Lake Crossing to Chile - Boat & Bike from Bariloche to Puerto Montt
Bariloche – Petrohue – Ralun – Fiordo de Reloncavi – Puelo - Puerto Montt- Frutillar - Llanquihue - Puerto Montt
Length of this Trip: 6 days, 4 nights
Dates: March 2010

An epic trip through the heart of the Andes Mountain Chain, combining bike, boat and land in a region of volcanoes, fiords, estuaries, thermal baths, National Parks & Reservations.
It will lead us into the Valdivian Jungle in modern catamarans through three different lakes. We will ride from one lake to the other throgh mountain forests and the exuberant vegetation in the Andes Jungle.

In Chile we will ride from the Andes limit right into the Pacific Ocean, through the estuary of Reloncavi. Incredible winding road with the ever present fiord at our right with is trasparent waters that mix the Petrohue river with the Ocean. Incredible fish farms will and incomparable views. We will pass by cochamo, spend the night in Puelo and the following day we will keep on riding through the fiord, now with the company of hundreds of waterfalls that we´ll find along the wa. We´ll get to Puerto Arenas where we´ll take the ferry that´s that joins both Caletas and drive right into civilization to a comfortable hotel in the city of Puerto Montt.

Puerto Montt is famous for its port with a really strong fishing industry. We´ll visit the fish market, the handcraft walk in Angelmó and drive by the Llanquihue Lake on our way to Bariloche. On the way we´ll stop at Puerto Varas, Frutillar and enjoy the ever present view of the magestic Osorno Volcano.
We will cross the Andes by road this time and spend the night in Bariloche.

Trip Difficulty :

• Type of road: paths, dirt road, cliffs and open areas.
• Total Mileage: 76 miles by bike.
• Daily Average: 15 miles per day.
• Longest Day : 22 miles
• No special challenges
• Level of expertize: Intermediate & Advanced
• Technical Difficulty: low.

The Best of this trip: (according to our customers feedback)

• Lake Crossing.
• The permanent sight of volcanoes during all the trip.
• The winding and peaceful road bordering the Reloncavi Fiord.
• The Fishing Lodge in Ralun. Away from civilization in rustic yet comfortable and cozy log huts with fireplace and a deck to the Valdivian Jungle
• Seafood, pisco and chilean wine.
• The exuberant vegetation of the Valdivian Jungle
• Angelmó Port and Handcraft Fair.
• The fish Market.

 

"...The next morning we awoke to a bright and sunny day.
We were all taken by the beauty and size of the trees, ferns and flowers in this forested area. The hydrangia blossoms were the size of my head and the fern fronds towering above them were probably six feet wide and ten feet long. There was bamboo everywhere. . .magical...
... We headed out on the longest ride of the week from Ralun to the ferry at Caleta Puelche. . .."

"...Our next stop was the city of Puerto Varas.
This lakeside town is gorgeous with its beautiful achitecture, bustling downtown with every upscale and artisan shop you can imagine, and spectacular view of both volcanos, Mount Osorno and Mount Puntiagudo, at a safe distance across the Lake Llanquihue ..."

Steve, Pennsylvania

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