Road Cycling Chile: The Lakes and Volcanoes Route

We ride a total of 629 km over 8 cycling days, averaging around 79 km and 1,064 metres of climbing per day travelling south from Pucon to Puerto Varas through Chile's Lakes and Volcano District. The week opens with two days based in Pucon before the tour's toughest test, an Andean climb to the Argentine border with 101 km and 1,609 metres of climbing beneath three volcanoes. From there we follow the Seven Lake Route south before a final climb delivers us to the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve for a rest day in the rainforest. The second half shifts to Lake Ranco, home to the tour's longest ride, then the German Settlers Route and the shore of Lake Llanquihue, finishing at Petrohue Falls. The trip is fully supported, and your guide's expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This tour suits riders with a solid base of road fitness who are comfortable spending four to six hours in the saddle on consecutive days. Daily distances average 79 km, with the heaviest day bringing 101 km and 1,609 metres of climbing on a sustained Andean ascent, supported by a van that can shorten the toughest stretch. Plan to ride two to three times a week in the two months before departure, building at least one longer ride with hill climbing as the trip nears. Previous experience with multi-day tours or sustained climbs will help, though the rolling week means an off day will not derail your trip. Best for riders who want a genuine test on a couple of days, with easier riding built into the rest of the week.

Biking Conditions: This tour is ridden almost entirely on paved roads, with one brief gravel section near Lake Caburgua on Day 2 that quickly loops back onto pavement. Surfaces through the Lakes District are generally well maintained, and the route favours quiet back roads and scenic regional highways over busy national routes. While much of the route is on quiet countryside roads with minimal traffic, we will be regularly sharing the roads with other vehicles, including cars, motorbikes, and buses, particularly on the approach into towns. On Days 3, 7, and 9 we use van transfers to bypass congested or unsafe stretches of highway. We generally ride rain or shine, but we can adjust the planned route based on the guide's discretion or your comfort. It's all part of the adventure! Throughout the ride, the support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Accommodations: We stay in a mix of boutique town hotels, a lakeside guesthouse, and one architecturally striking rainforest lodge, averaging 3.5-star across ten nights. The three nights in Pucon are at a well-located superior-category hotel within walking distance of the lake and town centre. In Panguipulli we move to a 4-star lakeside property, and the highlight of the trip follows at Huilo Huilo, where two nights are spent in hotels built entirely from native wood and stone, with rooms looking into the rainforest. The Lake Ranco stretch brings a comfortable 3-star hotel with views over the hills and lake, and the tour closes with two nights at a 4-star hotel in Puerto Varas. Rooms include private bathrooms, heating, Wi-Fi, and breakfast, with on-site restaurants at most properties. Please be aware that some older or more characterful properties may show signs of wear and the service pace can be more relaxed than you might be used to.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We provide high-quality Specialized Diverge E5 road/gravel bikes or similar, with e-road and e-hybrid options also available through the Specialized Turbo Creo SL and Vado series. If you bring your own bike, we recommend a road bike, though a gravel bike will also work. Whichever bike you choose, please ensure it is in excellent mechanical order before arrival. If you ship your bike in a hard case, note that transporting it onward from Pucón at the end of the tour carries an additional cost.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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