Mountains and waterfalls – two of my most favorite travel destinations, and now I could see both in Chile with a small group of five plus a local guide. What could be better!
The afternoon before, I had caught glimpses of some of the 200 volcanoes that are within the Andes Mountain range, the range that forms the border here between Chile and Argentina. We traveled along a section of the Chilean seacoast, part of the time viewing it from the 9th deck of the ship, near the smoke stack, where not many passengers go.
Early on the morning of February 8, we walked down the ship’s gangplank and entered the port terminal of Puerto Montt to go through an inspection by the Chilean authorities. Chile has strict prohibitions about taking food or beverages into the country, so we and our bags were checked. We easily located our “Tours by Locals” driver who led us to a comfortable van and our driver for the day.
As we traveled through Puerto Montt, our guide shared that this town was the “Salmon Capitol of Chile”, and that the export of salmon, cooper, and lithium was the economic engine of this region. It is also the gateway to Vincente Perez Rosales National Park, with its snow-capped volcanoes and glacial lakes, our destination for the day.
The driver expertly navigated the twisty, winding, “no guard-rail” road from one of the entrances of the park, up the slope of Osorno Volcano. Periodically, through the trees, I could see the volcano showing off its snow cap. It seemed strange that we were actually driving on the base of the 8,700-foot volcano, and yet its summit seemed far away.
We stopped at a small ski resort, elevation 4,500 feet, and I spent 20 minutes walking as far as I could up the slope to the fields of volcanic ash. This volcano, now dormant, last erupted in 1869. The ash on its slopes is actually from the nearby Calbuco Volcano which erupted in 1972 and again in 2015.
I turned around, and with my back to the volcano, gasped as I saw the panoramic view. My eyes saw more than the photo shows. The clouds were below me, a large lake nestled in the valley, and Calbuco Volcano stood like a sentinel on the other side. I stood there in the quietness for quite some time, alone with my thoughts.
Overwhelmed with the beauty, I suddenly missed John, and there was this ache inside because I wanted him with me enjoying this display of God’s creation.
On the trip down the volcano, we stopped at a viewing point, and again, the clouds were below us. The area by the viewing fence was covered with vibrant red flowers, Magellanic Fuchsia, native to the lower sections of South America.
And, nestled in between those native fuchsia plants? Dandelions! How did they get from my lawn to way up here in Chile!!
How delighted I was that our trip would include seeing the Petrohue Falls. At home, as part of my pre-trip studies, I had seen videos of this series of rapids and falls cascading through the dark basalt rocks of this volcanic area. Now I could spend an hour hiking the paths, seeing the various river sections, and listening to all the sounds that rushing waters make.
The blackness of the volcanic rocks formed when lava cooled, the brilliant blue of the sky, the white foam of the rapids, the turquoise river water, the snow-capped Osorno volcano standing majestically in the distance – what a treat for my eyes!
With my niece’s encouragement, I hiked downstream from the falls, over a packed-dirt path, down some weather-worn, wooden stairs to discover a lagoon surrounded by trees and rocks.
Further along the river, by a scenic overview, was this sign, Area of Contemplation — A good reminder to take time to reflect and listen. So I did!
The last stop on our hike was along a series of cascading rapids with water churning as it tumbled over the underground rocks. I carefully walked part-way over the muddy, rocky bank so I would have proof of my adventure!
As we left the national park with its volcanos and waterfalls, our guide told us about a 1960 event in this area that I didn’t remember – the strongest earthquake ever recorded in history, 9.6 magnitude, on May 22. Its epicenter was 125 miles from where we were in Chile, and the quake lasted 10 minutes. Rivers changed their courses, and the resulting tsunami affected not only Chile’s coastline (82-foot waves) but also Hawaii (35-foot waves) and coastal shores across the Pacific. The damage in lives lost and towns destroyed was catastrophic.
We ended the tour with a brief stop in the nearby town of Puerto Varas, City of Roses, located on the shores of Lake Llanquihue which I had seen from up on Osorno Volcano earlier in the day. This town was settled in the mid-1800s by German immigrants recruited by the Chilean government to colonize the area. Germans were eager to leave the wars in Europe, and brought their skills to this place where they were allocated portions of land. German influence is still visible in the architecture and customs of the town.
As always, some crew members of the Volendam were waiting for us at the dock with glasses of water and cheery hellos as we boarded the tenders to return to our ship.
What a delightful day enjoying Chile’s picturesque “Land of Lakes”, staring Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Falls!
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