Los Lagos District, has unique natural characteristics, mainly by offering landscape diversity, and which includes a significant amount of mountains, national parks, lakes, rivers, glaciers, ancient forests and volcanoes, as well as an archipelago of singular attraction consisting of a large island and a group of small islands. It is a scene of particular natural beauty and whose cultural background has rich ethnographic and historical elements mainly derived from manifestations of huilliche people (mapuche from south), the Spanish heritage, contributions made by chilote colonists and the impetus given to the area by colonization made - the mid-nineteenth century - by European immigrants, mainly coming from Germany.
If the region has tourism as one of the main strategic guidelines for its development, it is explained because the natural conditions offered by the territory are extremely suitable so traveler and visitor can obtain from them a great satisfaction, turning into the joy this mean for their spirit. This offer aims ultimately to senses, emotion and amazement capacity of the traveller. It is a proposal that clings to what is personal and distinctive, what today is scarce, to unspoiled nature, which is there to be experienced to the fullest and not found elsewhere, at least in diversity and energy present in its landscapes.
It is a completely sustainable tourism and in where prevails a tacit commitment from traveller to express the various specific interests in this matter, taking care to intervene as little as possible the natural environment that surrounds it, its ecosystem and biodiversity.
For the traveler seeking nature barely intervened, and pure – which is elusive and unknown in the place where he lives - tourist destinations linked to it are not exactly tourist destinations, but something that goes far beyond, these are places where he will discover a treasure denied or hidden to most people, to himself , to all those who faced with the routine of the city, with its strengths and weaknesses, seem to forget emotion and calm which awake in the spirit with nature in all its splendor.
And that is basically what offers Los Lagos Region: it must be contemplated, walked, discovered, and traveler must move and venture into it. It provides, in short, a story that is built not by the sumptuous characteristics based on its scenic attributes (otherwise comprehensible) but from own emotions and experiences which traveller is reaching in that intimate journey he establishes with nature, people and activities around them.
Los Lagos region possesses extraordinary conditions to make what is called adventure tourism, which roughly means that traveller develops physical activities in a natural environment, where he gets a rewarding experience, engages with the place and shares with local culture.
Then we speak about a territory that has a lot to be traveled. Or, in the case of those who travel on it to develop special interests in contact with nature, a territory which offers limitless possibilities, as very few in the world.
It is a completely sustainable tourism and in where prevails a tacit commitment from traveller to express the various specific interests in this matter, taking care to intervene as little as possible the natural environment that surrounds it, its ecosystem and biodiversity. It is a clean tourism and requires full environmental awareness, and it is based on a number of natural benefits present at those places and which match to practice different physical activity; some with a higher degree of effort, technique and risk and others more leisurely and austere in terms of physical deployment and involved emotions. And these conditions, undoubtedly, are represented by a wild nature of monumental beauty, where steep forested slopes rise abruptly from coastal edge towards winding mountains covered with thick green and mountain ranges, whose heights and summits cover large areas of snow and ice. They are represented in all national parks and protected areas existing in the zone, all of which include abundant habitats: Valdivian forest, North Patagonian forest, ticket forest edge, riverine forest, peatlands, coastline and cliffs. An expressive biodiversity which brings together a native vegetation made of, among others, Coigües, olivillos, ulmos, canelos, larches, cypresses, tepus, manios, myrtle, and wherein there are animal species such as Darwin fox, pudu, huillín (the river otters), concón (a type of owl), woodpecker, yaw, the Darwin frog, chucao, mountain monkey and huemul.
Then we speak about a territory that has a lot to be traveled. Or, in the case of those who travel on it to develop special interests in contact with nature, a territory which offers limitless possibilities, as very few in the world. It would be absurd to limit, for example, trekking and hiking to certain areas, as the four provinces in the region are in themselves a reference in this matter. The roads and trails open in lathe to valleys, forests, lakes, rivers, volcanoes and glaciers on routes that pass and connect these different environments, watched from a height show an unparalleled panoramic.
We can say the same about lake and sea kayak, ideal boat to enjoy the nature surrounding the fjords and the numerous lakes in the region.
Those who arrive to Los Lagos can follow routes that penetrate various attractions inviting to explore, inquire and live to the full everything this beautiful region offers to the visitor. In this regard, six routes referred to below are a good parameter to display a complete tour of the zone.
