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Today was overcast with intermittent rainfall. The clouds didn't lift all day, so we did not see the peak of Osorno. Our plan was to explore Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales. I was hoping that the weather would improve as the day went on, but the clouds did not cooperate. We drove out to the Volcan Osorno. A winding road leads up the mountain to a high station on the volcano slopes. This road isn't too bad - it is paved all the way, and it is easy enough that tour buses can climb all the way to the parking lot. There were a couple of view points on the way up, but when we reached the ranger station at the top, everything was enveloped in clouds. Even worse was the wind - a strong steady wind lifted up the volcanic sands and blasted them in the face of all the visitors. I originally thought that we might do the hike up to the Estación glacier - even if the clouds prevented us from seeing the peak, we might at least hike up to see the glacier - but the flying sand particles made me realize that hiking in those conditions would not be fun. We drove back down, out of the clouds. We saw a rainbow on the way down. We drove up to see Los Cascades waterfall. This was reached after driving 3 km down a dirt road. From the parking lot, the waterfall was reached by hiking another couple km. We carried our umbrellas as we walked, because drizzles of rain fell intermittently. The waterfall is in a canyon filled with lush vegetation. There are giant ferns growing on the steep canyon walls, and huge trees on the floor of the canyon. It looked like an area that received a lot of rainfall. The waterfall itself is a nice spectacle - a falling torrent of water with about a 20 meter drop. It is a nice view, and popular stopping point for tourists. We drove to the Saltos del Petrohue. This is a torrent of water that empties from Lago Todos Los Santos and forms the Rio Petrohue. The water cuts through volcanic rocks that flowed from Osorno during an eruption. At one point in time, Lagos Todos Los Santos and Lago Llanquihue together formed one giant lake at the base of Osorno. But a large eruption from Osorno desposited a pile of rocks between them, forming two distinct lakes. When we arrived at the Saltos del Petrohue, the water pouring through the falls was a beautiful blue color. But a burst of rainfall carried silt into the water, turning it a muddy clay color. The main highlight at Saltos del Petrohue is the beautiful falls, although they are not tall, a lot of water pours through them. A short trail from the falls leads down to the river's edge, and also to a small lake that is a deep emerald color. Back in Puerto Varas in late afternoon, we made arrangements to do a sea kayak trip on Monday. Then we walked over to Alessandros for a pizza dinner, the first of many evenings where we had pizza for dinner. To walk off our dinner, we strolled around Puerto Varas, including a short visit to the Cathedral. When we got up close to the Cathedral, we could see it needed a lot of repair work on the outer walls. Panorama Photos
MapsThis map shows Puerto Varas and the places that we visited in Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales: the Osorno volcano, Los Cascades and the Saltos del Petrohue
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Click on any thumbnail to begin the slide show at that photograph Nacional Parque Vicente Pérez Rosales Photos
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