Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, near Puerto Varas, is Chile's oldest national park, created in 1926. It packs some of the south's most iconic landscapes into a relatively small area: Osorno Volcano, with its near-perfect cone shape, and Lake Todos los Santos, with its unusually turquoise color.
Petrohué Falls
The Petrohué Falls, formed by solidified lava from Osorno Volcano, are the park's most accessible stop: reachable in under an hour from Puerto Varas, and the walk along the wooden boardwalks takes just 30-40 minutes, making it suitable for any fitness level.
Activities for those with more time
Lake Todos los Santos can be navigated by catamaran -the classic route that connects to Bariloche, Argentina, crossing the mountains by lake and land in several stages- and Osorno Volcano offers both trekking and, during snow season, a small ski resort with views over Lake Llanquihue.
Tours from Puerto Varas do not include the park fee: see what they cost and include in our comparison of Puerto Varas tours.
