Validivia is Chile's ciudad de rios, or city of rivers, and is home to nearly 140,000 people. It's here that the Calle Calle, Cau Cau, and Cruces rivers converge into the Rio Valdivia before spilling into the vast Pacific Ocean.

The city's history is rife with conflict, but none more recent than 1820. The first settlers to attempt to displace the indigenous Mapuche were Spaniards, whose settlement met a gruesome fate some 55 years after their attempt to take hold of the three-river basin. The Dutch were the next to attempt a settlement, which caused the Spaniards to hold tight to their land and fortify the area. The town returned to Chilean loyalists when a surprise attack of the Spanish fort meant its defeat in 1820. The strong German influence of the mid 1800's crumbled to the ground in the 1960 earthquake that devastated much of the region, but nevertheless some mansions and middle European-style buildings still exist.

The Mercado Fluvial is the real deal if you're looking for a fish market. Fruit and vegetable vendors set up across the walkway. If you'd rather see artists' renderings of fish than live ones, the city's contemporary art museum, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo may have just what you're looking for. It has no permanent collection, but has a rotating series of all kinds of work by Chilean artists and is one of the best in the country. For a look at the area's history, head next door to the beautiful Museo Historico y Arqueologico and examine the Mapuche artifacts, pre-Columbian artwork, and even household items of German settlers.

While the entire city is one of Chile's most beautiful, Validivia's botanic garden, the Jardin Botanico, has over 1,000 species of native flora for you to discover. It's an awesome area to amble among flowers, plants and trees on a warm day. If you get too hot walking around and could go for a cold brew, the Cerveceria Kuntsmann brewery offers tours by prior arrangement. See how this German-style lager has been made for the past 150 years.

River tours are one of the city's most famed attractions. A one-hour tour around Isla Teja allows you to take in the scenery from a slightly different perspective. Longer excursions head to the town of Niebla, where you can visit colonial-era forts, or to Puncapa, where a 16th-century Jesuit church and nature sanctuary at San Luis Alba de Cruces offer insight into the history and landscape. Tour companies also arrange fly-fishing trips, bird-watching and natural history tours-a great way to experience this rich, vibrant area.

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