A cruise is an incredible and beautiful experience, ideal for those moments when we need to relax and find ourselves, and can be done alone or with special people.
Sometimes, the stops are long and nauseating for some people. Of course, there are those who prefer to continue to rest at these times, but if you want to venture into the region of Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas, in Chile, when your cruise stops there, this is the ideal article for you, with an itinerary of a drive with approximately 5 hours and seven stops you won’t regret!
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How to Rent a Car in Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas
Leaving from Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas, it is possible to rent a car to follow this route.
In the age of technology, it is easy to find the cheapest or ideal car rental for you, through companies that offer online quote and rental service, where you can pick up the car at the city airport or at some branch within the city, depending on your choice.
So, we recommend that you check in advance the seven best and cheapest websites to rent a car in Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas, Chile.
By budgeting in advance, you may want to see if it’s more affordable to rent in Puerto Montt, where your cruise will likely stop, or take a bus to Puerto Varas, a trip that takes approximately 30 minutes, and rent a car from there.
To summarize, the five car rental sites we recommend the most are:
It’s important that you get a budget from everyone to see which will be the most affordable for your itinerary, as the prices of each rental company can vary depending on the time of year.
If you don’t want to rent a car, it is also possible to hire a tour guide or day trip to accompany you on this itinerary. On the internet there are also many great options for this, where you can make budgets quickly and simply.
If your goal is to save money, try to budget how much you would spend on a car rental plus the cost of gasoline and compare it with the prices of tour companies. In the end, this is an extremely individual choice and I’m sure your experience in the Puerto Montt region will be amazing no matter how you go about it.
7 Best Attractions to Visit in 1 Day in the Puerto Varas Region, Chile
Being vast in natural beauties and jaw-dropping attractions, the Andean Lakes Region is well known by tourists who want to go to Chile, being located around Lake Llanquihue and Lago de los Santos, the third largest natural lake in South America and the second largest lake in Chile.
If your cruise is passing through the place, you won’t miss the opportunity to visit these beautiful places. Then check out our one-day itinerary for the Puerto Montt Region:
1. Puerto Varas
If you are leaving from Puerto Montt, the city of Puerto Varas is a stopover option that you can enjoy.
The city’s history has more than 110 years of tradition, being known by Chileans as “the city of roses”, as it is always in bloom and adorned with the beauty of rose bushes. Those who love flowers will be enchanted by the place.
From historical museums to trails and waterfalls, you won’t get bored during your stop in Puerto Varas. The boardwalk will fill your eyes with the beautiful view and I’m sure it will be impossible not to pull your camera out to photograph the beautiful landscapes.
2. Petrohué Waterfalls
The Petrohué Falls are a must, with a beautiful view of the mountain and its waters. The site is approximately 31 miles from Puerto Varas and is within the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, created in 1926 and the oldest in Chile. It is also important to remember that entrance to the Park costs six thousand Chilean pesos.
Originally, the area of the falls was just one large lake, which was split in two after many eruptions of nearby volcanoes, forming Lake Llanquihue and Lago de Todos los Santos.
Formed over 600 years ago, the falls receive around 600,000 visitors every year.
3. Petrohué
If you are already visiting the Petrohué Falls, why not walk a little further and go to the city of Petrohué?
The place has free parking and has wonderful snowy mountains and beautiful landscapes to admire.
There you will be able to contemplate the Port of Petrohué or, if you prefer something more historical, go to the Museo Pioneros, a small museum that tells the history of the region, its original people, the Spanish colonization and how the mixed trans-Andean route – boat and road – opened in the region.
Stopping in the city of Petrohué will definitely give you more knowledge to enjoy the entire region and the beauties it has to offer.
4. Volcán Osorno
Going around Petrohué and returning to the itinerary, the next stop is Osorno Volcano.
Known for being a symbol of the local landscape and much similar to Mount Fuji in Japan, Osorno is an active cone-type volcano that has had 11 historic eruptions between the years 1575 and 1869.
The highest parts of the volcano are almost one hundred percent covered by glaciers, even if its altitude is not as high as other Chilean mountains.
In addition to the volcano itself, the site also has a ski center, if you want and have time for such fun. Opening hours are from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, subject to weather conditions on the day. The values vary from seven thousand Chilean pesos to forty thousand Chilean pesos, depending on the package and type of adventure that the tourist chooses. Children under six years old are free and children between seven and twelve years old pay half price.
5. Las Cascadas
To be more specific, the waterfall in the village of Las Cascadas, which is off the itinerary for many people but is well worth a visit.
To get there, you need to drive a few minutes along a dirt road and then walk for about 20 minutes. That’s why many people give up or don’t even include this attraction in their itinerary, but the view from the waterfall is so beautiful and cozy, with its 50 meters high, that it would be a shame to skip it.
With just under a thousand inhabitants, according to the 2017 census, the village is a place worth visiting, even if only for a few minutes.
6. Puerto Octay
Puerto Octay is a commune located in the Province of Osorno. The commune includes several locations, such as Las Cascadas, mentioned earlier.
The place, like the rest of the list, has a beautiful view of natural landscapes. In the case of Puerto Octay, what stands out the most is the beautiful, blue lake that bathes its shores.
In addition, Puerto Octay has a beautiful cemetery at the top of the hill, which can be an unusual but very interesting tour for tourists.
7. Frutillar Bajo
This is a place of contemplation, where you will walk through natural beauties, along the shore and admire the relaxing and inspiring landscapes.
In Frutillar Bajo you can go to the bridge, to the charming bandstand and to the Teatro del Lago, which puts on artistic presentations such as songs, musicals, dances and performances. Its structure unites the traditional and the modern, with part of its construction above the sea.
Finally, after passing through all these destinations and experiencing all these beauties around the Andean Lakes, it’s time to return to Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas and return the rental car or just end the contracted tour.
Activities, Attractions and Tours in the Region of Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas
If you want to check out more possible attractions in the region or build your own itinerary based on the tips I give here, you can consult Get Your Guide or Civitatis, which are complete platforms where you can find short tours or excursions that last a whole day.
At Get Your Guide, you can see and compare different excursions in the place you want to visit, as well as dates, budgets, number of hours, services offered and reviews from other users who have already been to the same place you want to visit.
On the site, you can also apply different filters and make your search much more concise and consistent with your interests.
Civitatis has a function very similar to the previous one. In it, you can see all the excursions offered for the place you want to go, how many tourists have already been there, reviews from other travelers and a note for the place.
In addition, you can also see budgets and filter your searches.
Conclusion
This was the itinerary of seven stops in one day for those who are taking a cruise that will make a stop in Puerto Montt or are just visiting the region and are interested in undertaking these adventures.
I hope this article has been helpful in some way, and if you have any questions, comments are always welcome and we’ll try to respond as quickly as possible.