• The Craze for Travelling
  • The Craze for Travelling

The South American Odyssey

Et 147-dags eventyr af The Craze for Travelling Læs mere
  • To Petrohué waterfall

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    It had rained the whole night and it was still raining when we woke up. The sky was dark and grey with low rain clouds and it was constantly raining with small intervals of stoppage. There was not much we could di in this heavy rain so we had a lazy morning, took pur sweet time to get ready and have breakfast from the food stuff we had bought the previous evening. After that, we extended our stay for one more day. The plan was to go to the Petrohué waterfalls and the Lago Todos los Santos and then come back and stay at the same place for one more night.
    The waterfalls were quite nearby. It took us 15 min to get there. Osorno volcano was totally covered by the clouds.
    There was an entry fee of 4000 CLP per person for the waterfalls. We paid an additional fee of 1000 CLP for the parking. The walk from the entrance to the waterfall is a short one of about 5 min.
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  • Saltos Petrohué - 1st cascades

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The Petrohué waterfall has many series of cascades formed by the Petrohué River falling over the hard lava rocks from the Osorno volcano. The Conaf (local tourism ministry) has constructed bridges across some of the cascades so the pathway goes deep into almost the middle of the waterfalls. We had mixed feelings about the bridges damaging the beauty of the place while without those one couldn't go far enough to see all the cascades.Læs mere

  • Petrohué river

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The short trek ends at the Petrohué river. The water was bluish green with a lot of rapids. We took the loop trail back to the starting point. At the entrance, there are toir agencies selling various activities like rafting, zip line, canopy walk etc.
    We decided to book ourselves a river rafting tour for the next day. Only Hristo among the 4 of us had done it before and he highly recommended it. It was supposed to rain heavily the next day so we decided to go for it instead of wasting the time doing nothing. It cost us 112 000 CLP for the 4 of us which though not cheap, was quite cheap compared to rafting in Europe or Africa. The ride would last about 1 hour and across about 10 rapids.
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  • Lago Todos los Santos

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After booking the rafting tour for the next day, we drove on Eastwards towards the lake Todos los Santos (All Saint's Lake). On the way, we stopped at another viewpoint of the Petrohué waterfalls before reaching the lake at around 5 pm. It was dark and rainy. There weren't that many tourists tgere. Most of the boats were at the harbor. We managed to negotiate a 30 min ride at 15000 CLP for the 4 of us.
    It was raining quite a bit when we started the trip but all of us had worn our rain pants and jackets so we went straight to the 2nd deck of the catamaran in the open.
    The views around were stunning and reminded me of the fjords of Norway. We were not able to see the blue color of the lake due to the rain and dark clouds but this place would have looked exactly like Geiranger or Flåm fjords in Norway.
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  • Esmeralda Laguna

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After about 15 min of ride, the boat reached one of the edges of the lake where there is a small stream coming down from the mountains. The stream is formed by the glacial waters from the glacier above so it had a beautiful emerald green color. Where the water falls into the Laguna Todos los Santos, it gives it a greenish blue color. The locals call is Esmeralda Laguna or the Emerald Lake. This color was visible despite the dark clouds and no sun. There are some influential people that have lands and houses in this area.
    From here we went back to the harbor.
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  • Back to Ensenada

    28. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The boat ride lasted till 5:45 pm. At the harbor, we bought some cream rolls from a local vendor. They were really tasty and reminded me of the time I used to relish them as a child. After that we had food at one of the restaurant at the harbor. After the meal, we drove back to Ensenada to sleep early since we had the rafting booked for 9 am the next morning.Læs mere

  • Petrohué rafting

    29. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The next morning, we managed to get ready, have our breakfast, checked out and reached Petrohué by 9 am. We were all excited about it. It had rained all through the night and it was still raining when we started our rafting. We were given neoprene suits and water shoes to change into.
    To begin with, we were given a safety briefing and other useful rowing instructions. Then we helped get the boat into the water and were off.
    What an amazing experience it was!! We were soaked, we were thrown around, we dived into whirlpools of water, we were flung in the air, we were smashed against the stones. It all happened within an hour of high adrenaline ride. It was an awesome morning. We enjoyed every moment of it.
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  • Jump in the river

    29. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Towards the end of the ride, the guide took us to a rock on the side of the river from where we had an amazing view of the surroundings and the river below was deep enough to jump in and swim. The fall was about 4 mts and I had never learnt to jump dive. The guide gave some instructions on how to have the hands when jumping. It was scary looking down 4 mts into the river. Half the group chickened out. I too was tempted to walk down but then thought this would be the most appropriate moment to overcome my fear of heights. So, off I went into the air. All the instructions etc were forgotten the moment the feet left the rock. The arms were flailing all over. The next thing I remember was hitting the river water and going down deep below for what seemed to be an eternity. It was in fact a few seconds before the head popped out of the water and I started swimming towards the shore. What a morning we had.
    After the rafting, we had some snacks and hot tea and coffee.
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  • Puyehue Aguas Calientes

    29. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After the rafting, we drove along the East shore of Llanquihue lake towards the North. There were many viewpoints of the lake and the volcanoes along the way but it was raining and not much was visible beyond about 5-10 mts, so we skipped them. We drove about 100 kms to Puyehue where there are hot springs. We had planned to stay somewhere there and go to the hot springs the next day. We reached at abound 5 pm. There was only one hotel there and it was extremely expensive. The cabañas very very beautiful though. They were made of wood and looked like chalets in some ski resort. Each had its own hot water tub outside in front of the cabin. The price at 150000 CLP per cabin for 4 was prohibitive though.
    We decided to look around for some other place. A bit further, there were igloo like huts in the jungle but we couldn't find their reception. Eventually, we met a lady there who told these were part of the same hotel amd cost the same. The nearest hotel was 20 kms up the mountain but that too was closed due to off season for skiing. We decided to drive back and find a place to stay as near as possible.
    There was one more spa hotel 5 kms away but that too was quite expensive so we drove further.
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  • Cabañas Nachito

    29. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Eventually, we had to drive about 20 kms back till we found a place open for staying. All the other cabañas on the way were either closed permanently or not open for the season yet.
    We got a nice small wooden apartment at Nachito Cabañas. By now, it had stopped raining and the sky had a fabulous pinkish violet tinge. We could see the Osorno volcano below the clouds right from our apartment. It was magical.
    The landlady agreed to cook some food for us. We got it served hot right in our apartment. We enjoyed the dinner while watching movies on the TV in the living room.
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  • Puyehue hot springs

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We woke up, got ready, had our breakfast and then were off by 12 pm. It was a beautiful sunny day with hardly a spec of cloud in the sky. It took us 20-25 minutes to reach the hot springs. We bought our entry tickets for 4400 CLP per head amd went to the hot pool. The water was hot at around 50C and it was a bit hard to sit longer in the harsh sun. We were out in about an hpur and then stated our drive South towards the Llanquihue lake. Because of the sun we were finally able to enjoy the lovely blue color of the lake again after almost 3 days of dark and grey.Læs mere

  • Puerto Octay

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Along the shores of the lale Llanquihue, it almost felt like driving in Germany or Austria. All the smaller villages there have german influence from the immigrants from Germany. The building architecture was very typical European/German. Some houses even jad German flags in their gardens.
    Our 1st stop was at Puerto Octay village. We went to the viewpoint near the cemetery. There were amazing views of the lake from here.
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  • Espantapájaro Restaurant

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our next stop was at Espantapájaro Restaurant. We were passing by when we saw some llamas grazing along the road. There seemed to a lookout point as well. Its only after we stopped that we realized that it was a restaurant run by a German family. They had a lovely garden and place to sit and eat outside. From here we could see the lake Llanquihue and the Osorno volcano. They were rearing Llamas near the restaurant. A lovely place to stop and have a break.Læs mere

  • Flowes at Espantapájaro Restaurant

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The lawns of the restaurant were very neat and clean. They even had a pathway built with stones and rocks of various textures and hardness. This was a walkway of wellness according to the boards there. Somehow the different textures and hardness when walked upon barefoot would be beneficial for health. The garden was full of beautiful flowers of various colors. We stopped for a about 10-15 minutes before leaving. Just outside the restaurant, there were kids selling fresh strawberry. María went and bought some from them. They were so excited. We sat and ate the delicious strawberries before heading further.Læs mere

  • Chiloé crossing

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    From Frutillar, we drove all the way down to Pargua past Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. We were heading on to the Chiloé island. From Pargua, there is a regular ferry service to the Chiloé island. We reached there at 9 pm amd joined the que of the vehicles for the next ferry. The sun was setting by now and with the grey clouds sprinkled in the sky it looked very dramatic.Læs mere

  • Ferry to Chacao

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    From Pargua, the ferry goes to Chacao port on the Chiloé island. We drove our car onto the ferry and then ran to the top deck to see the sunset.
    It was very stunning. The sun had a soft yellow hue while the dark grey clouds had colorful linings along the edges due to the reflection of the sunlight.
    While passing the channel, we saw a lonely dolphin swim near the ferry but it moved away after a few jumps.
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  • Reaching Ancud

    30. december 2017, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    From the ferry terminal, we drove on to Ancud. It got dark very quickly after the sun set and by the time we reached Ancud, it was completely dark. We looked around a bit and finally settled for the Cabaña Isla Magica. It cost us 40000 CLP for the 4 of us and we had a nice view over the town and the Pacific Ocean. It was already 11:30 pm so we slept.Læs mere

  • Cabaña Isla Magica

    31. december 2017, Chile ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    The last day of the year!!
    We woke up at around 8:30 am and were ready by about 10:15 am. We left the car with our bags at the cabaña parking only and walked down towards the harbor to find a place to eat. All the restaurants around were closed. In the meantime, Melinda and Maria bought fruits and some other food stuff from a shop that was open. Eventually, after asking the locals, we found a small restaurant open. It was serving breakfast of eggs and bread (Paila Huevos). We ate there and then headed for the Ancud bay to see the Fuerte San Antonio fort.Læs mere