Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Information

It is a protected area located in the Los Lagos region of Chilean Patagonia. It is the oldest national park in the country, created in 1926. It covers 253,780 hectares and preserves an extensive native forest of the Andes mountain range.

It is among the most visited national parks in all of Chile. Within its boundaries are impressive tourist attractions such as Todos los Santos Lake, Osorno Volcano and the famous Petrohué Waterfalls. My recommendation is to set aside at least 3 or 4 days to explore the park, as it is vast and has a lot to discover. The best time of year to visit is during the summer (December to March) when the weather is warmer or mild (without the cold of other months) and tends to be a bit drier, which makes hiking and excursions easier.

It has four sectors: Ensenada, Saltos del Petrohué, Petrohué and Peulla. All of them have infrastructure to welcome visitors and trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels:
— Ensenada, Saltos del Petrohué and Petrohué are easily accessible, as they can be reached by car via the paved Route 225 from Puerto Varas or by buses departing from the same city.
— Peulla, on the other hand, requires boarding a boat and crossing Todos los Santos Lake to get there. Check whether there is a land route from Argentina that allows entry through that sector, although it is important to find out in advance whether the road is open, whether it is advisable to use it and what condition it's in.

The city of Puerto Varas is the largest nearby town to the main park sectors (approximately 40 to 45 km away). It offers a wide range of accommodations and provides services for tourists such as fuel stations, restaurants and a great variety of shops.