Patagonia region of Chile. We switched to a Chilean bus, with a Chilean driver, and welcomed Susanna, our new local guide for this portion of the trip.
I was somewhat surprised by the bucolic landscape as we continued traveling towards our destination, the city of Puerto Varas. I wasn’t expecting to find myself in the middle of farm country. Cows were grazing in fields of green with snow-capped volcanic peaks in distance. The plastic wrapped bales of hay looked like giant marshmallows perched on gently rolling hills.
My first meal in Chile, at a small roadside restaurant, was simple perfection: chicken that was moist, tender, and subtly seasoned, then unadorned raspberries from the restaurant’s garden, tasting of sunshine and fresh air. Compliments to chef Don José!
Another big surprise was the Auto Museum of Moncopulli, located right next to the restaurant. In fact, the museum boasted the largest collection of Studebakers outside the U.S. In addition to a huge collection of antique cars, the museum displayed a variety of retro electronic equipment, household items, toys and games, and much more. If you’re interested, check out the museum’s website.
During the final drive of the day, from Moncopulli to Puerto Varas, I learned a few basic facts about Chile. Of course, I already knew it was long and narrow. To be exact, it’s 2670 miles long and the average width is 110 miles from east to west. Therefore, you’re never far from the Pacific coast. I cheered silently, my mind racing ahead to food and thinking that fish would likely be on the menu. In fact, that’s one of the differences between Chile and Argentina, where meat reigns supreme.
Susanna said to think of the country in three parts. The northern part of the country is a desert where valuable minerals and important sources of revenue like copper and lithium are mined. The majority of Chile’s population lives in the central part of the country, which has a Mediterranean climate. Santiago, the capital, and other cities are located here. This region has both industry and agriculture, including vineyards. The southern part of Chile, i.e. Patagonia, is very rainy and windy. Strong winds from the west bring moisture throughout the year. The main crops grown here are potatoes, carrots, and flowers.
It was mid-afternoon when we finally arrived in Puerto Varas. After a long day of travel, we were all feeling a bit dehydrated and in need of a refreshing beverage. Fortunately, the bartender at the hotel was ready with a lesson on how to make Pisco sours, Chile’s national cocktail (despite Peruvian claims that they’re the inventors of the drink). In any case, it was quite delicious, but dangerously so, because it was also quite potent.
Since it was summer, it didn’t get dark until quite late so we had a few more hours of daylight left to walk around the compact town center of Puerto Varas, soaking in the sunshine. It’s situated on a large lake, LLanquihue (pronounced like Yankee Way) and attracts large numbers of vacationing Chilean families to its lakefront beach.
There’s an abundance of reasonably priced dining options in the tourist center. Several members of our group joined Javi at one of his favorite restaurants where we all chose some kind of fish or seafood for our dinner. We nibbled on tortas fritas with pebre, the Chilean version of pico de gallo, while waiting for our main course. I had an excellent meal of congrio (Chilean sea bass) along with a salad of avocado and hearts of palm. It was so good, in fact, that i returned another day so I could order the king crab salad.
From Susanna, I learned more about this very attractive small city of 50,000 inhabitants. The strong German influence is obvious here. I had already seen signs in German and noticed that many of the streets had German names. Also, the church that I could see from our hotel looked European. This dates back to the arrival of German and Austrian immigrants, the first Europeans to settle here, between 1840 and 1860. Although they were evenly divided between Catholics and Lutherans, there were never any religious conflicts.
Chile and Argentina both gained their independence from Spain within a few years of each other in the early 1800s. In order to maintain their hold on the land, each country encouraged Europeans to come and settle the relatively unpopulated areas. When the Germans and Austrians arrived in this part of Chilean Patagonia, the native Mapuche people had already moved up into the mountains or onto the islands in order to maintain their traditional lifestyle.
The immigrants cleared the land, became dairy farmers, and established German-speaking schools. Today, most of the farmland has been subdivided but many descendants of the immigrants still live in and around Puerto Varas and neighboring Puerto Montt. The local German community maintains close connections with Germany. In fact, since Chileans with German ancestry can obtain German passports, it’s not unusual for them to leave the country to attend German universities. The main reason? According to Susanna, our local guide, who chose to do this, universities in Chile cost a lot, except for students from low-income families. However, universities are free for everyone in Germany.
During the pandemic, many upper middle-class people moved from Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, to Puerto Varas. Since then the city’s population has continued to increase. When we remarked how beautiful the weather was, Susanna told us that in the winter (March to October), the weather in this part of Chilean Patagonia is gray, cold, and rainy.
We traveled about an hour from Puerto Varas one morning to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park to see Petrohué River waterfalls. We stopped for a photo op en route to the park.
From the falls, we were even closer to the Osorno volcano.
Susanna led us on a short hike through the park’s Valdivian forest (temperate rain forest) where we recognized the coihué and arrayán trees from our time in Bariloche. We also got a good look at the native South American bamboo.
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| Arrayán trees |
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| South American bamboo |
Along the trail, we came across a wall of basalt rock that was formed when hot lava from a volcanic eruption penetrated a subterranean chamber of cold rock and then solidified in the form of crystals that slowly cooled.
Another activity on our itinerary in Puerto Varas was a visit to COMBAS, a music and arts school that receives financial support from OAT’s parent company, Grand Circle Travel, through its charitable foundation. This type of visit is a standard feature of every OAT tour I’ve taken. The founder of the school is an idealistic young pianist who transformed an abandoned building into an institution dedicated to providing artistic education to children and adults in southern Chile. In addition to offering paid lessons, the school maintains a children’s orchestra which provides free music instruction to at-risk school-age children. On the afternoon of our visit, the students were eager to perform several pieces for us.
As an added treat, one couple performed Chile’s national folk dance, the cueca, in which the man represents a rooster and the woman represents a hen. Dancers would usually wear typical clothing typical from the countryside. The man’s very energetic movements include lots of jumping and stomping.
A highlight of my time in Puerto Varas was a home-hosted dinner with a delightful family. Like most Chileans, they have mixed native and European ancestry. When we asked how they identify, the answer was simply, Chilean. They had moved to Puerto Varas from Santiago 10 years ago in order to improve their quality of life. Rodrigo, the father, had traded his desk job for a career as a landscape designer. The conversation flowed easily as we sipped Pisco sours and helped Jackie, the mother, fry cheese empanadas.
The main course was charquican, a typical Chilean stew of native origin. Jackie had prepared a vegetarian version with potatoes, corn, and a variety of other fresh vegetables. It was simmering on the stove when we arrived. She served it with slices of sautéed longganisa sausage on top.
Their teenage daughter, Martina, who spoke fluent English, brought the dessert, a German inspired blueberry kuchen, to the table.
After dinner, the whole family entertained us by singing while Rodrigo played the guitar. Interactions like this home visit are one of the reasons I love traveling with OAT.
While Puerto Varas is located on a landlocked lake, the nearby city of Puerto Montt is located on a bay which leads to the Pacific Ocean. For this reason, it’s a major fishing port. On Saturdays, local fishermen sell their catch in Puerto Montt’s huge weekly market, which also features farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, along with handicrafts, clothing, and household items. (6789, 94, 95, 6802, 6809, 6810, 11, 18, 19).
There were so many tempting things to eat in the market. I started with a fried milcao, a type of dumpling made from a mixture of grated raw potatoes and riced cooked potatoes. It’s a Chilean specialty that makes a perfect snack. And since it was lunch time, I followed it up with an overflowing container of ceviche.
My introduction to Chile left me eager to see more of the country. The next stop on our itinerary was Chiloe Island, just off the coast.
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