Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales in Spanish) is Chile’s oldest national park. It was founded in 1926 and named for the Chilean senator who helped encourage German immigration to the region in the 19th century, helping to create the distinctive character of towns like Puerto Varas, the main gateway for most visitors to the national park.

The park’s 620,000 acres entirely encompass the long fingers of Lake Todos Santos, and are dominated by the picture-perfect snowy cone of Osorno Volcano, the so-called ‘Mount Fuji of the Andes.’ The volcano has not been active for over years: the most famous witness to an eruption was Charles Darwin in 1835. In the north of the park, the crooked spire of Puntaguido Volcano dominates the scene, The steep sides of the Lake Todos los Santos rise up into temperate rainforest, rich in coïgue and lenga trees (both types of Chilean beech), and thick stands of bamboo and ferns. The region's volcanic history means that there are several natural hot springs including the Termas de Calloa in the park's northern sector. At the park's lower altitudes, the mild climate means that it is easy to spot slender-billed and austral parakeets. 

Vicente Pérez Rosales' forests, rivers, lakes and canyons offer plenty of opportunity for outdoor adventure, including plenty of hiking trails, whitewater rafting and fishing, while the boat trip across Lake Todos los Santos makes up one of the most beautiful stretches of the Cruce Andino route across the Andes into Argentina. 

There are more than a dozen well-marked hiking trails in Vicente Pérez National Park. One of the best starts takes you directly under the imposing cone of Osorno Volcono. The Paso Desolación Trail actually starts just outside the park boundaries at Puerto Clocker on the eastern shore of Lake Llanquihue, and is a full day hike of cross country descents through volcanic areas and forests to finish at Petrohue. A shorter version of this, the Rincón del Osorno trail takes around five hours, starting at Petrohue and skirting the volcano’s lower slopes. A 6km trail south of Petrohué takes you to the impressive Saltos de Petrohue waterfalls, where the Petrohué river forces itself through narrow channels of ancient lava to produce a series of beautiful rapids

The crystal waters of Lake Todos los Santos are perfect for exploration by kayakers of all abilities, and the ability to get out on to the water offers the chance to explore parts of the park that are inaccessible by road or hiking trails. The views from the lake of Osorno and Puntaguide Volcanoes are never less than awe-inspiring. For those with more of a taste for adrenaline, the Petrohué River offers whitewater rafting below the Saltos de Petrohue waterfalls.

For those with more of a taste for adrenaline, the Petrohué River offers whitewater rafting below the Saltos de Petrohue waterfalls. The Class 3 and 4 rapids here offer plenty of adventure, interspersed with plenty of quiet stretches to enjoy the scenery.

Petrohué River is a great place for both expert and beginner fly-fishing. The clear waters of Lake Todos los Santos feeding the river provide the perfect environment for rainbow, brown and steelhead trout, and even the occasional coho and chinook salmon. Fishing excursions are organised from Petrohué, either wade fishing or from boats.