Chilean Lake District & Chiloe Travel Guide

Travel to Chilean Lake District & Chiloe - Untouched wilderness, land of pioneers

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Once inhabited by the fierce Mapuche tribe, this land of temperate forests, lakes and volcanoes was only recently conquered and settled by European colonisers. Resisting the Incas, then the Spanish, it wasn’t until the Chilean army defeated them in 1883 that the Mapuche were finally subjugated.

Today in this region, known as Araucanía to the Spanish, that spans from Temuco in the north to Puerto Montt in the south sees half a million of its population claim Mapuche descent.

Much of the vast forests that covered this region were felled after the Mapuche were defeated, with German, Austrian and Swiss immigrants turning it into lush farmland. Despite this, the region is home to many national parks such as the popular Conguillío and Villarrica, where preserved tracts of forest are set among some spectacular volcanic scenery.

Further south is Puerto Montt, and from here Chile starts to break up into the islands and fjords of Chile’s Patagonia region. Not far from Puerto Montt, and adventure sports getaway Puerto Varas, is the mysterious island of Chiloé. Here a superstitious people who tell tales of supernatural beings still hold dear their old pagan beliefs but live among more than a dozen quaint UNESCO protected Catholic churches.

Chilean Lake District & Chiloe Reviews