Cycling the Lake District of Chile & Argentina

Travellers on our group flights will arrive to Puerto Montt airport today

after connecting in Santiago de Chile. There will be a group transfer from

the airport to our start hotel in the nearby town of Puerto Varas. For those

people who have booked Land Only and made their own travel arrangements, you

are welcome to meet the group transfer should you wish (and have informed us

in advance) otherwise the meeting point is at the start hotel in Puerto Varas

anytime in the afternoon/evening.

Our Lake District cycling adventure starts off today in scenic fashion as we

navigate clockwise around the shore of Lago Llanquihue (the third biggest

lake in South America) and stretch our legs for the more challenging days

ahead. From the lakeside road we will enjoy spectacular views of the

volcanoes and the Andean mountain range that lie just to the east. Volcanoes

Osorno (2652m), Puntiagudo (2190m), Tronador (3451m), Puyehue (2240m) and

Calbuco (2015m) are all visible on a clear day. We’ll cycle to the

picturesque lakeside village of Frutillar, a German influenced settlement

which is home to the modern 'Teatro del Lago' theatre. The ride ends here and

after lunch we’ll transfer back to Puerto Varas. 



/Today's ride will be mostly paved. (30 km paved and 4 km unpaved)/

We follow the shoreline of Lago Llanquihue once more today but in an easterly

direction past Puerto Chico and Ensenada, straight towards the imposing

Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes. Gateway to the Andean Lakes, our journey from

here across the mountain range takes us in to more remote and spectacular

environments. We cycle onwards, following the banks of the emerald coloured

Rio Petrohue towards the 'Saltos de Petrohue' waterfalls. Upon reaching 'Lago

Todos los Santos' we are greeted by a beautiful setting and we'll swap our

mode of transport in order to board an exclusive private catamaran ferry.

Cruising across the lake is a wonderful and peaceful experience as we keep

our eyes peeled for Andean condors flying overhead (journey time approx.

1.5/2 hours). 



/Today’s ride will all be paved. It will consist of approx. 45 km on flat

terrain and a climb for the last 15 km./

After breakfast we start cycling towards the Argentinian border which

involves riding 20km with a steady incline before taking on a challenging

climb (approx. 700m over 7.5km) to reach the frontier. There is then a short

descent into Puerto Frias. Depending on how the weather has been in the

proceeding days, the unpaved mountain roads can either be well compacted or

sometimes loose and dusty. The final leg of today’s iconic journey across

the Andes is a short ferry crossing on Lago Frias followed by a 3km ride to

your hotel in Puerto Blest.



/Today is the most challenging day. 31 km unpaved. The border crossing

involves a long steep climb on gravel followed by a fast downhill section./

Puerto Blest is situated on the westernmost point of Lago Nahuel Huapi and

from here we board a catamaran to take us to Puerto Pañuelo. Instead of

cycling directly towards Bariloche, we will take a scenic route on a paved

road that loops around via Punto Panoramico to enjoy an awe-inspiring view of

the Argentinian Lake District. As we approach Bariloche we will board the bus

for a short transfer (approx. 20 minutes), linking up with the lakeside main

road.



/Today’s ride will be 15 km paved and 9 km unpaved. /

After several days of travelling, today is a free day allowing a well-earned

chance to relax and take in the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District.

You may wish to take a look around the centre of Bariloche, a ski and

adventure sports hub with numerous chocolate shops. There are plenty of

adventurous activities available should you wish to indulge, such as guided

‘stand up rafting’ on Rio Limay, or the opportunity to independently trek

up Mount Campanario to enjoy beautiful views from the summit. 

After breakfast we’ll transfer for approx. 1.5 hours around the northern

edge of Lago Nahuel Huapi to bypass the busy Bariloche traffic and reach the

starting point for another spectacular cycling route. The 'Camino de los

Siete Lagos' (Seven Lakes Road) is an incredibly scenic route that winds its

way northwards past lakes and forests connecting the alpine towns of San

Carlos de Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes. Depending upon the exact

start point, today involves us riding a total distance of around 52km through

spectacular and rewarding landscapes. We will break the ride up with a

lunchtime picnic stop and should therefore arrive in San Martin de los Andes

in the afternoon. Entering the picturesque small town of San Martin involves

a wonderful approach along the shore of Lago Lacar. 



/Today will be all paved. The last 17 km is a fast downhill section. /

After breakfast we will say goodbye to Argentina and cross back into Chile

via the Huahum Pass. We will have a short transfer to the border before we

start cycling up to Pirihueico Port, crossing the Huilo Huilo Biological

Reserve. We will make a stop for coffee and lunch at the port. From here we

will take a barge (boat) that will sail us to Port Fuy, (approx 1.5hours).

From here we will cycle to the village of Choshuenco.



/Today’s ride will be 21 km paved and 13 km unpaved gravel. It will mostly

be downhill. /

Today we start the day by cycling to Panguipulli Village. Here we will have

lunch before a transfer Pucón Town (approx. 1 hour). We will stay in a

dowtown hotel, located by the feet of Villarrica Volcano (2840 m). 



/Today will all be paved. During high season there may be more traffic than

usual in this area./



*Accommodation: Alpes Apart Hotel (or similar)*

Today is at leisure for you to choose from doing organised activities or

having some time out. There are numerous nearby hot springs (termas) and spas

in this part of Chile meaning Pucon is the perfect place to soothe away any

bike-induced aches and pains! Your tour leader will be able to advise which

local agencies to use depending upon what you would like to do. There is also

a nice beach in Pucon just a short walk from the hotel, and there are lots of

restaurants and bars to choose from.



Should the local conditions permit then today is the perfect opportunity to

climb to the crater of a live volcano! Villarrica Volcano (2840m) is situated

just outside of the town and most recently erupted in March 2015. Obviously,

this activity comes with its risks and so the local tour company will only

take groups if the conditions are totally safe. All equipment can be rented,

meaning that you only need to bring your own waterproof walking trousers. The

early morning ascent takes around 4 hours and involves wearing crampons to

cross a glacier before a memorable and unique descent after reaching the

crater (this isn’t for the faint hearted!). Depending upon the amount of

snow at the summit, the normal way of getting down the volcano is to sledge

down a specially crafted series of compacted snow and ice channels. This is a

special experience from start to finish but should only be undertaken if

aware of the challenges.



If you wish to cycle today then you can take your bike out and the tour

leader will recommend some routes.

Departing Pucon, we transfer northwards after breakfast to the town of Cunco.

From here the cycling starts with a 33km stretch of paved road towards

Conguillio National Park, stopping for lunch in Melipeuco. Shortly afterwards

is the turn off to enter the national park where the road eventually becomes

unpaved and dusty in places. From the entrance we will take a short walk to

the Truful Truful waterfall. Afterwards we will carry on cycling for 7km

until we reach our accommodation for the night.



The scenes that we encounter today are vastly different from the rest of the

tour. Clouds rise up from surrounding valleys and quickly change form whilst

passing over the volcanic lava. Llaima Volcano (3125m) dominates the skyline

and we spend the night in a remote and charming eco-lodge. The property

restricts energy use as part of its self-sufficiency, meaning that

electricity and hot water are not available during the night.



/Today’s ride will be 45 km paved and 6 km unpaved gravel. /

It is our last day of cycling today as we continue riding further within

Conguillio N.P. and see several beautiful lagoons (Laguna Arco Iris, Laguna

Verde) and Conguillo Lake. We will also visit the parks interpretation centre

in order to find out about how the park was formed. (Please note that this

may not be possible as sometimes the centre is closed during our visit). We

will then walk for an hour through the native forest to see ancient

monkey-puzzle trees. Tonight will be the last evening all together with group

and staff, so it is the perfect opportunity for a last meal and drinks to

look back on what will have surely been a fantastic journey.



/Today will be a loop ride which will all be unpaved gravel. The way out will

be mostly going uphill and the return will be mostly downhill./

Our adventure ends this morning after breakfast. In the afternoon those on

the group flight will be transferred to Temuco airport for their evening

flight. Land only bookings can join this transfer if flight timings are

similar to the group flight timings (please see the Transfer Details section

below).  Please note that the accommodation inside Conguillo National Park

is in a very remote location and not close to the city of Temuco.