Foodies
-Mawen Chocolates- cake, hot chocolate, various types of teas
- Jackie SOMETHING- My friends raved about this chocolate place in the center, but I didn’t have time to go.
- Lots of cute chocolate/café shops.
-El Donde Gordito- visited by Anthony Bourdain and us. The avocado filled with crab and the Merluza Espanola was delicious (but it was probably because it had chorizo and red sauce).
-Café Dane’s- If you are missing American inspired food and want a healthier meal, this is the place. They also offer some Chilean food too. The Beef/Pino empanada tasted like Beef Pot Pie..mmm! Good vegetable omelet and natural juice (though it was a bit small). I don’t recommend the seafood empanada. The German desserts were good.
Sleep
-Casa Azul- This place is a couple blocks farther from the center compared to other hostels and located in a residential area. Too bad we didn’t have much time to just hang out in this very clean, Zen-like lodge. Accessing our room was an adventure in itself as we climbed up narrow steps to push a latch open into a large attic.
-Margouya II- My friends stayed at this economical clean hostel owned by a
helpful French owner. However, some of my friends were a little paranoid as they did not like the fact that it used to be an orphanage. Close to city center and couple minutes walk to see an awesome view of the volcano and lake.
Note
Transportation from airport at night: We arrived at the airport after 10pm. There were no buses to Pto Varas at this hour and very few transfer shuttles (which still go through Pto Montt first). As a last resort we took a taxi, but paid 10.000CLP instead of 15.000CLP as we shared it with another lady. The taxis are not marked on the outside. They are ordinary cars (in our case it was a Toyota Yaris) that pull up to the taxi stops and ask if you need a taxi.
TO DO
-Lots of extreme sports and sightseeing tours here
-Canyoning- For 33.000CLP, you go to Rio Blanco to slide and/or jump off various canyons and waterfalls backwards/forwards as well as rappel off a 30m waterfall. I opted not to go since my stomach was out of a sort which was ironic as I was considered to be the athletic/adventurous within the group of gals. This is a 7 hour tour from Pto. Varas for all ages.
-Kayak- You can kayak around the lake for about $12-15/hr. Rentals near the pier.
-Hike 30 minutes up to the cross that overlooks the town.
-Casino
-Artesanial shops and American brand clothing shops.
What I did:
-Self-Guided Historical Walking Tour around town (including the church). There is a detailed map outside of the visitor’s center or you can get a less comprehensive map at the visitor’s center.
-Pablo Fierro Museum- Eclectic interesting collection of antiques and scenic art by Pablo Fierro who lives there.
- Saltos del Petrohue and Lagos Todo Los Santos- We were super happy to be able to visit these on our own without having to take a guided tour. We took a bus from the center (every 30 minutes, last one leaves the Lago around 5:45 and leaves Saltos del Petrohue at 6pm BUT check before you get on so you don’t get stranded out there). You can also get off at other towns in between like Ensenada.
Expenses
Bus- 4.000 CLP R/T plus 500CLP if you get off/on at Saltos Del Petrohue.
1.2000 CLP Saltos Del Petrohue park entrance
10.000 CLP speedboat ride to waterfalls at Saltos Del Petrohue which
I didn’t do.
2.000 CLP+ Take 30 minute boat ride around Lago Todo Los Santos
Note: There is a 12 hour boat tour that you can look into that goes through all the lakes in the lake district. You can also take a multi-day excursion to get to Bariloche, Argentina.
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