In the centre of Chile is what is known as the Small South, there is an area
of lakes that is one of the most beautiful regions of the South American Andes
and in which the primeval power of the landscape has an almost mystical
fascination.
The Mapuche Indians once inhabited this wilderness but they were forced to
abandon the region with the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores.
Around twenty thousand German immigrants travelled to the region between 1846
and the First World War. They discovered a landscape similar to that of
Central Europe but instead of the Alps it was volcanoes that greeted them from
the opposite side of the lake.
A journey by catamaran travels to a remote area in which the untouched
natural landscape is quite remarkable. The main interest of those on board
lies in the volcanoes that appear beyond the hills and are enthusiastically
photographed at every opportunity.
Melting ice from the Osorno Volcano flows into the Rio
Petrohué. Light blue, crystal clear mountain water flows at high
speed across a field of lava, and rocks in the riverbed force the water to
change direction. Foaming and roaring it travels in various directions but
always towards the lake.
Between Puerto Octay in the north and Puerto Varas in the south it measures
almost fifty kilometres and behaves like a small ocean.
This region of Chile enchants with its nature, remoteness, climate and many
captivating lakes. Indeed, this land of the araucaria, volcanoes and lakes,
is a paradise found!