Huilo Huilo

29.12. In Huilo Huilo there is a hotel complex called Montana Magica that we saw in a documentary and is definitely worth a visit. In addition, there are three more hotels on the same property, all of which have a special architecture. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to get close to them as everything is fenced off. One night is expensive (300 CHF) and already fully booked as New Year's Eve is approaching. Nevertheless, we want to go and see it and drive to the nature park. On the way, we stop and explore the beautiful Huilo Huilo waterfall, which I will visit again in the evening to take some photos. At least we can admire Montana Magica from the outside. The other hotels remain hidden in the nature park. We walk through the park past wooden sculptures to two more waterfalls before staying overnight at the nearby campsite for 40 CHF!!! For this price, they could have at least maintained the road...

30.12. It rains all night and in the morning we discover a completely soaked dog who braved the weather all night next to our tent. It's difficult to pet him, but thanks to our tent dismantling, he finds a dry spot to lie down. We need internet and decide to plan our onward journey a bit in Los Lagos. We learn that some Argentine border crossings will open on January 4th, which would allow us to continue our journey south. Since we need to reschedule flights, book ferries and rental cars, and also find places for PCR tests, this would require a lot of work and expenses. But we are motivated not to miss this opportunity. The weather will also be very bad in the next few days, so we decide to take a cabin in Osorno for 4 nights to relax a bit. Camping in continuous rain is not quite fun. In Los Lagos, there is also a vaccination center, and we decide to get the booster shot in Chile. This can easily be done, and after 45 minutes without an appointment, we are freshly boosted and continue our journey to Lago Ranco. Since we had to quickly organize a departure flight back in Lima, it is difficult to reschedule. We cannot reach one airline (since the pandemic, they have isolated themselves and cut off all helplines), and we have to explain to the other one in the online chat that we need to reschedule through them and not the travel agency. We are also waiting for a response to be able to return our rental car earlier and possibly get a discount on the 4x4 we want to book afterwards. However, we have to speak with the travel agency in Germany about this, as the rental company does not want or cannot handle it directly with us. Thus, the day is soon coming to an end without much sightseeing, but we see a light at the end of the tunnel. In Lifen, we find a campsite run by a Mapuche woman. The dogs at night once again annoy/bother us...