Puerto Varas, located on the southern shore of the second largest lake in Chile, the Llanquihue Lake, is a beautiful small German influenced town, which due to a magnificent combination of majestic volcanoes, lush rolling farmland, a massive expanse of water, and great excursion possibilities, now-a-days is a favorite amongst tourists. In the downtown area of Puerto Varas you can find interesting local handicrafts, fine homemade chocolates, and several beautiful large houses of past grandeur which have been declared National Monuments. Puerto Varas is also your starting point for incredible activities such as rafting, kayaking, hiking, and fishing. Amongst the many places that you can visit are the Alerce Andino National park with its forests of beautiful slow growing Alerce trees (Fitzroya Cupressoides), which have ages of up to 4,200 years; and the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, with the Petrohue Falls, the majestic Osorno volcano, and the Todos Los Santos lake, known also as the Esmerald lake, due to its incredible green color.
		© Intrans, 2010