One drifts slowly down a calm river viewing the scenery and wildlife, stopping here and there for various purposes.

Float trips can be organized on the rivers that flow out of the lakes from where they head gently through lush farm lands to the sea. Rio Tolten at Villarica township is a favorite for this and there are many others. Of course you need your fishing rod and know how to catch trout. Fishing can be done from the row boat (a precarious activity) or more safely from various strategic stopping points. The day may be highlighted by a barbecue on the river bank out in the wilderness, supplemented with a bottle of Chilean red. Once home at the guest house you can organize the chef to cook up your trout!

Mountain climbing and fishing can be cold and wet activities. Afterwards, what could be better than relaxing and warming up in a volcanic hot spring? Your guest house manager may be able to arrange a quick trip to a nearby "Termas`", either a natural one, or a tourist development like Termas de Huife or Termas de Palguin.

Further south at Puerto Montt a similar wide range of activities presents themselves. You certainly need at least a month to get a good taste of what the Chilean Lake District has to offer the tourist.

Puerto Montt is a tad scruffy being an important sea fishing port and export place for wood chips. Many cruise ships call in here and unload tourists to go on various scenic trips to the hinterland. Close by is the fascinating fishing village of Angelmo with all its hundreds of tiny sea food restaurants and cafes where it is easy to lose an afternoon. The craft stalls along Avenida Diego Portales are the best that you will find in Chile.

Port Montt is the terminus for cruise ships going south to fiordland (Navimag and Skorpios), for the overland Southern Lakes Crossing by bus to Bariloche in Argentina, and for bus tours of the nearby large island of Chiloe.

After exploring Puerto Montt, many tourists shift residence inland to the beautiful lake shore and tourist town of Puerto Varas. This is my favorite spot for R & R in the Chilean Lake District. The setting on the shores of Lago Llanquihue is superb with the distant snowy volcanoes of Osorno and Calbuco on the horizon. As such it deserves a story all to itself!.

Learn more about this author, Allan Taylor.
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