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Puerto Montt Overview


Puerto Montt is a bustling port city and capital of the Chile's Lake District. The city was originally settled by Germans in the mid-1800's, who are honored for their contributions to the city's development by a bronze monument at the waterfront. Puerto Montt is a hub for travelers heading north or south on the Carretera Austral (Austral highway), and sees all of the visitors who wish to venture from the mainland to the nearby archipelago of Chiloe, the Tenglo Islands, or the region's national parks.

From Puerto Montt's port, visitors can take boat trips to the many of the unique sites this area has to offer. Adventures include visiting the thermal baths of Puyuhuapi, taking a trip to the island of Chiloe, or spending a few nights aboard a vessel headed to the popular San Rafael Lagoon National Park. A day trip to Tenglo Island offers unique views of Puerto Montt as well as the volcanoes Osorno, Calbuco, and Puntiagudo.

If Puerto Montt is your southernmost destination or if you prefer to travel by land, make sure to visit the Parque Nacional Alerce Andino. The park's 40,000 hectares include river valleys, lakes, and more than 50 lagoons, with miles of hiking trails through old-growth forest. To get a glimpse of the local history, visit the Monte Verde Stone Museum, where exhibits reveal the history of the city, its people, and the region's development through a display of tools, weapons, and other artifacts.

If it's handicrafts you're after, make sure to visit some of Puerto Montt's shops. Laden with crafts of indigenous tribes, the shops and market are well known for their textiles and crafts. The city's fish markets have the greatest variety of seafood in the country, and the city's fastest growing industry has been salmon

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