Distant almost a thousand kilometers from the capital of Chile, Santiago, but only 230 kilometers from San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, it is a city of immigrant roots with a deep relationship with the countryside. Relationship that is forged with its refoundation in 1793, after being abandoned after the so-called "great Mapuche rebellion of 1598", and where mainly German and Austro-Hungarian settlers participated, along with Swiss, French, and Arabs, in addition to the Creole, mestizo and other foreigners population that made this livestock area grow and prosper.
However, the human settlements where the city is located today date back much earlier. Thus, in 1986 the first paleontological encounters were reported in the "Pilauco" sector, and with it the discovery of a site and archaeological site cataloged as one of the oldest sites in America. The one that presents evidence of human presence of at least 15,000 years, the so-called "Pilauco Footprint", where remains of gomphotheres, horses, deer, rodents and other remains of flora and fauna of the late Pleistocene, at least 12,800 years BP, have also been found.
Although Osorno is crossed by the Rahue and Damas rivers, it is its proximity to the sea, the Rupanco and Puyehue lakes, and the Andes mountain range that place it as a starting point for outdoor activities and tourism. Its airport (ZOS), its national and international roads, hotels, cabins, lodgings, restaurants and commerce of all kinds, facilitate the tourist offer and planning to independent travelers.
Trekking in Puyehue
The country life and its intrinsic relationship with nature developed by the families that have populated the mountainous sectors of lakes Rupanco and Puyehue have allowed them to be the perfect hosts to share with those who visit the forests and volcanoes. Opening the doors of their homes, sharing their food and the work of their animals, they develop an inclusive tourism, which focuses on the experience and allows them to enjoy in a unique way sectors such as Las Gaviotas or Anticura. In summer the trails of the Antillanca sector are ideal for family trekking, from the ascent to the Casa Blanca volcano to the routes of the "Sendero de Chile", which allow you to connect with Anticura, Pampa Frutilla, Las Gaviotas and the hot springs of Aguas Calientes. It is also the sector of Anticura, in the Puyehue National Park, where the access to the Puyehue volcano and the border crossing "Cardenal Samoré" is located to connect by land with the cities of "Villa La Angostura" and "Bariloche" in Argentina.
Skiing in Antillanca and Puyehue Volcano
The ski center of the Club Andino Osorno on the slopes of the Casa Blanca volcano has contributed to the development of mountain activities thanks to its hotel, the shelters of the schools, and 14 marked tracks of varying difficulty, with a total of 400 hectares of skiable surface, to which is added the entire off-piste area of the volcano for the development of the randonee.
Interesting options for freeride skiing are located in the crater of the Puyehue volcano. Of course this volcano is also a classic for the winter ascent with skins, which provides us with a challenging start through deep snow in its lenga forest, a basic but cozy refuge on the edge of the vegetation, its gentle slopes for the ascent to its summit and the diversity of descent lines inside its main crater.
