Lonely Planet Chile & Easter Island

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781786571656
• eBook ISBN: 9781788681452

Sur Chico

La Araucanía

Temuco

Parque Nacional Conguillío

Curacautín

Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello-Nalcas

Melipeuco

Villarrica

Pucón

Parque Nacional Villarrica

Río Liucura & Río Caburgua Valleys

Parque Nacional Huerquehue

Curarrehue

Los Ríos

Valdivia

The Lakes District

Osorno

Parque Nacional Puyehue

Frutillar

Puerto Varas

Ensenada

Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales

Cochamó

Río Cochamó Valley

Río Puelo

Puelo Valley

Puerto Montt

Sur Chico

Why Go?

Hence begins the Chilean south. The regions of La Araucanía, Los Ríos and the Lakes District jar travelers with menacing ice-topped volcanoes, glacial lakes overflowing with what looks like melted jade, roaring rivers running through forests and coastal enclaves inhabited by the indomitable Mapuche people. Sur Chico is home to eight spectacular national parks, many harboring exquisitely conical volcanoes, and is a magnet for outdoor-adventure enthusiasts and thrill seekers.

Peppered about sprawling workhorse travel hubs, you’ll find well-developed lakeside hamlets, most notably Pucón and Puerto Varas, dripping in charm and draped by stunning national parks and nature reserves, each one like an Ansel Adams photograph leaping from the frame. But the region – call it Patagonia Lite – isn’t all so perfectly packaged. Off-the-beaten path destinations like the Río Cochamó Valley and Caleta Cóndor reward the intrepid spectacularly, their isolation fodder for that ever-elusive travel nirvana.

When to Go

• Jan–Feb Summer in this weathered region brings less rain, but you’ll still need a raincoat.
• Nov–Mar Navimag ferry high season: spectacular Patagonian sunsets and glaciers.
• Jan One of the most crowded months for visiting Volcán Villarrica but also the sunniest skies.

Best Places to Eat

A Cotelé

A Awa

A Chile Picante

A La Marca

A Anita Epulef Cocina Mapuche

Best Places to Stay

A Refugio Tinquilco

A Refugio Cochamó

A La Montaña Mágica

A Awa

A Campo Eggers

Sur Chico Highlights

1 Caleta Cóndor Visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world that you’ve probably never heard of.

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Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Chile
• Chile’s Top 20
• Need to Know
• If You Like…
• Month by Month
• Itineraries
• Chile Outdoors
• Travel with Children
• Regions at a Glance
• Santiago
• Middle Chile
• Chilean Wine Gallery
• Norte Grande
• The Natural World Gallery
• Norte Chico
• Sur Chico
• Chiloé
• Northern Patagonia
• Patagonia Gallery
• Southern Patagonia
• Tierra del Fuego
• Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
• Understand Chile
• Chile Today
• History
• Life in Chile
• Literature & Cinema
• The Natural World
• National Parks
• Directory A–Z
• Transportation
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers