13 Days in Chile - Patagonia or not? Help needed pls.
#1
Original Poster

Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 51
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13 Days in Chile - Patagonia or not? Help needed pls.
Hi,
I need your help on making a decision.
I was in Argentina in Patagonia and also in the Salta / mountain area.
While I know Chile is a different country with different views of Patagonia, there is a lot of driving after flying. We are deciding to see if we should remove Patagonia from our 13 day trip. Additionally, we are not hikers - Level 1 at most.
If we did this is what it would look like (below).
Thoughts?
Day 1 – Santiago (Arrival)
Explore Santiago: Plaza de Armas, Cerro Santa Lucía, dinner in Lastarria or Bellavista.
✈️ Arrival flight: International (varies).
🚗 Local drives: 15–30 mins.
Day 2 – Santiago & Maipo Valley
Morning at San Cristóbal Hill, afternoon wine tour in Maipo Valley, evening dinner at Boragó.
🚗 Santiago → Maipo Valley: ~1 hr each way.
Day 3 – Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
Explore Valparaíso (street art, Pablo Neruda’s house), optional Viña del Mar beaches.
🚗 Santiago → Valparaíso: ~1.5 hrs each way.
🚗 Valparaíso → Viña del Mar: ~15 mins.
Day 4 – Fly to Puerto Varas (Lake District)
Flight to Puerto Montt, transfer to Puerto Varas. Evening stroll by Lake Llanquihue & Osorno Volcano views.
✈️ Santiago → Puerto Montt: ~1 hr 45 mins nonstop.
🚗 Airport → Puerto Varas: ~30 mins.
Day 5 – Osorno Volcano & Petrohué Waterfalls
Visit Petrohué Waterfalls, Osorno Volcano, Lago Todos Los Santos boat trip.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Osorno: ~1 hr 20 mins.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Petrohué: ~1 hr 15 mins.
Day 6 – Chiloé Island
Ferry to Chiloé Island to see palafitos, UNESCO wooden churches, local markets. Return or stay overnight.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Pargua ferry: ~1 hr.
⛴ Ferry crossing: ~30 mins.
🚗 Castro (main town) from ferry: ~1 hr.
Day 7 – Frutillar & Lago Llanquihue
Explore Frutillar (German heritage town, Teatro del Lago), lakeside cafés with volcano views.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Frutillar: ~40 mins.
Day 8 – Lake District Adventure
Options:
- Hiking in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park.
- Visit Termas del Sol hot springs (~2 hrs drive).
- Scenic cycling around Lago Llanquihue.
Day 9 – Extra Chiloé Exploration
Visit Dalcahue market & Achao’s historic church, try traditional curanto meal.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Dalcahue: ~2 hrs with ferry.
Day 10 – Puyehue National Park
Forest hikes & hot springs in Puyehue. Scenic Andean landscapes.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Puyehue: ~2.5 hrs.
Day 11 – Return to Santiago
Fly back to Santiago. Evening at leisure (Barrio Italia for shopping & cafés).
✈️ Puerto Montt → Santiago: ~1 hr 45 mins nonstop.
Day 12 – Santiago Leisure
Flexible day: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, bike tour, rooftop dining.
🚗 Local drives: 15–30 mins.
Day 13 – Casablanca Valley Wine Day
Day trip to Casablanca Valley for wine tasting and vineyard lodges.
🚗 Santiago → Casablanca Valley: ~1 hr 15 mins each way.
Day 14 – Departure
Seafood brunch at Mercado Central before flight home.
✈️ International departure (varies).
I need your help on making a decision.
I was in Argentina in Patagonia and also in the Salta / mountain area.
While I know Chile is a different country with different views of Patagonia, there is a lot of driving after flying. We are deciding to see if we should remove Patagonia from our 13 day trip. Additionally, we are not hikers - Level 1 at most.
If we did this is what it would look like (below).
Thoughts?
Day 1 – Santiago (Arrival)
Explore Santiago: Plaza de Armas, Cerro Santa Lucía, dinner in Lastarria or Bellavista.
✈️ Arrival flight: International (varies).
🚗 Local drives: 15–30 mins.
Day 2 – Santiago & Maipo Valley
Morning at San Cristóbal Hill, afternoon wine tour in Maipo Valley, evening dinner at Boragó.
🚗 Santiago → Maipo Valley: ~1 hr each way.
Day 3 – Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
Explore Valparaíso (street art, Pablo Neruda’s house), optional Viña del Mar beaches.
🚗 Santiago → Valparaíso: ~1.5 hrs each way.
🚗 Valparaíso → Viña del Mar: ~15 mins.
Day 4 – Fly to Puerto Varas (Lake District)
Flight to Puerto Montt, transfer to Puerto Varas. Evening stroll by Lake Llanquihue & Osorno Volcano views.
✈️ Santiago → Puerto Montt: ~1 hr 45 mins nonstop.
🚗 Airport → Puerto Varas: ~30 mins.
Day 5 – Osorno Volcano & Petrohué Waterfalls
Visit Petrohué Waterfalls, Osorno Volcano, Lago Todos Los Santos boat trip.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Osorno: ~1 hr 20 mins.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Petrohué: ~1 hr 15 mins.
Day 6 – Chiloé Island
Ferry to Chiloé Island to see palafitos, UNESCO wooden churches, local markets. Return or stay overnight.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Pargua ferry: ~1 hr.
⛴ Ferry crossing: ~30 mins.
🚗 Castro (main town) from ferry: ~1 hr.
Day 7 – Frutillar & Lago Llanquihue
Explore Frutillar (German heritage town, Teatro del Lago), lakeside cafés with volcano views.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Frutillar: ~40 mins.
Day 8 – Lake District Adventure
Options:
- Hiking in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park.
- Visit Termas del Sol hot springs (~2 hrs drive).
- Scenic cycling around Lago Llanquihue.
Day 9 – Extra Chiloé Exploration
Visit Dalcahue market & Achao’s historic church, try traditional curanto meal.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Dalcahue: ~2 hrs with ferry.
Day 10 – Puyehue National Park
Forest hikes & hot springs in Puyehue. Scenic Andean landscapes.
🚗 Puerto Varas → Puyehue: ~2.5 hrs.
Day 11 – Return to Santiago
Fly back to Santiago. Evening at leisure (Barrio Italia for shopping & cafés).
✈️ Puerto Montt → Santiago: ~1 hr 45 mins nonstop.
Day 12 – Santiago Leisure
Flexible day: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, bike tour, rooftop dining.
🚗 Local drives: 15–30 mins.
Day 13 – Casablanca Valley Wine Day
Day trip to Casablanca Valley for wine tasting and vineyard lodges.
🚗 Santiago → Casablanca Valley: ~1 hr 15 mins each way.
Day 14 – Departure
Seafood brunch at Mercado Central before flight home.
✈️ International departure (varies).
#2
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
I have/ am researching a similar trip but including both Chile and Argentina and visiting Patagonia. a few thoughts..
Santiago - not my favourite city in South America. I have always found it a little bland. I would likely move on as quickly as possible rather than than stay
Valparaiso - I love our time there and would return in a heartbeat, but, there were some very serious fires there in 2024 which destroyed large parts of the town. I am not sure how well it has recovered so would double check the current situation. Vina Del Mar is just a beach town but very nice. We spent a day horse riding with some gauchos in the giant sand dunes nearby which was amazing
We spent a lot of time in and around the Argentine lake district esp San Martin de los Andes and Bariloche which is stunning and I imagine the Chilean side is much the same. On thing I wish we had done (and may well yet do) is the lake cruise between Puerto Varas and Bariloche via https://www.cruceandino.com/ . Another place we really loved was Pucon which is right next to the Villarica volcano, a beautiful area but not sure ihow that would fit with your itinerary
Only you can determine how much or little hiking you would /could do. We used to hike a lot but various injuries have curtailed that somewhat. I did look at the likes of Torres de Paine , the W etc, and like you was put off by the amount of hiking required. It does look pretty amazing and I would say has the edge on the Argentine but the non hiking choices seemed to involve long drives (2+hurs each way) into the NP or staying in very expensive lodges inside the park.
Santiago - not my favourite city in South America. I have always found it a little bland. I would likely move on as quickly as possible rather than than stay
Valparaiso - I love our time there and would return in a heartbeat, but, there were some very serious fires there in 2024 which destroyed large parts of the town. I am not sure how well it has recovered so would double check the current situation. Vina Del Mar is just a beach town but very nice. We spent a day horse riding with some gauchos in the giant sand dunes nearby which was amazing
We spent a lot of time in and around the Argentine lake district esp San Martin de los Andes and Bariloche which is stunning and I imagine the Chilean side is much the same. On thing I wish we had done (and may well yet do) is the lake cruise between Puerto Varas and Bariloche via https://www.cruceandino.com/ . Another place we really loved was Pucon which is right next to the Villarica volcano, a beautiful area but not sure ihow that would fit with your itinerary
Only you can determine how much or little hiking you would /could do. We used to hike a lot but various injuries have curtailed that somewhat. I did look at the likes of Torres de Paine , the W etc, and like you was put off by the amount of hiking required. It does look pretty amazing and I would say has the edge on the Argentine but the non hiking choices seemed to involve long drives (2+hurs each way) into the NP or staying in very expensive lodges inside the park.
#3
Joined: Oct 2025
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
I just experienced a similar situation when we were planning Chile—we are not hikers either, so Patagonia's long driving distances and outdoor-centered activities seemed a bit overwhelming. To be clear, if you classify yourself as level 1 hikers, you might find the Lake District and Chiloé days more exhausting than enjoyable because of the ferry rides and all the driving, as well as the driving distances (1-2.5 hours, or more).
Here are a couple of options that worked for us:
Here are a couple of options that worked for us:
- Keep it short: 2-3 days in and around Puerto Varas & Frutillar for the iconic volcano and lake views seems sufficient without feeling rushed, and you can skip Chiloé and Puyehue.
- Skip it all: that gives you more time to explore Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, and the wine regions. Less driving and more time for food, culture, and scenery.
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