From Puerto Varas it is the postcard above the lake – 60 kilometers away.
Up close the white cone becomes a mountain: forest, volcanic sand, then snow.
At the very top it is glacier with crevasses. That is where CONAF has closed access since March 2026.
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closer in
Volcanically, Osorno is silent: last eruption 1869, alert level green. It is closed for a different reason. On March 1, 2026 CONAF shut the summit sector because of rockfall, ice sheets and open crevasses and reaffirmed the closure in May; two people died on the mountain in 2026. Everything below – road, ski center, chairlifts, trails – is freely accessible.
“Estrictamente cerrado” since March 1, 2026. CONAF classes unauthorized entry into the summit sector as a serious offense. No reopening had been reported by September 22, 2026 – agencies still sell the tour. Call CONAF Ensenada first: +56 65 2212036.
Two sections from the ski center (1,240 m / 4,070 ft), year-round for scenic rides, Mon–Sun 10:30 am–7 pm, weather permitting. At the top: Lake Llanquihue, Calbuco, Puntiagudo. Ski season usually mid-June to early October.
The rapids of the Río Petrohué over lava ledges, 6 km (3.7 miles) past Ensenada on the same road. Ticket online only from Pases Parques – there is no signal at the entrance. Until the end of March 9 am–6 pm, otherwise 9 am–5 pm.
Photo: MattWithX1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A paved road climbs from Ensenada to 1,240 m (4,070 ft), then two chairlifts take over. At the top, on the edge of the glacier, it is cold and windy, and in one sweep you see Lake Llanquihue, Calbuco with its truncated summit and the pointed Puntiagudo. The view needs neither a guide nor crampons – just a windbreaker.
The classic day from Puerto Varas combines three places on one road: the lift on Osorno in the morning, the Saltos del Petrohué at midday, the shore of Lake Todos los Santos in the afternoon. That is exactly what most tours do.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026. The chairlift and the Saltos ticket are not automatically included – check before booking. In wind the lift stops.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0
There are no conditions for the road, the lift and the trails. As soon as you step onto the glacier above the lift facilities, the mountaineering rules apply – and, right now, the summit closure.
Before any climb beyond the lifts: name, route and contact at the CONAF Volcán Osorno post in the El Refugio sector (road V-555) or at the park administration in Ensenada. Free, no quota.
At least two people with demonstrable experience, roped up – anyone without that goes with a certified mountain guide or an authorized agency. The ski center does not offer summit climbs.
CONAF lists technical clothing, crampons, ice axe, helmet, harness and rope as mandatory. The hiker who died in a 150 m deep crevasse in May 2026 was neither registered nor equipped.
Ordered by the CONAF Los Lagos regional directorate on the recommendation of the park's mountain team. Earlier closures: 2019 “until further notice”, February 27–July 7, 2025. Emergency numbers 130 (CONAF), 133 (Carabineros).
| Saltos del Petrohué (CONAF, Pases Parques): foreign adults, seniors, people with disabilities · about €7.60 | CLP 8,200 |
| Foreign teenagers 13–17 · about €4 | CLP 4,500 |
| Chilean adults 18–59 / teenagers 13–17 | CLP 3,900 / 2,800 |
| Children up to 12 (all); Chilean seniors and people with disabilities | free |
| Chairlift scenic ride: adults from 15 / children 6–14 / seniors 75+ · about €22 / €14 / €16 | CLP 24,000 / 15,000 / 17,000 |
| Adult ski day pass, low season / high season · keycard CLP 6,000 | CLP 32,000 / 46,000 |
| Volcán Osorno sector: road, parking, trails, registration | no fee documented |
| Road V-555 Ensenada – ski center | From Ensenada (Ruta 225) 12–17 km (7.5–10.5 miles) of paved road up to the ski center and Refugio Teski at about 1,240 m (4,070 ft), 20–30 minutes; from Puerto Varas about an hour. Year-round, chains mandatory in winter (CONAF notice since August 12, 2026), Carabineros check. Parking free, full before 9:30 am in July/August. |
| Enlace and Glaciar chairlifts | From 1,240 m via the Primavera mid-station (about 1,450 m / 4,760 ft) to about 1,750 m (5,740 ft) at the glacier's edge, together about 1,000 m long. Scenic ticket CLP 24,000 for one ride up and down. Year-round, Mon–Sun 10:30 am–7 pm, stops in wind. The elevations come from operator and travel-portal texts. |
| Standard route to the summit (west flank across the glacier) – closed | From the ski center or the top lift station 6–8 hours up over volcanic sand, firn and glacier to 2,652 m (8,701 ft), 3–4 hours down; guided tours leave Puerto Varas at 4–6 am, 10–12 hours in total. Usually October–April. Closed by CONAF as of September 22, 2026. |
| Sendero Paso Desolación | From road V-555 (about 1,100 m / 3,600 ft) down to Petrohué on Lake Todos los Santos (192 m / 630 ft): 12–14 km (7.5–8.7 miles), 5–8 hours, moderate difficulty, CONAF checkpoint halfway. October–April; distances from hiking portals, not from CONAF. |
Photo: MattWithX1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Without a car: Minibuses Puerto Varas – Ensenada – Petrohué (Ruta 225) run regularly but do not go up to the ski center; from Ensenada taxi/transfer or agency shuttle. No public transport to the center (Andacor). Puerto Montt (El Tepual airport) is about 20 km (12 miles) from Puerto Varas.
By car: Puerto Varas – Ruta 225 along the south shore of Lake Llanquihue to Ensenada (about 47 km / 29 miles) – left onto the V-555 'Camino al Volcán', 12–17 km (7.5–10.5 miles) paved uphill to the ski center/Teski. Parking at the ski center free, full early in July/August; chains mandatory in winter. Saltos del Petrohué: continue on the 225 about 6 km (3.7 miles) past Ensenada, parking at the entrance.
For views and hikes December to March (summer, longest days, road and trails free of snow, Saltos open until 6 pm). For skiing July to September, high season in the July winter holidays. Summit climbs usually run October to April – provided CONAF has reopened the summit, which in 2025 happened only in July and in 2026 has not happened at all so far. The cone is more often cloud-free in the morning than in the afternoon.
Photo: Carlos Teixidor Cadenas · CC BY 4.0
Puerto Montt is a cruise port. With only one day ashore you can do Osorno and the Saltos in six hours – privately or in a group.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026. Both tours still have few reviews.
Photo: Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0
To the ski center, by lift to about 1,750 m (5,740 ft) and on the trails, any time. CONAF closed the summit on March 1, 2026; no reopening had been reported by September 22, 2026.
CLP 24,000 (about €22) from age 15 for one ride up and down, CLP 15,000 for children 6 to 14, CLP 17,000 from age 75. Ski day passes CLP 32,000–46,000 depending on the season.
Ruta 225 along the south shore of Lake Llanquihue to Ensenada (47 km / 29 miles), then left onto the V-555 and up the paved road to the ski center – about an hour. Minibuses only go as far as Ensenada and Petrohué.
It counts as potentially active but has been dormant since 1869. The last yellow level, due to an earthquake swarm, ended on October 18, 2018. It is not on SERNAGEOMIN's alert list.
Yes, CLP 8,200 for foreign adults, CLP 4,500 for ages 13–17, children up to 12 free. Online only at pasesparques.cl – there is often no cell signal at the entrance.
Monday to Sunday 10:30 am–7 pm, weather permitting. The lifts run year-round for scenic rides; ski season usually mid-June to early October.
Not for the road, lift and trails. On the glacier CONAF requires a rope team of at least two experienced climbers with crampons, ice axe and helmet – anyone without that has to book a certified guide. Registration at the CONAF El Refugio post is mandatory for everyone.
CLP 8,200 for foreign adults, seniors and people with disabilities, CLP 4,500 for ages 13–17, children up to 12 free; Chileans pay CLP 3,900 or 2,800. Online only at pasesparques.cl.
From the ski center 6–8 hours uphill over volcanic sand and glacier, 3–4 hours back. Agencies leave Puerto Varas between 4 and 6 am and plan 10–12 hours.
Lift, café, viewpoints and the Saltos del Petrohué are family-friendly; children up to 12 pay nothing at CONAF, the lift costs CLP 15,000 from age 6. The summit is glacier terrain and not for children.
For the chairlift a windbreaker, hat and sunglasses – it is cold at the top. For the summit mountain boots, crampons, ice axe, helmet, harness, rope, glacier glasses and gloves; in winter snow chains for the car.
Not volcanically – no eruption since 1869. The glacier is what is dangerous: in 2026 two people died, one in a 150 m deep crevasse, a mountain guide after a fall from the summit area. Germany's Federal Foreign Office names Osorno specifically because of its crevasses.
Green. Osorno is not on SERNAGEOMIN's list of volcanoes under alert (as of September 4, 2026); the last yellow level ended on October 18, 2018.
Yes, both are on the same road: first up to the ski center (V-555), then back to Ensenada and 6 km (3.7 miles) on to the Saltos (Dec–March until 6 pm, otherwise until 5 pm). One day is enough.
Sources · accessed on 22 September 2026
