Lake Llanquihue and Alerce Andino Park Loop – 8 days

USD 1.850            |Solo rider/single cyclist

USD 1.650 EACH | 2 people
USD 1.550 EACH | 3 – 4 people

TRANSPORTES DEL ESTUARIO Ferry from Caleta Puelche to Caleta La Arena

self guided tour

included

LODGING 8 days: B&B, Hostel, Cabin and Lodge –  Single, Twin or Double Bed Rooms.
Breakfast: 8 days included

Bike rental: 8 days included.

– Airport transfer to Puerto Varas (arrival from Santiago).

– Airport transfer (return to Santiago)

not included

– Ferry from Caleta Puelche to Caleta La Arena.
– Lunch or dinner each day.
– Guide

make your reservation

Guided tours

Day 1

Arrival from El Tepual Aiport(PMC) in Puerto Montt. All domestic flights are operated by three local airline companies: Latam, Sky Airlines and JetSmart. Its very easy to get transport to Puerto Varas. Two good transfer companies at Tepual´s Airport are Turis Tour or Survip.

They offer regular and private shuttles to Puerto Varas at $30.000 CLP.

Day 2

You will start your adventure from Austral Bikes store cycling to the town of Llanquihue. While doing so, you will discover the architecture of German colonization, upon arrival to Llanquihue in the west bay of the lake, you will continue your journey on your bicycle, heading to Frutillar.

About an hour and a half (about 18 km) bordering Lake Llanquihue and looking old German-style houses on your way, wonderful beaches and an amazing view of the volcanoes Osorno, Calbuco and Tronador, you will arrive to one of the most interesting cities of Llanquihue Lake’s basin. Its well-preserved German architecture and the city’s cultural movement, linked to classical music and the Teatro del Lago will welcome you.

Day 3

You will start riding from Puerto Octay, heading to Cascadas, then towards Saltos de Petrohué (entrance is not included), 

PETROHUÉ WATER FALLS. 

Once you arrived at the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, you will secure the bike at the entrance, with the lock provided, then you will be able to see the world famous Saltos de Petrohué, walk along the trails, then you will lodge in Ensenada.

Day 4

After leaving Ensenada, the patagonic Andes will appear in the background, and will see the point where the mountains meet the sea for the first time in Fjord of Reloncavi.

Day 5

You will ride heading to the reloncavi fjord,This is a nice stop at the Andes foothills and open sea.

Day 6

You will cross the fjord in the ferry, then keep pedaling on a paved road , heading to Parque Alerce Andino.

From Caleta Puelche to Caleta La Arena : It crosses every 30 minutes the Reloncavi Stuary between Puelche and La Arena, in this page you´ll find the link for TRANSPORTES EL ESTUARIO, so you can match your timing with the ferry, the cost per bike is around $ 3.000.-CLP per bike.

Day 7: What to See & Do in Alerce Andino National Park:

Most visitors to Alerce Andino enter through the park’s northern Sargazo sector. There are several well-marked routes that lead from the park stations, several of them along wooden boardwalks, which in many places protect the roots of the ancient trees from ground compaction caused by hikers.

Alerce Andino

Is a beautiful temperate rainforest biosphere reserve that stands as the northern gateway to Chile’s epic Route of the Parks trail.

Easily reached from the heart of the Lake District, its hiking trails wind up mountain ridges to tiny jewel-like lakes and wetlands rich in birdlife, all the while in the towering company of the region’s iconic millennium-old redwoods, the alerce trees that give the park its name, its 970,000 acres make up the northernmost point of Chile’s 1700km-long Route of the Parks, as well as looking down onto Reloncavi, the first of the great crinkled fjords that run down the country.

THE ALERCES:

The park’s defining feature are the trees that give it its name:”The alerces” they are spread along the park’s mountain slopes, growing up 60 mts high and living for several thousand years.

Alerce wood is both water- and insect-resistant, which made it a prized commodity for construction and ship-building. Heavy logging led to the trees becoming endangered until the alerce was declared a national monument in the 1970´s. They can be seen in several parks around the Chilean Lake District, but Alerce Andino has the greatest concentration of alerce forest, which covers almost half its area.

DENSE RAINFOREST:

The park comprises mostly of dense temperate rainforest, with a particularly high level of endemism: one in three species here is found nowhere else. It is an excellent place for birdwatching, particularly around its many tiny lakes and lagoons (including black-necked and coscoroba swans). Among the leaf litter of the forest there are plenty of edible fungi, once an important food source for the Huilliche who lived here.

Alerce Andino is excellent for short hikes, with several marked trails. The park receives exceptionally high rainfall (as much as 4000 mm per year) so it’s essential to pack waterproofs and boots appropriate for muddy trails.

THE TRAILS:

Four trails lead from out from the park office near the Sargazo entrance. Three of these – Los Ulmos, Laguna Sargazo and Alerce Milenario – can be threaded together to make a full day hike.

The shortest stretch, Los Ulmos, is particularly recommended by birdwatching, with a good chance of spotting the striking Magellanic woodpecker with its black body and scarlet cap. The Laguna Sargazo trail takes you over a suspension bridge to a small lake fringed with ferns and offering tremendous views, while the Alerce Milenario trail keep its trump card until the end, leading you to one of oldest recorded alerce trips in the park. This majestic tree, standing 60m high with a trunk 4m across is thought to be more than 2500 years old.

DAY HIKES:

A popular longer day hike is around 10 km to Laguna Frías along the Río Sargazo Valley. This includes the Alerce Milenario trail, but the more remote parts of the route are sometimes closed for maintenance due to their relative remoteness and the effects of the weather and landscape.