Experience the best of Puerto Montt

Puerto Montt was founded in 1853 on the Reloncaví Sound, an arm of the Pacific, as a settlement for German colonists. It is the largest city of the Los Lagos region and the place where Chile's southern roads and ferries begin. At Angelmó, a fishing harbour, boats land the catch and market stalls sell shellfish, smoked fish and woollen goods, while small restaurants serve it on the spot.

To the north lies Lake Llanquihue, with Puerto Varas on its shore and the snow-capped cones of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes beyond. Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, Chile's oldest, has the Petrohué Falls and the emerald Lake Todos los Santos. The Carretera Austral road south begins at Puerto Montt, and roads to the south-west reach the ferries across the Chacao Channel to Chiloé, known for its stilt houses and wooden churches.

Curanto, a stew of shellfish, sausage, pork and potatoes traditionally cooked in an earth pit, is the dish of the region, and salmon from the fjords and mussels fill the menus, with German cakes called kuchen in the cafés. It rains through much of the year, with the driest and warmest weather in January and February.