Puerto Varas

History and Legends

History

Old view of Puerto Varas Founded in 1854 by colonizer Vicente Pérez Rosales as a lake navigation center and commercial port to Puerto Montt. Bernardo Philippi gave an impulse to settling activities with the discovery of the lake.
By decree law of 30th December 1927, the government created the commune of Puerto Varas.
The touristic impulse started in 1934 when the hotel Puerto Varas, today casino, was inaugurated, and then with the opening of the road to Ensenada alonf the southern shore of the lake.
Today it is a beach resort with a population increased by people who work in Puerto Montt, distant only 17 km.

Rafting

Rafting is a team sport, in which all the crew members in the boat row and position themselves in a coordinated manner in order to balance their weight when going through the river rapids and keep themselves afloat.
The standard number of people allowed on the boat is from six to eight crew members, depending on the boat size.
Rafting beginners are recommended to remain in the center of the boat. Those who are somehow experienced and prefer to row may stay in front, whereas the most experienced generally stay at the back.

Patagonian estancias

The rise of the estancias has changed the empty limitless space into a rural production environment that enabled the country to be positioned among the first suppliers of raw material in the world.
Towards the south, the estancias have given the scenery a new shape. Getting through the harsh winter, the intense snowfalls and the incessant wind, they have become real settlements scattered in the vastness of the fields.