We
completed our stay at the AWA Hotel on the south shore of
Lago Llanquihue. It was pricey, but very, very nice;
likely the reason it got a 5-star rating. We drove
around lake Llanquihue to Puyehue and
stayed at the Puyehue Hotel and Spa. Nice, but very
popular and there were tons of kids. Like 1-3 year
old kids along with the chaos and noise that comes with them which was
basically inescapable in the common areas of the lodge.
Puyehue is what is locally referred to as a "termas"
or hot springs. The lodge has huge termas pools, one
inside and one outside. And, given that the hotel is
within line of sight of Volcan Puyehue, the
presence of a hot springs was not that surprising.
The photos below are what we saw.
The farm
land in this area is some of the richest, most fertile I have
ever seen. I am guessing it is the recurring ash-fall from
the nearby volcanoes that provide the richness. On the
ring road around Llanquihue just past the road to Volcan Osorno,
we spotted two steam tractors near the highway. They
looked to be in reasonable shape and might actually operate if
oiled and filled with water.
Up the
highway a few kilometers was a mirador (lookout) that gave us a
view of Llanquihue looking to the west. Sadly, a front was
coming into the area, resulting in overcast making this stunning
view look muted and grey.
We
continued on to Puyehue, checked into the hotel and got a room
on the top floor. Given that the hotel had geothermal
heating and being on the top floor, it was quite warm. We
stepped onto our balcony and spotted a pair of ibis perched on
the roof pipe. Given the statues of ibis in the lobby, I
am presuming that the roof pipe was installed especially for the
birds to provide them a convenient perch. They were
squawking and making a ruckus.
The
hotel is visible in the photo above. The rugged mountains in the
distance were still covered in clouds and fog. This area
is a Chilean National Park due to its temperate rain
forest. Indeed, the trees were really dense. The
area at the top right is virgin forest and the density of the
trees can be judged accordingly.
The
structure in the foreground is the bath house for the
termas. In the distance is the snow-covered Volcan
Puyehue.
Many of
the higher ridges still had snow. We had a nice night at
the lodge. Although I was not expecting a buffet, the food
was actually quite good, all things considered, but a
significant step down from Hotel AWA. They did, however,
have a custom ceviche bar at lunch which was converted to a
parilla (grill) with steak, chicken and sausages. I had
the steak and it was good.
If you
are a traveler, you MUST get a copy of Pocket Earth Pro
on your phone or iPad. It totally rocks and can provide
you with detailed topographic maps and Wikipedia access offline
in areas with no cell service (assuming that you download the
data prior to going off-grid). I was looking at Pocket
Earth and noticed that there was a ski area on the mountain
close to the hotel. After we checked out, we headed to the
ski area. We were not expecting a steep dirt road with
wooden bridges, but we drove anyway. The forest was super
dense and when we encountered an opening, it was due to a stream
crossing. The photo above is what we saw looking uphill.
On the
downstream side, the water cascaded hundreds of feet down the
cliff making a awesome noise. The depth of the canyon
cannot be discerned from the photo above, but trust me - it was
substantial.
Further
up the dirt road, we came to Lago Toro a small
lake carved into the side of the mountain.
Another
10 km brought us to the ski area at the end of the road.
Still mostly enclosed in clouds, we did get a view of the top of
one of the nearby peaks. Look carefully along the
ridge-line and you can see the ski towers.
The snow
at the top is melting day-by-day as the season approaches high
summer. The hill itself is grey volcanic ejecta.
There
was a ridge house at the top of the first lift. The cloudy
area in the foreground is due to spray from a fountain.
The ski
lodge was closed and looked quite basic. I am sure that
the dirt road, when covered with snow, is a challenge to
drive. Chains would surely be required to actually
succeed. Note the flag on the right of the ridge.
I
noticed some of the equipment used by the ski area.
No trip
is complete without seeing a Unimog. This mog is a model
411, just like the one that we had for 15 years. Ours was
in better shape and still operates. The blower was not
connected to the mog.
On the
return to the valley, we noticed an ever bigger waterfall that
we somehow missed on the way up.
We left
Puyehue and headed to Lago Ranco. Above is our
first view of Ranco from a mirador next to the highway.
Some
snow was still present on the distant peaks.
I
think that the far peaks are at the crest of the Andes.
Indeed, continuing on the highway from Puyehue would take you
over the final pass into Argentina. Our rental car
contract would not allow crossing the border, so that was a
no-go.
There
was a large bank of clouds near the crest of the mountains.
A view
of the cliffs on the opposite side of the road from the
mirador. The white Hyundai is our rental. I doubt
that I would ever purchase one, but so far it has been a good
ride.
Another
mirador allowed a view of the cobble beaches of Lago Ranco.
Kathleen
was enjoying the view.
An
iPhone will do a selfie, albeit a poor quality one.
Our
first view of Parque Futangue, our hotel for
the night.
The
entry to the hotel was deeply shaded. The steep cliffs
in the background attest to the ruggedness of the surrounding
terrain.
A small (man-made) waterfall on the bridge to the entry of the hotel.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2024, all rights
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