The Lakes District and Sur Chico

From Chiloé we went north to the Lakes District. The Lakes District is known for glacial lakes that dot a the area and for the snowcapped volcanoes that tower over them.

Osorno Volcano

Volcan Osorno has a near perfect conical peak thanks to the 40 plus craters around its base, where the eruptions have taken place. We drove to the parking lot of a ski lift and spent the evening exploring the area and enjoying a gorgeous sunset over Lago Llanquihue.

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Antillanca and Casablanca Volcano

From Osorno we headed to the ski resort Antillanca. based on the recommendation of friends and fellow vanners Samwell and Berber. Once at the ski resort we followed the service roads as they whined passed ski lefts and trails, until we eventually came to a dead end near the top of one of the mountains. We spent the night hear and during that time we enjoy one of the best sunsets we have ever seen! The next morning we were treated to a pretty incredible sunrise as well!

After watching the sunrise we set off to summit Volcano Casablanca. The hike took us down through a crater that was littered with volcano rocks and lava tubes. Soon the large rocks gave way to gravel and we ascended to the top switching back and forth all the way up. Once at the top we were treated to 360 degree views of mountain peaks and volcanos! We were also standing above a hanging glacier which went down the other side of Casablanca! At the top there was a small steel structure where people had left notes and offerings. Luke Skywalker was there to watch over everything.

On our way out of the area we stopped in Puyehue National Park and spent a few days relaxing at a hot spring.

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Pucón

Pucón is one of Chile's main adventure destinations, which made it a great base for us to use to explore the surrounding area.

Huerquehue National Park

We spent our first few days in the area at Huerquehue National Park and did the Las Lagos Trail. This hike took us on a beautiful trail that passed waterfalls and lakes of various sizes and shapes.

Hydrospeeding

While in Pucón we HAD to try out Hyrdospeeding! What is Hyrdospeeding you may ask!? Well you take a modified boogie board and then go down a series of Class I - III rapids! After spending some time going over the safety information and learning how to steer and roll if we were to flip, we hit the water! We started with a few Class I rapids to make sure everyone was comfortable on the boards. As we made our way down the river the rapids progressively got bigger unit we finally hit a few Class III rapids! As we made our way into each rapid we tried our best to follow the line of the guide so that we avoided the rocks in the river. As we hit the waves we tucked in and attacked it!

Villarrica Volcano

Villarrica is the most active volcano in Chile. It last erupted in 2015 where it laid waste to a small town at its base. Today the activity is monitored closely to make sure it is safe for people to summit it. Our summit trip started at 6am with a short van ride to the base of a ski lift, from there we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise as we road the lift up a section. The first part of the hike took us across loose volcanic rock as we climbed our way to the base of the snow line. Along the way we passed the ruins of ski lifts that the last eruption and destroyed.

Once we reached the snow line we put on crampons and continued our ascent up the ice and snow. As we reached the last and steepest section of ice we had to constantly be aware as rocks from above could come hurtling down. Once we were above the ice we removed our crampons and grabbed gas masks for the final push. As we made our way closer to the rim of the volcano we could smell the changes, and then suddenly out of not where the smell of sulfur become over whelming and we both started coughing. That was our signal to put on the gas masks. Once at the top we were able to look down into the volcano. Unfortunately for us there was no lava activity this time, we did however get to see the gases rising from within!

We had to slowly and carefully maneuver our way down, and because we had to borrow boots from the company, Tiffany ended up getting some nasty blisters on her feet!

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Conguillío National Park

Conguillío National Park surrounds Volcán Llaima, one of Chile's most active volcanoes. The park was created to preserve the araucaria (monkey puzzle tree) and a series of alpine lakes, canyons, and native forests.

As soon as we entered the park we felt like we had entered another world. It was like being in the lost world! Most of the park is covered in volcano rocks of all different shapes and sizes. No matter where you were in the park you were treated to views of Volcán Llaima.

While in the park Tobias did the Sierra Nevada hike, which gradually climbed up part of the Sierra Nevada volcano and offered stunning views of the park. Tiffany's blisters were still raw so she did the first part of the hike, then turned back early and spent the day by the lake.

After we returned to the van, we realized we left the lights on! We cracked opened a bottle of wine, made a snack, and waited for the next hikers to return to the parking lot to give us a jump.

This park was one of our favorites as it had amazing views and a peaceful place to park the van.