Los Lagos is a region in Southern Chile where ski resorts, hot springs and recreational fishing draw visitors. Known as the lake district of Chile, the region hosts Monte Verde, one of the oldest archaeological sites of the Americas.

Cities

• 1 Frutillar – especially Frutillar Bajo, a popular tourist destination due to its German history and nearby Osorno vulcano
• 2 Puerto Varas – famous for its German traditions, and scenic location close to mountains, lakes, forests and national parks
• 3 Puerto Montt – not that touristy, more a busy working city, but gateway for trips to the nearby Alerce Andino National Park and Hornopirén further south

Other destinations

• 1 Cochamó Valley – its stunning landscape is a draw for hikers

Understand

The largest indigenous group of the region are the Huilliche who lived in the area before the arrival of the Spanish. The Spanish crown settled Chiloé Archipelago in 1567, while the rest of the region begun to be slowly colonized by non-indigenous people only in the late 18th century. In the 1850s, Germans arrived to colonize the shores of Llanquihue Lake under a Chilean state-sponsored program.

Los Lagos Region economy is dominated by the service sector but based in fishing, salmon aquaculture, forestry and cattle farming.

Get in

El Tepual Airport

El Tepual Airport lies a few miles west of Puerto Montt and Cañal Bajo Carlos Hott Siebert Airport a few miles east of Osorno. Also east of Osorno, the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass is a major mountain pass across the Andes to Argentina via Route 215.

Get around

The main road networks in the region are:

• R5 Panamericana – Route 5 connects the region from the Pilmaiquén River (San Pablo) to the city of Quellón. It is interrupted by the Chacao channel.
• R7 Carretera Austral – The Carretera Austral begins in this region, it connects the city of Puerto Montt with the commune of Chaitén. This route continues to the south in the Aysén Region.
• R215 Osorno-Puyehue-Argentina – Route 215 connects the Cardenal Samoré Border Crossing with the city of Osorno.

Do

Petrohué River and Osorno Volcano

Los Lagos Region is characterized by its abundant nature and by the large number of protected wild areas (both public and private).

Activities such as rural tourism, fly fishing, bird watching, as well as flora and fauna in general, as well as other important adventure sports such as rafting or kayaking, stand out, two activities that gather worldwide interest. thanks to the quality of its rivers and lakes. Thus, the natural resources that base tourism are the great source of attraction that this territory has as a tourist destination for short and long-distance tourists, where the offer is increasingly varied and of better quality, being oriented to philosophies for tourism. in wild areas in harmony with nature and their communities (such as ecotourism).

Eat

The gastronomic cultural heritage of Los Lagos has a strong connection to fishing, agriculture, livestock. Also added to the region's own gastronomy is the cultural mix brought by the arrival of migrants, thus enriching the local heritage in this area.

Some of the most representative dishes from Chiloé and the neighboring areas in Llanquihue and Palena are:

• Curanto en hoyo – a traditional method of cooking food originating in the Chiloé archipelago, and that uses hot stones in a hole that is covered with pangue leaves and sod. Seafood and potatoes are the base to which other foods can be added.
• Milcao – a kind of potato bread
• Cancato – roasted fish
• Chochoca – potatoes grated raw, squeezed and mixed with cooked potatoes then roasted over the fire
• Mella de papa
• Mazamorra de manzana
• Cazuela chilota (Chiloe casserole)
• Tortilla de papa (potato omelette)
• Pan con chicharrones (bread with pork rinds)

Go next

• Los Ríos
• Chiloé Island