Betsy, Gordon, Mary, and I did a seven-day bike tour with Ecotours Chile in the lake district of Chile in March 2019. This tour was on Mary’s bucket list for years, and she was thrilled when the kids and I finally went with her 🙂 Here is the itinerary for our tour.
Day 0 (Sunday, March 3): We arrive in Santiago after a 14-hour, overnight flight from Los Angeles and check into our Airbnb. In the afternoon, Betsy, Mary, and I walk to Cerro Santa Lucia and visit the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts on the way back.
Day 1 (Monday, March 4): We fly to Temuco and meet our guide David, driver Javier, and the other two guests, Jennifer and Linda, who are sisters from Pittsburg Kansas. We shuttle to Corralco Lodge at the base of Volcán Lonquimay and bike 15 miles (with 1,800 ft of climbing) to TĂşnel las RaĂces and back in the afternoon.
Day 2 (Tuesday, March 5): We shuttle through the tunnel and then bike for 66 miles (5,200 ft) through Liucura to Paso Pino Hachado and back to Liucura, after which we shuttle back to Corralco Lodge.
Day 3 (Wednesday, March 6): We bike mostly downhill for 61 miles (2,100 ft) from Corralco Lodge to Lautero and then shuttle to Pucón on Lago Villarrica at the base of Volcán Villarrica. We spend the first of two nights at Hotel Vientos del Sur.
Day 4 (Thursday, March 7): We bike from PucĂłn to Lago Caburgua and then on to Termas Huife where we soak in the hot springs. We bike a little more for a total ride of 44 miles (3,500 ft) and shuttle the last few miles back to PucĂłn.
Day 5 (Friday, March 8): We shuttle to Panguipulli and then bike 43 miles (4,300 ft) along the east shore of Lago Panguipulli and on past Volcán Mocho-Choshuenco to Puerto Fuy on Lago Piriheico. We spend the night at the Marina Fuy Hotel.
Day 6 (Saturday, March 9): We shuttle to a Nestlé plant south of Osorno and bike 47 miles (2,400 ft) along the west shore of Lago Llanquihue to a little beyond Frutillar. We do a short shuttle to Puerto Varas on Lago Llanquihue. We spend two nights there at Casa Kalfu Hotel.
Day 7 (Sunday, March 10): We bike from Puerto Varas along the south shore of Lago Llanquihue to Volcán Osorno. Betsy and Mary do all but the last four miles of the very steep climb up Osorno, while Gordon and I go all the way to the end of the road at the ski resort for 37 miles (5,000 ft). We then shuttle back to Puerto Varas.
Day 8 (Monday, March 11): We walk around Puerto Varas, take a shuttle to Puerto Montt, and fly to Punta Arenas where we start our trekking tour the next day 🙂 We spend the night at Hotel Rey Don Felipe.
Photos and commentary follow.
Day 1 (Monday, March 4): In the afternoon we arrive at Corralco Lodge, the ski resort where we spend two nights. It is at the base of Volcán Longquimay (9,400 ft), which last erupted in 1990. We go for a 15-mile, out-and-back bike ride before dinner. 
Monkey puzzle trees surround the lodge. Their tough, long-lived leaves have sharp edges and points. 
Stray dogs are common throughout Chile. This one hung out at the lodge, where the temperature was close to freezing overnight. Mary gave it food scraps after our meals.
Day 2 (Tuesday, March 5): David and Javier help the guests get ready to bike. 
Betsy starts our longest day of biking (66 miles) after we shuttle through TĂşnel las RaĂces. That single-lane tunnel is the longest in Chile (2.8 miles) and is just below the Sierra Nevada volcano (8,379 ft), the white-capped mountain in the distance. 
We are in the AraucanĂa Region. We started biking east of the tunnel and are going southeast to Paso Pino Hachado. 
Mary climbs to the pass above the RĂo BiobĂo valley. 
I summit Paso Pino Hachado (6,181 ft) at the border between Chile and Argentina, our turnaround for the day. 
Mary summits too after breaking wind for Gordon on much of the climb. 
These monuments mark the border. 
Gordon whizzes down the thrilling descent back to Liucura in the valley below.
Day 4 (Thursday, March 7): We do another easy ride for 44 miles near PucĂłn. There are birds and cattle on one side of the road … 
and llamas on the other side. 
Eventually we get to some hot springs. 
We enjoy the pool and hot springs, which are uncrowded on a cloudy day. 
After soaking and eating lunch, we bike a little further. 
Gordon’s and my favorite part of the ride is stopping to eat wild blackberries 🙂
Day 5 (Friday, March 8): We gather for a family photo at Lago Villaricca below Volcán Villaricca before shuttling from Pucón to Panguipulli. 
We start biking outside of Panguipulli and ride for 43 miles along the east shore of Lago Panguipulli to the other side of Volcán Mocho-Choshuenco (7,946 ft) in the distance. 
Javier has a healthy snack ready for us along the way. 
We go past this cool kayak course on the river below. 
We spend the night at the Marina Fuy Hotel on Lago Piriheico.
Day 6 (Saturday, March 9): We shuttle south past Osorno and then bike to this restaurant, where Mary relaxes after eating a delicious buffet. 
These llamas are in a field next to the restaurant, which has a spectacular view overlooking Lago Llanquihue with Volcán Osorno (8,701 ft) in the distance. The volcano last erupted in 1869. 
We bike 47 miles and shuttle the last bit to Puerto Varas, where we spend two nights at bike-friendly Casa Kalfu Hotel.
Day 7 (Sunday, March 10): On our final day of biking, we continue around Lago Llanquihue to the base of Volcán Orsono. 
Betsy, Gordon, and Mary approach the base of the 8-mile climb to the end of the road at the ski resort below the summer snow line. Betsy and Mary do half of that very steep climb, while Gordon, David, and I bike all the way. Some pitches are between 16 and 20% grade! 
Gordon makes the last part of the climb look easy. 
Gordon, David, and I celebrate the climb and the end of a successful tour at the ski resort!
Wayne Pfeiffer 