Stalls of smoked salmon, braids of garlic, ponchos of raw wool piled to the ceiling: the Angelmó market sets the tone even before the city introduces itself. Puerto Montt, at the head of the Gulf of Reloncaví, opens onto Chile's Lakes District — a land of snow-capped volcanoes, green pastures and wooden steeples inherited from 19th-century German settlers. Ships anchor in the harbour and bring their passengers ashore by tender, a short distance from the famous Angelmó market halls.

Angelmó, the stomach of southern Chile

The natural first stop, the Angelmó caleta blends a fish market with aisles of handicrafts, half an hour's walk from downtown along the coast. In the no-frills kitchens upstairs, they serve curanto, an emblematic dish from the nearby island of Chiloé: shellfish, meats and potatoes cooked together, originally in a pit lined with hot stones and covered with broad nalca leaves. The stalls are packed with Chilote woollens, baskets and wooden figurines — the best place in the country, many say, for crafts from the archipelago. Between the stalls, vendors cheerfully call out to passersby: the place is loud and lively, and that's its beauty.

Puerto Varas and Lake Llanquihue

About thirty minutes' drive to the north, Puerto Varas lies on the shores of Lake Llanquihue, the second largest in Chile. The little "city of roses" cultivates its German heritage: shingled houses, a Sacred Heart church modelled on a Rhineland design, tea rooms and pastry shops where raspberry kuchen takes pride of place in the window next to the strudel. On clear days, the perfect cone of Osorno Volcano is reflected in the lake, flanked by the jagged profile of Calbuco — a scene that alone explains why emigrants from Germany thought they recognized a southern Bavaria here.

Toward the rapids of Petrohué

The road continues to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, the oldest in Chile, created in 1926. At the Petrohué Falls, about 80 kilometres from the landing, the river flowing out of Lake Todos los Santos leaps in turquoise cascades over flows of solidified lava, with Osorno in the background. Boardwalks lead to the viewpoints in a few minutes of easy walking. Some excursions continue up the slopes of the volcano or set out on the emerald waters of Lake Todos los Santos, depending on the time available.

The city itself, no frills

The main town doesn't bother polishing its image: it's a busy regional capital of about 250,000 residents, sustained by aquaculture and maritime traffic. Its Plaza de Armas, its cathedral of alerce wood dating from the mid-19th century and its redeveloped waterfront can be discovered in an hour of leisurely walking. The views from the heights, notably the La Cruz lookout, take in the harbour, Tenglo Island, the comings and goings of boats and, in the distance, the Andean peaks.

Planning your day in the Lakes District

1. Nature option: Puerto Varas, Petrohué Falls and back along the lakeshore — the classic day, and for good reason.
2. Food lover's option: Angelmó in depth, a seafood meal, then downtown and the lookouts — ideal in the rain.
3. Mixed option: morning on the shores of Llanquihue, afternoon at the market halls — doable if the return is well timed.

When the tender brings passengers back in the slanting light of late afternoon, Osorno often plays at disappearing behind the clouds, as if to keep you wanting more. You leave this harbour with the taste of shellfish, the smell of raw wool and a lingering urge to come back and explore farther — Chiloé, the fjords, the Carretera Austral. Southern Chile begins here, and it's only just beginning.