For any watchers of the BBC TV Series Race Across The World, you may have seen the beautiful lakeside town of Frutillar, Chile, featured in Series 2 of the Celebrity version. It was this episode which made me want to visit. So, when driving from Valdivia to Puerto Varas on our Chilean Lake District road trip, we made sure to include a stop in Frutillar where we were rewarded with wonderful views of Volcano Osorno, however we weren’t so luckily for all our time in the area...
Table of Contents
Where is Frutillar?
Frutillar is 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Valdivia, 28 km north of Puerto Varas and 45 km north of Puerto Montt. It took us around 2 hours to drive to Frutillar from our previous stop in Valdivia.
The town of Frutillar is comprisd of two main areas:
- Frutilar Alto (Higher Frutillar), and
- Frutillar Bajo (Lower Frutillar)
Frutillar Alto is away from the waterfront, and Frutillar Bajo is set along the lakeside.
Why is Frutillar so special?
Frutillar is special for two reasons:
The incredible views – Frutillar Bajo sits on the impressive Lake Llanquihue, with stunning views across the lake to Volcano Osorno.
Volcano Osorno has a near perfectly shaped cone, often snow-capped, often drawing comparisons with Mount Fuji in Japan.
The German influence in town – as soon as we stepped out of the car we were struck by wooden buildings lining the lakeside road which looked very German.
This is because, in the 1850s, the Chilean Government invited German colonists to make their homes in the area to dilute the indigenous communities. As a result, Frutillar was founded on the shores of Lake Llanquihue by the 200 German families who moved here before World War II.
How to spend a morning in Frutillar Bajo
Parking in Frutillar Bajo
In the shoulder seasons you should be able to find parking on the lakeside road in front of the shops, hotels and restaurants. You will need to pay for parking on-line via the Pay website.
During busier times of the year, you might need to use the car parks on the parallel road through the town.
Walk along the waterfront promenade
From the south side of Frutillar Bajo, walk north along the promenade with the beach to your right.
Volcano Osorno – if you’re lucky with the weather, you should have fantastic views across Lake Llanquihue to Volcano Osorno which cuts an imposing figure on the horizon. Our good view of the Volcano Osorno was a blessing as we strolled along the promenade, because the weather had other ideas on the following day.
Frutillar Beach – Frutillar Beach is a lovely stretch of pebble beach, popular with families chilling out, playing with dogs and paddleboarding (in wetsuits).
Teatro El Lago – Walk around the large and impressive theatre on the lake, a contemporary building which hosts regular cultural events and a 10-day music festival in January and February each year.
Sculptures – Spot the various pieces of art along the lakeside road, including a piano (El Piano), photo frame, musical notes, a heart, ballerina and white band stand; all with a view of Volcano Osorno in the background.
Frutillar Pier (Muelle de Frutillar) – a small but attractive, wooden pier offering yet more lovely views of Volcano Osorno….you can’t escape it!
Admire the German influence buildings
Once at the end of the promenade, cross the road and walk back on the other side, so you can admire the German styled buildings which line the road and the whole area behind. If you look up on the hill behind, you will see wooden chalet style buildings with signs in German typography. You’ll think that you are in a town in the Black Forest!
Note – there is a photo board outside the Tourist Office about halfway along the street which shows the key buildings to look for.
German Colonial Museum – this museum told the story of how the German families came to settle in Frutillar in 1850s. It features reconstructed buildings, including a watermill, farmhouse, and barn. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit as we were in town on a national Election Day.
Shop for souvenirs
There are several small craft shops in Frutillar Bajo, including my favourite shop selling wooden goods such as cuckoo clocks and cheese boards shaped like guitars!
Several shops sold crocheted and woven goods, so if you’re looking for local artisan crafts, then you’ll have plenty of options.
Food and drink
Cheese and chocolate – for snacks, there seem to be a disproportionate number of outlets selling cheese and chocolate, such as, at Chocolateria Volcanes Del Sur. There were even hawkers selling chocolate covered strawberries by the beach.
Kaffee und Kuchen – for coffee and cake, a German tradition, head to Cafe Rosalba or Casa Lindemann. We enjoyed a strudel style cake with coffee and a view from the terrace overlooking the lake.
Schnitzel and sausage – for lunch, head to one of the eateries selling German style fayre such as, El Club Aleman de Frutillar or Restaurant Cocina Fray Holle.
There’s even a traditional Biergarten in town, Biergarten Tropera.
Beyond Frutillar Bajo
Reserva Forestral Edmundi Winkler – if you want to walk off your lunchtime Schnitzel then head to the northern edge of Frutillar Bajo to Reserva Forestral Edmundi Winkler to explore an area of preserved Valdivian rainforest. Take the path which climbs to a lookout point over Lake Llanquihue across to Volcano Osorno.
Visiting Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park
If you want to get closer to Volcano Osorno then head to Vincente Perez Rosales National Park, 90 km southeast from Fruillar, beyond the town of Puerto Varaz in the Los Lagos region of the Chilean Lake District.
This is Chile’s first national park, created in 1926, and currently the country’s most visited due to its proximity to Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. It is filled with forests, lakes, and waterfalls which attract lovers of the outdoors. Today, it’s one of the most visited attractions in Chile.
Vincente Perez Rosales National Park is overlooked by the imposing cone of Volcano Osorno. The volcano is 2,652 m (8,701 feet) high and is one of the most active in Chile with 11 eruptions having been recorded between 1575 and 1869. It is said that Charles Darwin witnessed Volcano Osorno erupt in 1835!
Entrance to Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park
There are several entrances to the National Park which opens from 9.00am to 6pm daily. Depending on what you plan to do, you may need to book National Park tickets ahead of your visit from: www.conaf.cl
Most of the sights in Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park are concentrated in the western sector. This includes the villages of Ensenada and Petrohué, with their small hotels, campsites, and restaurants.
Climb Volcano Osorno to the Red Crater
We booked a hike to the Red Crater of Volcano Osorno with a guide through our hotel, but sadly for us, the weather was against us.
After a perfectly clear day in Frutillar, this time we weren’t so lucky, and the top of the volcano was completely covered in clouds. Despite this, we set off on our guided hike, complete with walking poles and warm weather gear, however visibility was poor and the wind was so strong that we had to abort our walk halfway through.
This was the second time of being unlucky with volcanoes – the previous experience being on a trip to the crater of the Poas Volcano in Costa Rica, which was also obscured by cloud!
Other outdoor activities in Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park
Visit the Petrohue Falls (Saltos de Petrohue)
On a misty day at the top of the volcano, a good alternative is to explore the river valley in the National Park. A visit to the Petrohue Falls offers a series of easy, walkable trails along the river, with viewing platforms at key lookout points. The river looked pretty, running crystal clear over the stones in the riverbed.
When we visited in mid-November, there was bright yellow gorse in full bloom which offered an attractive contrast to the black volcanic rock and ice-blue water of the falls.
There are good facilities at the Petrohue Falls Visitor Centre (shop, toilets and information).
Tip – if you leave the Petrohue Falls car park, turn right and drive for a couple of minutes, you’ll reach a large parking area with super views over river (for free!).
Take a boat ride
From Petrohue, catamarans make the daily 2-hour trip over teal-coloured waters of the Lago Todos Los Santos to the park’s eastern sector, called Puella.
Go hiking
There are lots of hiking trails in the Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park, too numerous to mention here, but you can find out more when you’re in the vicinity.
Where to stay for Volcano Osorno views
If you want to splash out, then enjoy a splurge at Hotel AWA, Puerto Varas. The hotel isn’t in the town of Puerto Varas itself but closer to the Vincente Pérez Rosales National Park. It is a very modern hotel overlooking Lake Llanquihue so you can see Volcano Osorno from the huge windows of the main hotel areas, and from many of the bedroom windows as well. Look out for deals on Booking.com or use Booking.com to search for other accommodation in Frutillar and Puerto Varas.
Final thoughts....
You win some, you lose some with nature. In relation to Volcano Osorno, we were winning with the views on our visit to Frutillar, but lost out the following day when the Red Crater was obscured by clouds. C’est La Vie!
That said we enjoyed our stay and experiencing the National Park in the rain. It all adds to the atmosphere and the experience.
It was very much a stopover of contrasts on our road trip through the Chilean Lake District.
Next stop, island life on the Chiloe archipelago….
Thank you so much for reading my blog, I hope you found it useful?
For more stories, itineraries, and advice, check out my Related Posts and sign up to receive my blogs by email.
If you have a blog-related question, please do ask in the Comments box and I’ll try to help…
Request please – if you use my photos, then please credit Love Travel Planning on your social media or give me a shout out on Instagram @lovetravelplanning as I am growing my website. Huge thanks.
Enjoy your travels!
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.