Crossing Andes Nov. 29 - Horsefly Season!?!?!? Info on Puerto Varas

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Message Submitted by aicitn on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 07:45
<p>We're crossing the Andes from Bariloche to Puerto Varas on Nov. 29. Trying to decide if we should do trip in 1 day or stay overnight in Peulla. One friend told us if it's horsefly season (which it is) to just do it in the day trip (bus/boat/bus from Bariloche). Any comments from anyone?</p> <p>Any suggestions for a hotel/pension in Puerto Varas. We do NOT rough it, but don't want to spend a fortune either. </p>

Reply Submitted by suncityjim on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 15:31

The Cruce de Lagos is a marvelous, if logistically complicated, journey that I did in 2005. To do it in one day (which I did) is about a 13-hour journey assuming all the boat/bus connections work well (and they seem to have been coordinated). I wished I had taken two days for the journey breaking it at Peulla -- I remember the hotel there seemed nice. My trip was in January and, yes, the horseflies were out. They are big and they bite but the only place where they were bothersome was at Petrohue waterfalls in Chile.
In Puerto Varas I stayed at the Hotel Los Alerces which is more like a motel but has a nice view over Lake Llaniquihue, Chile's largest, and looking toward the perfect,Fuji-like, snow-capped cone of Osorno volcano. Sorry, I have no recollection of the cost but it was not high.
Since you are going that far I hope you are planning to visit Torres del Paine National Park? It is a worthwhile destination for awesome mountain scenery.

Reply Submitted by aicitn on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 17:38

Thanks -- decided to do it in a day's crossing. Our travel agent is booking us in Puerto Varas at Hotel Cabana Del Lago for 2 nites so we can see surrounding area -- will be flying to Santiago afterwards for that city + wine country. Plus 2 nites in Vina del Mar as on Dec. 8, taking Holland America cruise Valparaiso-BA

Reply Submitted by awhite on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 22:05

That is a great hotel. We stayed there on a trip all around Chile a couple of years ago. If you can possibly include a trip to Torres del Paines, you should do it. It is really beautiful and a great place to check off your "bucket list"