Puerto Varas, Chile

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Llanquihue lake and Osorno volcano, Puerto Varas

Lakeside at night

Landscape

Puerto Varas is a town located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region. The city is well known for its German traditions, its food, its fish and seafood, the natural environment, its casino and 4 star hotels.

Only 20 km from Puerto Montt, located on the shore of the Lake Llanquihue, one of the largest natural lakes in South America. The perfect cone of Osorno volcano and the snowcapped peaks of Mt. Calbuco and Mt. Tronador are clearly visible from the lakefront. On the western shore of Llanquihue Lake are the tourist localities of Puerto Octay, Frutillar and Llanquihue.

The city of Puerto Varas, also known as “the city of roses”, was founded in 1854 by Vicente Pérez Rosales. The city is named after Antonio Varas, minister of the interior during the presidency of Manuel Montt, when the city was founded. The Montt administration offered lands around lake Llanquihue for mostly German speaking Europeans to settle and farm those lands. Puerto Varas was founded as the main port on the lake, connected by road to the nearest seaport, Puerto Montt. This homsteading program continued through the remainder of the 19th century.

The great growth of Puerto Montt (20 km south by highway), has spurred growth of Puerto Varas as a residential town and an important tourist destination. Puerto Varas now has an excellent hotel infrastructure, wide variety of restaurants, cultural events, in addition to being the departure point for fascinating tourist attractions in surroundings of dramatic geography turning it into the tourist capital of the Lakes Region.