There are various options to buy tickets to Chile (Internet, airlines, travel agencies). It is also very important to verify the number of stopovers the flight has. You must have enough time, especially when you arrive in Santiago, to complete customs formalities, before connecting with the flight to the city of Osorno or Puerto Montt. The approximate flight time from Santiago to our region is 1.5 hrs.

thanks to Chile Travel

When you arrive at Santiago airport you have different options to get to the bus terminal. You can take a cab that will take you directly, but it is usually expensive. There are also transfer services. They will charge you around $9.000 Chilean pesos (10 dollars). You can check schedules and costs here:

Transfer from and to Airport

• transvip
• wetransport

Buses from and to Airport

• centropuerto
• turbus aeropuerto 

A less expensive option for most foreign students is to take a bus south after arriving by plane in Santiago. However, you should consider that the bus trip will takes 12 hours to get to Osorno and 13 ½ hours to Puerto Montt. In case you choose this alternative, it is very important that you consider some safety tips ( for instance to protect personal belongings).

Before making your trip you should check the bus schedules here:

• https://www.recorrido.cl/es

Buses to the south usually leave at night and arrive in the morning of the next day or leave very early in the morning and arrive at night. It is also important that you check from which bus terminal the bus you have chosen departs; two common bus terminals in Santiago are

• Terminal de Buses Sur ↵ (av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 3850)
• Terminal San Borja ↵ (San Francisco de Borja 184)

In case of a long waiting time between your flight and the departure of the bus, we recommend you go first to the terminal and hire a custody service to leave your luggage. Walking around Santiago with your luggage is not recommended.
Santiago is a very big and crowded city, so it is advisable to take precautions such as taking good care of your belongings and being alert to any suspicious behavior of people around you. In case you need help, you should turn to our police, Carabineros de Chile, which is the entity in charge of citizen security and police protection. It is easy to identify the carabineros by their olive green uniform.

This Region has a great variety of natural attractions, all of them close to important urban areas that have become service centers and facilitate its future tourist development and diversify the offer within the geographical and productive context. Although the regional tourist product has large and developed competitors, it is greatly advantagous of having vast extensions of still virgin territories where the sea, forests, lakes and mountains are so close that it is possible to reach them in a few hours through integrated tourist circuits with the additional attraction of having an interesting historical-cultural development base.

This área is the gateway to the Patagonian zone, the most characteristic area of southern Chile. The province, the commune and the city has the same name of Osorno which belong to the Los Lagos Region. Due to its centrality, Osorno enjoys a strategic location related to other tourist destinations, which allows reaching the mountain range or the sea without setbacks.

Osorno city is located approximately 980 km from Santiago and has a population of approximately 249,728 people, which makes it a small, safe and friendly place to live. Its architecture is characterized by the use of natural resources, especially wood, and by the influence of German migration, dating back to the late 19th century.

The scenic beauty of its landscapes and the nearness of lakes and forests, including Puyehue National Park (a national reserve of 2,218,177 hectares) make it internationally recognized as a Biosphere Reserve.

It is easy to travel to Maicolpue, Pucatrihue and Bahía Mansa from Osorno, small towns located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean which are ideal to visit in summer. 

The main campus of University of Los Lagos is located in the city of Osorno.

PUERTO MONTT

Puerto Montt city is located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound and is 1,021 km from Santiago de Chile. It has approximately 278,255 inhabitants.
Puerto Montt is the capital of the Region of the lakes. It has an important port and transportation activity and it is the center of an agricultural, livestock, and fishing area that reaches Angelmó.

The city also offers an intense tourist activity that provides supplementary options to your desires to enjoy the tours in one of the most beautiful and southernmost areas of the world. In one visit you can visit Pelluco, Puerto Montt’s seaside beach; Municipal Museum, Angelmó Cove, Seafood and Fish Market, Craft Fair, Cathedral and Jesuit Churches.

You can travel to Lake Llanquihue from Puerto Montt and visit the towns of Frutillar, Llanquihue and Puerto Varas, which are characterized by the late 19th century german migration. We also recommend you to visit the Osorno Volcano, Petrohue waterfalls and the Todos los Santos Lake.

Puerto Montt has a rich cultural identity based on its people, customs, gastronomy and a way of life that favors harmony and respect for the environment. In this sense, Rural Tourism appears to rescue the traditions of the rural sectors, to promote resources of high tourist value, as well as to increase the economic income of small agricultural producers and/or artisanal fishermen of these surroundings.

You will find three types of public transportations In Osorno and Puerto Montt.

• Cabs are usually located in accessible places (outside supermarkets, clinics and stores). Taxis are the most expensive but the fastest means of transportation.
• Then you have the “colectivos” which are a kind of cabs that follow a defined route and pick up passengers at specific stops. The “colectivos” charge $800 pesos (US$1) during the day, and $1500 (US$1.5) after midnight. The colectivos may eventually offer you transportation to a given address for a little more money.
• The third option is local buses known as “micros”, which operate like buses and follow a defined route. The micros charge $ 500 pesos (80¢ dollar).

Local transportation is quite effective and runs regularly. As the city is small, it is also possible to walk or cycle.

We recommend to use a debit card when managing your money in Chile . It is the easiest way to have cash in local currency and you can pay with it in stores, restaurants and supermarkets. It is important to know that you are allowed to withdraw up to a maximum of $ 200,000 pesos per day ($224 dollars approx.) from debit cards in Chile. If you need more cash for an emergency you will have to wait 24 hours.

If you bring dollars or any other foreign currency, it will be necessary to exchange them at an money exchange office, since banks do this procedure for their current account customers only. It would be a good idea to contact your bank before traveling and let them know that you will be traveling to Chile.

The Region of the lakes is characterized by two types of climate. The first, temperate-rainy with Mediterranean influence, covers the provinces of Osorno and Llanquihue. It has an average annual temperature of 11°C, regulated by various lakes.

The second type of climate is found on the island of Chiloé. It is a cold temperate climate of the western coast with winter rains. The temperatures are lower on the coast facing the Pacific Ocean due to the western winds.

In winter you can expect heavy rainfall between the months of May and August both in Osorno and Puerto Montt, the temperature range at this time of year fluctuates between 0 and 10 C°, although it can drop to -5 degrees Celsius. Snowfall is not common in the cities, but occurs frequently over the mountains.

In summer, temperatures fluctuate between 20 and 25 C°, which results in a very mild climate.

.