Travel Blog » South America » Chile » Los Lagos

Los Lagos Travel Blogs

Background: Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Chile

Map of Chile

Chile's Flag

Recommended Books:

Hostels in Chile
Latest Los Lagos Blog Entries
Los Lagos Photos

By Agnès Nico
January 18th 2006

Los Angeles et l'Araucanie...

South America » Chile » Los Lagos

La region des lacs

Dimanche 15 : jour du deuxieme tour de l'election presidentielle chilienne et grasse matinee pour nous, il faut bien nous reposer des deux semaines de 'trabajos' dont nous sortons (page de blog en preparation, voir sur la page Un Techo pour avoir quelques infos essentielles). Nous avons ete accueillis par Carla, une amie rencontree pendant les chantiers. Sa maman, sa soeur et elle habitent une maison fort sympathique a Los Angeles (ce fut notre point de chute apres deux semaines perdus dans la Cordillere des Andes, sans eau courante ni electricite)... le retour a la civilisation sous [View Full Entry]

By Jessie
December 19th 2005

Trekking in the Patagonian Andes!

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

View across Lago Pehoé

It´s been a long time since I´ve had access to a computer because Nick and I flew from Santiago straight down to Punta Arenas, so that we could visit the Torres del Paine national park. It really was so stunning that I kept saying "This is so beautiful" over and over again! It had everything - HUGE glaciers, turquoise lakes, and beautiful mountains, including the eponymous ´Torres´(towers). I´m afraid that I´ve hardly got any photos on my digi camera but at least you get a vague idea of it. You´ll have to wait to see the rest when they´re printed from [View Full Entry]

By jkd
December 3rd 2005

Gringos Again

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Puerto Varas

The Church at Puenta Varas

After a four hour bus trip we arrived in Puerto Montt just as all the shops were shutting and the skies above were opening. Managed to get to Navimag just as they were closing their doors and find out that our tickets are confirmed coming back up in January, but Naviteria Austral were closed so we'll have to turn up on Monday and hope we can get a ferry down to Chaiten. Lan Chile picked today to close their offices for refurbishment. Yay us. We sheltered in McDonalds for a while to get out of the rain, then hit the stores [View Full Entry]

By jkd
December 2nd 2005

It's nothing that a few thousand dollars can't fix.

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Chonchi Church
This tower was blown over in 1999, but has been rebuilt.

We have a plan!!!! We've booked with a company called Antares Patagonia for a 10 day "Adventure Patagonia" tour through Torres Del Paine which starts on 24th December, and allows us to spend Christmas Day hiking right up to the base of the mountains with Christmas Dinner nestled in a Refugio, we spend New Years Day camped beside a lake on our second day of sea kaykaing and I believe we'll spend the first day of the new year kayaking amongst ice bergs rather than nursing a hangover. Throw in a bit of a glacier hike and it's gonna be fun [View Full Entry]

By jkd
December 1st 2005

Broken Dreams

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Cows with guns
I loved that song. Showdown at Cucao Corral ...

Just out of Cucao this morning four young guys squeezed inside a small, white, hatchback pulled up next to us. The driver wound down his window and asked: "Do you speak English?" "Yea" "Was that the National Park back there?" "Yea" "What, just the beach and stuff?" "Yep, you can walk for 20kms North and South and it won´t change". I actually got this last on the authority of a British couple we´d had dinner with last night. I hadn´t walked it myself. "That´s a disappointment then" he said, wound up his window and drove off back to the highway. I [View Full Entry]

By jkd
November 29th 2005

Could this be the end?

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Chonchi Harbour

Christie´s back on the bike. Yay!!!!! We did an easy 20km back-tracking into Castro where we spent about three hours mooching around the cafes, two hours fixing my bike (again), and then another 20kms to Chonchi where we are staying in a beaut little hostel (though it appears to be under serious reconstruction) right on the beach. Chonchi is a beautiful little fishing town (ex-pirate stronghold) which reminds me very much of what Strahan would be like without the rain and tourists, but with lots of dogs to keep Christie happy ... In short a paradise. Big news of the day [View Full Entry]

By jkd
November 28th 2005

Up the creek without a spoke

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Boat at Ancud

It was 35km from Ancud and I was just coming up to two hours on the bike. I had just reached the top of a little hill and ´pling´... I heard a sound I dread. It´s a hard sound to describe but unmistakable ... the sound of a breaking spoke. Suffice to say the rest of the day did not go as planned. It had started out so well! This morning when I first looked out the window it was perfectly calm with some blue skies and even a rainbow. Sure it hailed 10 minutes later, but Chiloe is pretty much [View Full Entry]

By jkd
November 26th 2005

Killing Kilometres

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Proof!
I met a guy a few days later, who cyucled 110kms on his first day out from Puerto Montt. First time he'd ever been on a bike, and his last 50kms had been on dirt roads.

Woke up this morning feeling completely unmotivated. Spent the first 30 minutes just lying in bed thinking of ways to convince Chrisitie to pack her bags and head back to Tasmania. When I broached the idea at breakfast however, she would have none of it though, so after procrastinating for an hour or so more looking up ferry timetables and airline schedules for a quicker, easier way down south, I eventually resigned myself to the inevitable and got on the bike. 9.30am ... not a good time to be starting a 100km+ day. Today was just a day for getting to [View Full Entry]

By jkd
November 25th 2005

A pleasant day, what can I say??

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Puerto Varas

Volcan Osorno
Not a bad view for breakfast.

I was up early (I think mainly thanks to the large bag of dried fruits I ate last night) and had a scrummy breakfast enjoying the views out the dining room window to Volcan Osorno which looms above the town. I was off on the bike by around 8.30am and it was a pleasant mornings ride to Puerto Varas, 46km away. Passed a group of about 15 cyclists strung out over a kilometer or two as I was coming into Puerto Varas. They all had the latest cycling gear and these nice small handle bar bags with their gear for the [View Full Entry]

By jkd
November 24th 2005

My first night without Christie :(

South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Ensenada

A room with a view
If you're wondering, this is the view you get from a very expensive room. Same as I'd get from my tent. It's wet and cold.

I tried my best to get my $US90 worth at breakfast, and I think I almost made it. Breakfast almost made up for what dinner lacked. It absolutely poured with rain all morning, so we just sat lounged around in the hotel reading, had a late lunch and kileld time until the scheduled 2pm ferry departure. I cycled the 1km down to the ferry and got absolutely drenched in the process ... It has rained for 7 days straight now. Ferry trip was nice, and would have been spectacular on a clear day, then at the other end, everyone else jumped [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » South America » Chile » Los Lagos