The Cruce Andino lake crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche – a page from my Travel Journal
Puerto Montt lies about halfway between Punta Arenas and Santiago, and is the gateway to the Lake District, a beautiful region of crystal-clear, emerald lakes and magnificent snow-capped volcanos. I arrived there in the morning, then took a taxi to Puerto Varas (map), about 20 km north of Puerto Montt. The plan was to continue across the Andes lakes from Puerto Varas to Bariloche, crossing from Chile to Argentina by bus and boat, a tour also known as the Cruce Andino.
The countryside here is significantly different from the steppe-like south; it’s hilly and very green, with some beautiful forests. Some of the hills were completely blanketed in Scottish broom that were in full bloom, giving entire hillsides a bright yellow cover.
Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas is a quaint town right on the shores of Lake Llanquehue (pronounced as ‘jean [as in French]-kway-way’) and looks across to the stunning Mt. Osorno, a Mt. Fuji-like volcano, on the far side of the lake. The town was founded by German immigrants and that’s pretty evident in the architecture and the numerous German names all over town. It was a pretty cloudy day with occasional showers – guess I’ve run out of ‘good weather’ luck. Bit of a shame as I couldn’t see the volcanoes, just a bit past the snowline while the peaks were completely shrouded in thick clouds.
Puerto Varas is a resort town with many hotels (built almost exclusively in Swiss/German alpine style) that offer gorgeous views of the lake. That evening, I went for dinner at a lovely restaurant called Living. I had a beautiful view of the lake while I enjoyed the salmon and leg of lamb and a bottle of Montes Alpha Merlot. This estate churns out some exquisite reds – I’ve tried the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Camenere and they’re all absolutely divine. If you see this label in your local wine shop, don’t hesitate!
Tours from Puerto Varas
The Cruce Andino Lake Crossing Tour
The Puerto Varas to Bariloche Cruce Andino lake crossing tour started early the next day. This is a very popular tour in this region. It starts in Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas and takes you through the Andes by a combination of boat and bus and ends in Bariloche, Argentina. I chose the version that stops for the night in Peulla, a hamlet in the heart of the Andes.
We left Puerto Varas by coach and headed east to Petrohue. We managed to catch a glimpse of the conical peak of Mt. Osorno as the clouds lifted for, literally, a few minutes. I showed others the photos I took from the plane when I flew from Santiago to Punta Arenas on that clear day to give them an idea of what it looks like on a cloudless day! Along the way, we stopped at the Petrohue waterfall at the foot of Mt. Osorno. The falls were rather impressive and the colour, a deep emerald, was stunning. A lot of the rivers and lakes in this region have that same colour (in varying degrees) as the water originates from the glaciers which carry heaps of minerals with them from the mountains. The minerals, especially copper, give the water this beautiful colour.
Read about the best places to visit in Chile
From Petrohue, we boarded a boat which took us on a two-hour trip through the beautiful Lago Todos Los Santos (All Saints Lake). It would have been an awesome boat ride had it not been for the poor weather. The lake should’ve been a bright emerald, instead it was grey, and the surrounding mountains were all hidden behind clouds. The guide showed us pictures instead (!) of the lake and the four massive volcanoes that rise steeply from its shores. Oh well!
Peulla
We arrived in Peulla just in time for lunch. Peulla is nothing more than two hotels, a few houses and a pier! Its location though is just spectacular, with the reed-filled lake, beautiful rivers and waterfalls, and the imposing snow-capped mountains right at its doorstep. I guess being out here, right in the middle of the Andes mountains, made us feel adventurous so we decided to go zip-lining through the forest canopy. I’m usually fearful of great heights so I was quite hesitant but I went along and did it anyway. I was joined by an American couple and the guide strapped us up with safety lines, hooks, helmets, gloves and the trolley.
Funny how fear has us in its grip in so many ways
The first was easy enough. The second was quite scary as the distance between the two platforms was about 80 meters and there was a considerable descent, which meant a greater speed.
I was close to trembling and I told myself to relax, assured myself that it was totally safe. The guide gave me the signal to go and I lifted my feet off the platform and away I went. Strangely enough, it wasn’t panic that swept over me, it was pure exhilaration. This is fantastic, I thought. I didn’t brake so I zipped down at a tremendous speed, only slowing down when I neared the platform. Loved it! We went from platform to platform eight times and it was awesome! Funny how fear has us in its grip in so many ways but when we let it go for just a bit and explore that unknown, we then realise how silly we were to harbour that particular fear in the first place.
An extraordinary dining experience
I had a rather extraordinary experience at dinner that evening. I sat down across from an elderly American couple (in their early-80’s) that shared a table with a Spaniard who spoke no English. Since the couple didn’t speak any Spanish, the lady told the Spaniard, “why don’t you talk and I’ll just nod my head and smile”!! She was hilarious! They had some trouble ordering so I helped them with the translations (me translating Spanish?! Haha! I may not speak the language but I know my food and wines!) and ordered their food and some wine.
Tired of the arduous conversation at their table, they soon turned around to my table and a cross-table conversation began. Then another couple (from Colombia) sat down and they joined in the conversation, and then two other couples (from Brazil) joined in later, and soon we had a conversation across five tables! Everyone had to speak up as the tables were about a meter or two apart!
It was a lively, boisterous, evening which we enjoyed tremendously. The elderly American couple were going to attempt the canopy ziplines the next day (I admire their determination) and we shared our experience with them. As we left, they got up, gave us a big hug and the lady said to us (laden in her heavy New York accent),”I don’t know much about you but I love you to bits already”. Now isn’t that sweet! 🙂
Continuing to Bariloche
The next day, we hopped onto a bus and continued on our lake crossing tour. We left Peulla behind us and continued deeper into the Andes mountains. The scenery was spectacular.
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We drove past the dense temperate rainforest (one of the few places on Earth with temperate rainforests) and past waterfalls and gushing rivers. The Chile-Argentina border was at the top of the mountain pass and the Brazilians clambered out of the bus and were thrilled to see patches of snow.
We arrived at Lago Frias (another stunning lake) and from here, we took a boat to Puerto Alegre. The weather on this side of the Andes was a lot better and we could start to see the true colour of the lake and the imposing mountains around us.
We then continued by boat to Puerto Panuelo, stopping at some impressive waterfalls along the way. The boat ride to Puerto Panuelo on Lago Nahuel Huapi offered us a magnificent vista of the huge forest-clad mountains. We arrived in Puerto Panuelo an hour later and a bus was there to take us on the last 25 km on this lake crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche.
Bariloche
Bariloche is a popular ski resort in the winter. Its location, on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi and backed by the Andes mountains, is just breathtaking. The town itself is a bit of a jumble, kitschy in places; there are lots of restaurants, shops and hotels. In addition to the spectacular views, Bariloche (map) is famous for its alpine architecture and chocolates – there’s a thriving chocolate industry here. I had some but wasn’t too impressed. Guess you wouldn’t be if you lived next door to Belgium, in my book, the true chocolate country!
I stayed at Villa Huinid, a hotel with brilliant views of the lake and the mountains. The view from my room window was really like a postcard!
I spent four wonderful days in Bariloche just absorbing the magnificent views and reflecting on the spectacular Puerto Varas to Bariloche lake crossing. Simply enchanting! 🙂
Read about my great laundry adventure in Bariloche.
Hi Annmarie,
Thanks so much for your comment and for correcting me. I’ve edited the text to reflect this.
Best regards,
Keith
Hi I’m enjoying your blog very much, thank you for writing about your travels.
I just wanted to mention that your statement “ We drove past the dense temperate rainforest (only one of two places on Earth with temperate rainforests; here and in Washington state)”,
is not correct.
In Australia we have both warm-temperate rainforests growing in New South Wales and Victoria, and cool-temperate rainforests are found in Victoria and Tasmania and in small areas at high altitude in New South Wales and Queensland. In particular the Tarkine is the greatest expanse of cool, temperate rainforest in Australia and one of the largest expanses in the world. Located in the remote northwest of Tasmania, apparently the Tarkine can claim to have the world’s cleanest air and water. Sadly it is under threat from logging at the moment.
There are at least 19 other temperate rainforests globally.
[…] Read about an Andes crossing by boat! […]
Hi Anna,
I booked via VisitChile.com but there are other operators that provide this tour as well.
Kind regards,
Keith
Can you tell me with what tour company did you book?
Hi,
I did this trip in 2008 and at the time I paid USD 240 for a 2-day/1 night trip, including accommodation in Peulla. I imagine the prices are higher now.
Hope this helps.
Keith
what was the cost of this trip?
[…] arrived in BA for the first time from Bariloche and checked into a wonderfully hip place called Mine Boutique Hotel in Palermo Soho, a very vibrant […]
What a trip down memory lane! My husband, 2 kids & I took this trip back in 1989. We loved it! Unfortunately, our photos and videos were stolen on the way home so we have only our memories but they are wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Haha, not sure but it’s pretty long. The other Travel Journal post ‘A Desert Full of Wonders‘ is pretty long too!
Thanks for your comment Mei! 🙂
Cheers,
Keith
wowee.. this has got to be your longest post ever.. is it? it’s really excellent, what you experienced. I think I will be totally stupefied by the beauty of the Andes once I see it up close and personal.. hope that day is not in the too distant future!
Great post keith!
What an amazing adventure, your writing and pictures bring it all to life!