Chile is a very long, thin country on the west coast of South America, 25 times longer than it is wide, and covering a whopping 2,600 miles. As a result of its topography, the Chile you experience in the north, is very different to the Chile you experience in the middle, or south of the country. So, if you have to pick one region to visit, pick the Chilean Lake District for incredible landscapes with snow-capped volcanoes, crystalline lakes, blankets of ancient forest and a chance to enjoy the great outdoors, with easy to drive roads. This is a road trip to savour and remember forever.
Table of Contents
Background to our Chilean Lake District visit
We once flew to Santiago in Chile and drove straight to Valparaiso to pick up a cruise, without seeing anything of the country other than vineyards through the car window. This feels rather strange to me now, but my excuse is that we were on another family member’s itinerary, and travelling with an 18-month-old, so more ambitious sightseeing was not on our agenda at the time.
As a result, we pledged to return to Chile.
Fast forward 19 years, and the Chilean Lake District was featured on the BBC TV show Celebrity Race Across the World (Series 2), when a group of celebrities passed through the region and neighbouring Argentina. They ended their journey in the beautiful town of Frutillar on Lake Llanquihue with stunning volcano views, and I was hooked. One of our tour guides in Chile said he had assisted several couples visiting the Chilean Lake District after viewing Race Across the World, so I’m not alone in having been inspired.
Our Rapa Nui Side Quest
When planning this trip, we didn’t start with a blank sheet of paper, as we took destination inspiration from the TV programme. We had 3 weeks in total for our trip (the longest time we are currently prepared to leave our dog with sitters) and decided to spend the first week visiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island) from Santiago, before returning to the mainland and road tripping through the Chilean Lake District.
For details of travel planning a trip to the world’s most remote island, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) check out my blogs about ‘Travel planning a bucket list trip to Rapa Nui.’
Where is the Chilean Lake District?
The Chilean Lake District sits at the very north of the Patagonia region, and to the west of the Argentinian Lake District. It is made up of 3 different regions:
- Araucanía Region to the north (includes Temuco)
- Los Ríos Region in the middle (includes Valdivia)
- Los Lagos to the south (includes Puerto Montt).
If you approach the Lake District from the north, then your entry city is Temuco, 365 miles (620 km) to the South of Santiago. Temuco is served by LATAM, Sky or JetSmart airlines from the country’s capital, and the flight takes about 1.5 hours.
If you want to keep your flying hours down, there are overnight buses with reclining seats which you could catch from Santiago, or alternatively you could drive straight to Temuco from the capital which takes 5 hours without stops.
Technically, the Chilean Lake District ends at the Canal Cacao in-between the mainland and the island of Chiloé. However, the Chiloé archipelago of over 30 islands, 60 miles south of Puerto Montt, is usually included within the boundary of the Chilean Lake District. The PanAmerican Highway (Ruta 5) ends at the southernmost point of Chiloé Island.
Future road trips
From Puerto Montt, if you have the time, you could pick up the famous Carretere Austral (Ruta 7), and continue into Patagonia proper for forests, soaring mountains and awe-inspiring glaciers. We felt that this deserved its own special trip and so are saving it for another time.
Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap for the Chilean Lake District
So, for a big trip to a big country, you need a big plan. However, this doesn’t need to be daunting. Follow the following steps to slamming your road trip through the Chilean Lake District and everything will fall easily into place. Let’s go!
Who is this trip suitable for?
Companions – perfect for couples or empty nesters
This trip was a milestone for us as it marked our first big ‘empty nester’ trip after our youngest started University. As a result, the planning for this trip related to travelling as a couple.
Interestingly, it must be a location which appeals to others in a similar position as all the Brits we met whilst travelling where middle-aged couples. They mostly seemed to be on ‘Grand Tours’ of Chile (Santiago, Atacama Desert, Rapa Nui, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia). Others were combining it with stops in neighbouring Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza and/or Patagonia).
Would it make a good destination for the kids? Yes, for older teens or young adults, if they don’t mind flying and enjoy activities in the big outdoors. Although the costs would mount up.
Trip style - Road trip (easy)
Having seen the BBC TV programme, researched the Chilean Lake District on-line, and read some guidebooks, it looked like the perfect place for a road trip.
The area lends itself perfectly to a road trip with great driving conditions – the distances between stops are not too long, and the roads generally good, outside of the National Parks anyway.
As well as stunning lakes and snow-capped mountains, the Chilean Lake District region is packed with beautiful National Parks – some full of ancient araucaria forests and waterfalls, some with surreal black volcanic rock and lava flows, and the chance to spot a Puma, foxes and amazing birds. The region offers great variety and something for everyone, depending on your preferences, and all beneath the watchful gaze of a majestic volcano.
The indigenous connection felt strong in some areas of the Chilean Lakes, such as with the Mapuche in the northern lakes. In contrast, some towns such as Frutillar were settled by German families in the 1850s (at the invitation of the Chilean government), lending a distinctly Germanic feel to the buildings and food on offer in the restaurants. Throw in the Spanish language and influence from the days of Spanish rule, and you have a place which feels like a melting point of influences which are easy to experience as you travel through.
When to travel to the Chilean Lake District
The Chilean Lake District can be a year-round destination, and so when to visit will largely be driven by the activities you are interested in:
- Spring (Sept-Nov) – enjoy pretty flowers and snow on the volcanos and mountains. The weather might be patchy with some rain, however there should be plenty of sunny days and warm temperatures.
- Summer (Dec – Feb) – whilst the weather should be dry with long, hot, sunny days, this time of year also brings the bulk of tourists to the lakes to enjoy the plethora of water sports and hiking trails available.
- Autumn (Mar – May) – like Spring, this shoulder season offers less reliable weather but with the benefit of fewer crowds. The trees in the National Parks should be ablaze with oranges, yellows and reds, offering fantastic ‘fall foliage’ on your visit.
- Winter (June – Aug) – this season is the coldest, and in some parts wettest, when the national parks are only open to skiers on some of the volcano slopes.
We visited the Chilean Lake District in the middle two weeks of November (Spring) and enjoyed lovely sunshine for 8 days out of 10. It was a joy to see the volcanoes with snow on the top, and yellow gorse in the valleys – a striking contrast to the black volcanic rocks and sand.
We found the towns we stayed in, and the National Parks, to be relatively quiet which was nice. Nowhere felt too busy, although the area did feel as though it was still waking up after the winter and getting ready for higher levels of summer tourism.
NOTE – Apparently the Ozone Layer is thinner over the Chilean Lake District during November and December so you should double up your efforts with suncream to protect your skin.
Where to stop on your Chilean Lake District road trip
To help you find your perfect destination stops in the Chilean Lake District, here are the resources which I found useful:
Guidebooks
- DK Eyewitness Chile – for a good overview of Chile as a whole, including Santiago and Rapa Nui. It’s very top level but gives a good starting point.
- MOON Patagonia – this is a book specific to Patagonia. As the Chilean Lake District as considered to be part of North Patagonia, this book was more useful for the Chilean Lake District section of our trip. You can then use it again to plan a trip to Southern Patagonia!
On-line resources
- Blogs – unsurprisingly, I like reading blogs about places written by locals, or by those who have travelled the area themselves. A quick google will bring up several such blogs offering an insight into what to expect.
- Tour operators – sometimes you can pick up good itinerary or accommodation ideas from travel companies offering road trips at your destination. In this case Swoop Patagonia has some good ideas.
Sample Itinerary - tried and tested
There are lots of different stop options in the Chilean Lake District, so it depends on how much time you have and what you hope to see and do as established from your research.
Here is an itinerary suggestion, based on our experience:
- Santiago (2 – 3 nights):
- Arrival and acclimatisation
- Flight to Temuco, drive 1.5 hours to Melipeuco.
- Melipeuco (2-3 nights):
- Base from which to access the Conguillio National Park and the Llaima Volcano.
- Drive 2 hours to Pucón.
- Pucón (2 – 3 nights):
- Base to access both the Villaricca and Huerquehue National Parks, and Villarrica Volcano (Chile’s most active).
- Drive 2.5 hours to Valdivia.
- Valdivia (1 – 2 nights):
- University city surrounded by 3 rivers.
- Drive 2.5-hours to Puerto Varas, with a stop in Frutillar on the way.
- Puerto Varas (2-3 nights):
- Base to access the Vincente Peres Rosales National Park, Llanquihue Lake and Osorno Volcano.
- Drive 1-hour to Pargua at the bottom of the mainland, below Puerto Montt.
- Catch the 30-minute ferry to Chacao on Chiloé Island.
- Drive 1 hour 40-minute to Castro on Chiloé Island.
- Castro (3 nights):
- Central base on Chiloé Island to stay in a palafito, visit UNESCO churches and and spot penguins.
- Drive to Chacao and catch the ferry back to Pargua on the mainland.
- Catch flight back to Santiago from Puerto Montt.
- Casablanca Wine Valley (2 nights):
- If you want your trip to last a little longer, book a night or two in one of the Central Valley towns surrounded by vineyards before flying home.
As you’ll see, the driving is easy in the Chilean Lake District, and you can move around easily and quickly from stop to stop in the shoulder seasons.
Budget and bookings
International Flights from UK to Santiago
From the UK or USA, assuming that you have not been travelling elsewhere first, then Santiago is likely to be your arrival point in Chile. Santiago Airport then serves as the main hub airport for onward flights around the country.
Saving with reward schemes – if you save Avios points or accumulate Companion Vouchers with the AMEX credit card, now is the time to use them, as the flight to Santiago is one of the longest you can book from London.
We used an AMEX Companion Voucher plus accumulated Avios points to pay for our flights to Santiago with Iberia Airlines (a BA partner) via Madrid from the UK. Using our Companion Voucher and points, we were able to book Business tickets for £400 each, just paying for flight taxes, as required under the redemption scheme. Given how far we were flying, this seemed like a very good deal indeed.
Advice – if travelling from the UK to Santiago, take a couple of days to acclimatise in Santiago before heading south to the Chilean Lake District. Alternatively, get over your jet lag in the nearby port city of Valparaiso, or in the excellent wine regions in-between the two cities.
Internal Flights from Santiago to the Chilean Lake District
As Chile is so long and thin, then unless you have unlimited time to drive or take a bus, it’s likely you will need to take another flight to reposition yourself for the start of your Chilean Lake District adventure.
LATAM are a great airline for internal flights. We booked internal one-way flights with LATAM from Santiago to Temuco to start our road trip, and flights back from Puerto Montt to Santiago at the end. We found these flights to be very cheap compared to European flightsand efficient, with good service.
Booking your hire car
One-way fees
AVIS allows one way car hire from Temuco to Puerto Montt, or vice versa. Whilst you do pay a ‘one-way hire fee’, we felt the payment was worth it to avoid having to retrace our steps.
Is a 4WD required?
If you’re sticking to the main roads between towns on your road trip through the Chilean Lake District, then you don’t need a 4WD (four-wheel drive) car as the roads are very good – just the occasional pothole to navigate, not unlike the UK!
However, it’s a different story in some of the National Parks and 4WD cars are advised.
By way of example, once you pass the Ranger station in Conguillio National Park, you’re driving mainly on gavel roads which spray lose stones, and have deep wheel trenches and potholes which are difficult to negotiate, particularly if it gets muddy. You need to drive very carefully indeed to decrease the risk of stones hitting your paintwork or windscreen, and to avoid puncturing your tyres.
If, however, you book tours of the National Parks with guides or tour operators, then you will travel in their cars, which will be 4WD, if required.
Picking up and returning your hire car
Temuco and Puerto Montt are small airports and so the process of collecting a hire car, and dropping it back, is very straightforward.
- At Temuco Airport (pickup), after completing our paperwork, someone drove the car around to the front of the terminal for us and we were straight off on our adventure.
- We were given a Hyundai Kona which was perfect for us travelling as a couple, and not off roading.
- At Puerto Montt the car rental area is directly in front of the terminal, so returning the car cannot be easier.
- Unlike our experience of hiring a car in Dubrovnik, we weren’t subject to any hidden fees on return of the car which is always welcome.
Accommodation options
We found Booking.com to be very useful for sourcing suitable accommodation in our chosen over-night locations. The accommodations were varied, including a:
- cosy wooden hotel with log burners in Melipeuco.
- impressive Bauhaus style hotel overlooking a lake in Pucón.
- large conference hotel stuck in the 1980s in Valdivia.
- modern glass fronted lake-side hotel and spa with volcano views outside Puerto Varas.
- palafito (wooden fisherman’s house on stilts) in Castro, Chiloé Island.
- hacienda style ranch in the Casablancas wine valley.
Budgets – there is something for all budgets in the Chilean Lake District, from cabanas in the countryside and the National Parks, to exclusive lake-side properties. You know what you’re willing to pay for your accommodation, so set your nightly budget and check out the options.
Rather than pick accommodation for the same price each night, I prefer to set an overall accommodation budget for the nights of the trip, then mix and match – picking some at the cheaper end and some at the higher end, so they average out.
National Park Passes
If you plan on visiting any of Chile’s National Parks, then you need to buy a pass for each National Park in advance using the following website link: www.conaf.cl
Our experience was that some of the National Parks made passes available well in advance, whilst others released them relatively late – at the start of each current month. For example, we were able to book passes for Vincente Perez Rosalia National Park much earlier than the tickets for Conguillio National Park.
Check for each National Park and, if passes for your chosen park(s) aren’t available, then diary date to check again nearer the time, but don’t forget – some of the parks have restricted pass numbers.
NOTE – if you book a guided walking tour, you still need to have purchased the relevant National Park pass in advance, in additional to the payment for your tour.
Toll Road costs
Some of the main roads, such as Ruta 5 (PanAmerican Highway) are toll roads, although the required toll charges aren’t expensive – around 3,500 Chilean Pesos per toll (£3.00) per toll.
Overall, we found the Chilean Lake District to be very good value for money, a fraction of the costs back at home in the UK.
NOTE – the same could not be said for Rapa Nui which was expensive, but understandable given that the whole island is effectively a National Park which needs to be preserved, and all goods and produce need to be imported.
What to pack for the Chilean Lake District
Here are some suggestions for packing for a road trip in the Chilean Lake District:
- It’s very much an outdoor activity area, so outdoor gear was the clothing of choice – we lived in our walking trousers and top layers (t-shirts and fleeces) for the duration of the trip.
- Casual dress only is required, even in the more expensive hotels. I loved the fact that staff at the AWA Hotel, Puerta Varas, wore grey Patagonia fleeces over smart white shirts as their uniform!
- Wet weather gear is required as the weather can be changeable. We only wore our cagoules a couple of times, but we were grateful for them when required.
- Walking boots for the National Parks and comfortable trainers for the car journeys and time exploring the towns.
- With the FCDO advice in mind (see Section 7), we avoided any flashy brands, logos or equipment which might draw attention to ourselves – I left my jewellery and watch at home.
- We took suitcases with wheels, although the airport was full of expedition style kitbags and rucksacks – travellers ready for adventures in the outdoors.
Travel in Confidence
As part of your planning, make sure you understand exactly what you’re letting yourself in for and plan as much as you can to help reduce the risk factors, accepting that some are of course out of your control. Before your road trip of the Chilean Lake District:
Check government travel advice
Check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice, or the advice of the equivalent body in your country of residence.
Advice – sign up to receive FCDO email alerts relating to Chile in case of any updates to risk factors.
When I checked the FCDO advice for Chile in my planning phase, it highlighted some level of risk in the Santiago area. This related to an increased targeting of tourists in hire cars, and pickpocketing in tourist areas. We bore this in mind whilst putting the trip itinerary together and luckily did not experience any issues whilst in Santiago.
NOTE – a similar thing happened when we planned a road trip around Costa Rica a couple of years ago. The FCDO advice raised concerns which felt very removed to our experience in the country.
“Forewarned is forearmed” is probably a good mantra for a travel planner!
Correct documentation for Chile
Passports and visas
At the time of writing, UK citizens can enter Chile for up to 90 days for a holiday without needing a specific visa.
Passports need to be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
NOTE – Make sure you check what is required for your nationality and requirements before travelling as it may be different to the above.
Chile PDI entry document (Policia Investigones de Chile)
When you enter Chile, you will be issued with a PDI document at passport control, which you must always keep with your passport, for the duration of your time in Chile – DO NOT LOSE THIS!
On arrival at hotels, you are asked to handover both your passport and PDI document for Reception staff to photocopy.
Driving documentation
To hire a car in Chile, you need to present your current UK driving licence, along with your passport (for all drivers of the hire car). A credit card deposit will be taken for incidentals, and you will be required to sign a damage waiver.
IMPORTANT – Always carry your driving documentation, passport and PDI with you in the car in case you are stopped by the police. This happened to us on Chiloé Island, when we were flagged down by the police (Carabineros) having recently disembarked the ferry to the island. It was just a spot-check to see if we had the right documents, but we would have been fined if we had not been able to present everything requested. Funny how nervous you feel when this happens!
Take out the right Travel Insurance
Take out the best insurance that you can afford to cover you in case of an accident, and to cover you for any high-risk activities which you might be participating in (such as helicopter trips or rafting).
AIG travel insurance offer great comprehensive insurance with a 24-hour Helpline if needed, and a portal where you can access detailed information about the country you are visiting. If there is any change to the status of your destination, you will receive alerts from AIG to make you aware.
Driving in the Chilean Lake District
Which side of the road do you drive on in Chile?
Cars drive on the right-hand side of the road in Chile.
Navigation tools
Waze works well, but we were able to connect to Apple Car Play by Bluetooth for navigation throughout the road trip. Obviously, it depends what type of car you hire and what navigation systems it offers.
Cars and crime
With the FCDO warnings in mind about tourists being targeted coming out of the city’s airport at night, we decided to avoid hiring a car in Santiago. Instead, we stayed at one of the airport hotels and took taxis into Santiago for sightseeing. Staying on-site at the airport works well if you arrive later leave very early on the morning of departure day.
If we had used a car in Santiago, we would have made sure not to leave any bags on show in the vehicle or leave any valuables in the car at all. One of our tour guides suggested similar precautions for Valdivia, so we left our car in the hotel car park and walked around town, to reduce any risks.
Driving hazards
The biggest potential hazard on a road trip through the Chilean Lake District is probably from free-roaming dogs. Whilst overall, they seem like a chilled-out bunch of mutts. Sometimes a dog just steps out onto the road or decides to cross in front of moving vehicles. You just need to have your wits about you, like avoiding kangaroos when driving in Australia.
Other considerations for a road trip in the Chilean Lake District
Health
Vaccination requirements
At the time of writing, visitors to Chile from the UK are advised to be up to date with their standard vaccinations (diphtheria, tetanus and MMR). Vaccinations for Hepatitis A and Typhoid are recommended but not essential. Hepatitis B and Rabies vaccinations are another possibility, but not essential.
NOTE – Yellow fever vaccinations are not required, unless you are visiting from a yellow fever area or have been to a yellow fever area in the previous months.
Malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses
There is currently no risk of malaria on mainland Chile.
Whilst there is a risk of other mosquito-borne illnesses, such as dengue fever, Zika, and chikungunya, mainly in the northern areas of the country near the borders with Peru and Bolivia -not in the Chilean Lake District.
Check the altitude of your activities
Altitude sickness is a risk in areas over 2,000 meters (6,562 ft) above sea level, with symptoms including headache, nausea, and dizziness.
The Chilean Lake District is generally fine as most of the area sits below 2,000 meters. However, you could potentially reach levels with a risk of altitude sickness if you hike on higher passes. If this is on your agenda, then take action to prevent it – acclimatise slowly, stay well-hydrated with water, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and take your time on hikes.
Mother Nature
Active volcanoes
The Chilean Lake District is home to numerous active volcanoes, the most active being Volcano Villarrica which last erupted in 2015 – it did show some activity in 2023 but is currently quiet. It is therefore a good idea to check the status of the active volcanos before booking you trip to Chile, just to make sure you are fully informed.
NOTE – You can check volcano activity at the Smithsonian USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report on-line, which tracks global volcanic activity. I checked this at the time of booking and then once again in the week before we travelled but then stopped worrying about it.
Possibility of earthquakes
Chile experiences earthquakes because it is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. Its most powerful earthquake was in 1960 which is often referred to as the Great Chilean Earthquake. Whilst there’s not much that you can do to prepare for this eventuality, just be aware that it is a possibility and familiarise yourself with evacuation protocols as relevant.
Language spoken in Chile
The national language of Chile is Spanish and, although this is quite different to European Spanish in reality, a few words of Spanish go a long way. Whilst there were some places in the Chilean Lake District where English was not widely spoken (for example, Melipeuco), people were keen to talk to us and with some gesticulation and use of Google Translate, we got by and had warm, memorable encounters.
Currency used in Chile
The currency of Chile is the Chilean Pesos (CPS). We mainly paid using cards, but it was good to have a supply of Chilean Pesos for tips, taxis, road tolls and small purchases from local shops.
US Dollars are also accepted in some places so if you have any hanging around at home, you might be able to use them on your trip.
After your trip
Whilst in Chile, we used the Journi App to record are journey as a photo diary with notes. We were able to share this with our family members back home so they could see what we were up to. Then, back in the UK, it was easy to turn the diary into a physical photo album through the Journi App. Tip – wait for Sale Codes before you purchase.
Final thoughts...
We left Chile with a very full heart, having fallen for the stunning landscapes and friendly people. The Chilean Lake District was perfect for a road trip with manageable driving distances and good accommodation options. Whilst it wasn’t a particularly challenging road trip, it was incredibly rewarding, and I would highly recommend it for an ‘entry level’ Chile trip.
The views ranged from rolling farmland to trees, mountains and volcanoes. At times it was reminiscent of Switzerland with snow-capped peaks in the distance, until we remembered we were hanging out with active volcanos. At other times, it was clear that we were in South America with fantastic Chilean food, Spanish chatter and woven crafts.
Once you’ve fallen in love with the country, you’ll most likely want to return to travel further south into Patagonia or visit the Atacama Desert in the north.
¡Vamos!
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Enjoy your travels!
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