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Weather in Southern Chile in Winter

PUERTO VARAS, Chile- I left Puerto Montt today. It was quite the miserable place. I am now in Puerto Varas, a tourist town with few foreigners at this time of year — the winter. I can see why: it is cold and it rains, or has just stopped raining, or is about to rain ALL [...]

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PUERTO VARAS, Chile- I left Puerto Montt today. It was quite the miserable place. I am now in Puerto Varas, a tourist town with few foreigners at this time of year — the winter. I can see why: it is cold and it rains, or has just stopped raining, or is about to rain ALL DAY LONG.

[adsense]This weather reminds me of the end of winter in Western NY, how it is always slushy and cold. As I stated above, the people down in Puerto Montt seemed to be quite miserable. I think I am going to stay around this area for one more day and make a decision as to if I am going to continue down to Patagonia or head up north to the Atacama. This is a big decision as I came to Chile precisely travel to Patagonia.

21 August 2002

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, cold, rain. I woke up — it was still raining. I headed out for a walk. I ended up walking down a beautiful road — I think that I am going to walk back tomorrow and just walk — to somewhere. To anywhere. To nowhere — just walk.

Is this not what travel is all about — to prove to myself that, even for a few moments, that I am free. Now, to make this feeling permanent, to make travel a life. My life.

———-

This town is very wealthy. The houses are heavily German influenced with shingles all over the outside walls. At least the people who live around the town center seem to enjoy every luxury available to the people of any country.



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Filed under: Chile, South America, Weather

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I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3692 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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  • Sam March 24, 2011, 1:43 am

    “Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, cold, rain.”

    Yep, I just experienced 7 days of that in Southern Chile a little south of Puerto Montt. Some things, like weather, just don’t change.

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    • Wade | Vagabond Journey.com March 24, 2011, 7:52 am

      Unbelievable, right? It is not even super winter there yet. I ended up going back to Patagonia later on in this trip when the weather was as nice as it could be — still had 60 mph winds though, but that is Patagonia, not much you can do about that haha. Keep going south, man, it is worth it.

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  • Sam March 26, 2011, 10:39 pm

    Haha…I’m heading north now. I went as far south as El Chalten with a brief stop over in Rio Gallegos. I felt no desire to go to Ushaia just to say ‘I was at the bottom of the world, blah, blah, blah.’

    But I did camp in Southern Chile for three nights in close to freezing temperatures on the side of a mountain without a sleeping bag. I don’t think I’ll repeat that experience again anytime soon. Traveling well; hope the same is true for you.

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    • Wade | Vagabond Journey.com March 27, 2011, 9:47 am

      Yeah, I found myself in the same boat. I tried walking across Tierra del Fuego to Ushaia, but stopped half way as I ran out of money and could not find much of a reason to keep going. I figured that I was already at the bottom of the world, why go to the bottom bottom haha. Man, you said it: camping out in southern Chile is cold. I at least brought a sleeping bag with me haha. Have fun on your way north. Mexico lead us back to visiting our families in the USA, though we are looking at the next country at the end of next month. I have no idea where we are going. I want to go to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan and then cross the Caspian, but going to Colombia so Petra can keep learning Spanish may be best.

      Thanks.

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