Puerto Varas: Private Lakes, Volcanoes & Falls Discovery

We had a delightful day with our guide, Guillermo. We were in Puerto Montt from a cruise ship and he was able to get us to the waterfalls before the busloads of people from the ship excursions arrived, so we had a much less crowded experience there. Since our ship was delayed getting into port, we had an abbreviated tour, but enjoyed seeing some of the beautiful area there. Guillermo is very knowledgeable and eager to share information about his home area.

We had a lovely tour with Guillermo who is very knowledgeable about the area in all aspects. He was able to get us to the waterfalls area before the tour buses got there - a big plus. The area is beautiful and it was a great opportunity to see a glimpse into the life there. We would highly recommend this tour.

Take the tour for sure to see the highlights of the area – stunning, beautiful. If I were to do it again, I would rent a car and drive myself. It would be easy and car rentals are in town. Notes about this tour. The tour was confirmed to pick us up at 8:00 upon reserving and I contacted them to confirm 2 days before and they told me not to worry. They did not show. However, when we finally got through to someone we were told 10:00 was the time, and then they apologized and said it was their fault. I hear this is not the norm there, but it happened. We did not get an official tour of Puerta Montt or Puerta Vargas other than driving through. The tour guide was super nice and got there at 9:30. If you are expecting a tour like you get in Santiago with a lot of details/facts/history, this is not your tour. You are basically paying a very high rate for a kind driver. We loved our driver, but the cost is too high for a private tour.

Our tour was just OK. The scenery was lovely, but the guide was mediocre in all honesty. He shuttled us around and mostly left us on our own at each stop. We also had trouble finding him after one of our stops because he was not parked where he said he would be, so we wasted time walking back and forth looking for the car. He never gave us his contact info/WhatsApp, but luckily we found him eventually without having to call the tour company for help. I don’t know if it was a miscommunication between the local guide and the company or what, but we did not visit all of the places listed on the tour description. There was no stop at Osorno or the National Park. I will take partial responsibility as I should have confirmed with the guide exactly where we were going when he picked us up, but he also never really gave a clear outline of the itinerary. I didn’t fully realize we were not going until he said we were heading back to port. I kept thinking it would be the last stop. Overall our trip just wasn’t the best. It was a bit disappointing.

Marcela our tour guide she was knowledgeable and very friendly. We 8 had great time. Porto Montt National Park and natural scenery and worth visiting.

Hernan, our guide, and Jorge, our driver, were just excellent! Knowledgeable, great personalities, took us everywhere we wanted to see. Highly recommend!!!

Andres O. at Patagonian Southland Expeditions communicated the widest breadth of knowlege and history than any other guide we have had on our cruise around South America. He not only safely drove and explained the falls, volcanos, ports, flora, fauna, and history but went out of his way to add additional photo op stops, make us comfortable, and planned in a way that avoided bus crowds.

We had a wonderful time with Adrian exploring Puerto Montt, Varas and National Parks. He was full of knowledge and helpful when we had questions regarding different areas. Mother nature did not cooperate with us to see the top of the volcano, but Adrian did try from various angles and areas. Take the time to go downtown in Puerto Varas through the shops. Stop in Puerto Montt at the fish market. I think this was my most favorite part. Everyone was so nice and the displays were colorful with the proud merchants.

Juan Carlos was a fantastic guide. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He showed us everything we wanted to see and even took us to a restaurant that his wife had recommended and to one of his favorite nature trails down to the lake. We then went to Puerto Varas and did some shopping at the outdoor craft markets and went to his favorite ice cream store. Juan was one of the best tour guides we have ever had.

Ice drive from the port to the volcanos, and points in between. Hands down better than the big bus trips. I think a few more little bits of information about the places we passed as we drive, would make it more enjoyable