Category: Chile

Viña del Mar (Viña for short) is popularly known as the Ciudad Jardín (Garden City) for its manicured subtropical boulevards lined with palm trees and beautiful expansive parks. Visitors are greeted with the colorful, blooming Av Marina’s Reloj de Flores (Clock of Flowers). The cleanliness is in sharp contrast to the jumble of neighboring Valparaíso.

Black-sand beaches and gardens draw tourists to this island-studded lake, especially at fashionable Lican Ray (30km south of Villarrica) and more down-to-earth Coñaripe (22km east of Lican Ray). Out of season, it’s dead. Lican Ray’s tourist office (045-431-516; Urritia 310), directly on the plaza, offers maps and accommodations listings. Coñaripe’s Turismo Aventura Chumay (045-317-287; Las Tepas 201) rents bikes and has area information and tours. Coñaripe has access to rustic hot springs and other sides of the park that tourists rarely tread.

Ancud is the first large town for those coming from Puerto Montt. It was once a rather wealthy place with gracious buildings, palafitos and a railway line. But the earthquake of 1960 destroyed much of that and today the sprawling city is built primarily of boxy concrete structures and is not particularly attractive. Ancud makes a good base to explore the nearby penguin colonies, its quality museum, some rugged beaches and sea-kayaking spots, but if you are short on days it is recommended that you push on to the more distinct Castro.

Split with Argentina (where it’s called Lago Buenos Aires), this massive 224,000-hectare lake is often a wind-stirred green-blue sea in the middle of a sculpted Patagonian steppe. Its rough and twisty roads dwarf the traveler: you’ll feel like you’re crawling through the landscape. This section follows the Carretera Austral south from Coyhaique, around the lake’s western border.