Top Puerto Montt Tours: See the City by Land & Sea

Okay, so you’re planning a trip to Puerto Montt, Chile, right? You likely want to soak up all the beauty this Patagonian jewel offers. Well, getting the most out of your trip means finding some of the awesome ways to see everything, that is, things like guided tours and boat cruises. So here’s the lowdown on five Puerto Montt experiences you won’t want to miss.

A City Tour that is All About Puerto Montt’s Highlights

This particular tour gives you that excellent introduction to Puerto Montt’s history and culture. First thing you do, you swing by the main spots; picture the Plaza de Armas, which is the town square. Then you get a peek into the cathedral, a stunning building, really, and waterfront scenes. Anyway, what is also pretty darn amazing is the local market, where you will be surrounded by seafood and local crafts. The guide almost always offers insight on the town’s history, the buildings, the people.

This trip shows you how Puerto Montt blends the old with new. The Plaza de Armas, you will find, is the spot to get that feel for everyday life here. The cathedral’s architecture, then, makes for awesome photographs and is a look back at the culture and how things once were. The local market, in effect, becomes where you can try the best food. This tour is a simple, easy way to tick off the main sights.

Read our full review: Puerto Montt City Tour Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Book Puerto Montt City Tour).

Petrohué Waterfalls and Osorno Volcano Tour that People Adore

One of the main attractions? That would probably be Osorno Volcano and the Petrohué Waterfalls. This particular tour tends to be popular because it goes beyond the city, showing you just a bit more of that natural beauty the area boasts. You can see it with your own eyes – the slopes of the Osorno Volcano mirrored in Llanquihue Lake and then take pictures of those bright-blue waterfalls. If you’re all about hiking, there are some spots where you can hop out and trek. Anyway, lunch spots in the area will allow you to test regional eats.

That scenery on this tour makes you feel pretty darn insignificant because it’s vast, that’s for sure. Llanquihue Lake is the start, Osorno is that dramatic cone, and Petrohué offers so much to gaze at. They’ve even added trails, meaning you can tailor the tour in ways to suit your taste. The lunch? Get ready for an introduction into southern Chilean cuisine.

Read our full review: Petrohué Waterfalls Osorno Volcano Tour Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Book Volcano Tour).

A Full-Day Island Trip to Chiloé

Thinking of venturing a little further? Then how about a trip to Chiloé Island? Most tours there cover that top attraction: the UNESCO-listed wooden churches. Castro, a popular location, is famed for these colorful buildings sitting up on stilts. They take you around, meaning you see those local arts, crafts, and all sorts of customs particular to this area. Also, food is something you can explore, with chances to have that “curanto,” a usual dish that you might actually really like.

Chiloé gives a deep dive, pretty much, into that historical backdrop and just what makes local tradition so distinct. With those unique churches to look at, they aren’t simply pretty faces, though; there’s something interesting in what they are saying about history and that coming together of culture and religion. Those markets you get a look at have that range from woolen stuff, wood crafts, not forgetting the culinary specialties that have helped shape the food scene, and that is only a little look at this unique, singular society. Chiloé offers the perfect day out, for people wanting to get a look at something different.

Read our full review: Full-Day Island Trip to Chiloé Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Explore Chiloé).

A Boat Ride of Llanquihue Lake

Want that chance to experience pure beauty in a rather gentle sort of way? Lake Llanquihue is there to explore through boat tours, meaning that you are looking at views of Osorno Volcano with these picturesque shorelines and charming villages just lying there, that are too something. The boats might drop you off around locations like Frutillar, a town having links to Germany and the most beautiful rose gardens. This excursion lets you slow things down a little while enjoying everything around you.

That trip by boat turns the lake into something like a scenic overlook as everything simply rolls along while it shows off those stunning lake and volcanic views, which are nice. Keep your eye out for Frutillar – the spot’s quite quaint. A walk will have you passing that Germanic architecture with glimpses here and there of its rose gardens – so pleasant! These kind of boat rides, truly, are all about appreciating that beauty, at an unhurried speed.

Read our full review: Boat Ride of Llanquihue Lake Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Cruise Llanquihue).

Calbuco Island trip that Lets you Really Explore

This trip provides what you may want – the sense of somewhere still holding onto tradition. It’s near Puerto Montt but shows yet another glimpse of that Chilean coastal lifestyle. The thing that you will see are people involved with fishing and farming plus those unique architectural features, those places only able to tell a tale, really. Some tours come with opportunities to have conversations with the residents, which will let you dive right in.

With its roots in that coastal culture, and those architectural oddities telling who-knows-what, this tour adds a rather special thing. Those possible talks open the door a little bit, for visitors looking to learn what life’s pretty much like over on that isle. The village’s beauty comes when you’re talking with locals and learning about their ways; it connects you, too, into Chile’s soul. If an exploration past Puerto Montt sounds like you, this is probably a match for you.

Read our full review: Calbuco Island Exploration Trip Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Visit Calbuco Island).