Petrohué Waterfalls (pronounced petro-WEH; es, Saltos del Petrohué) is a chute-type waterfall in the upper reach of Petrohué River in Chile, a short distance downstream of the source of this river in

Todos los Santos Lake Lake Todos los Santos (Spanish for "All Saints Lake") is a lake located in the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile, 96 km northeast of the regional capital Puerto Montt and 76 km east of Puerto Varas, within the boundaries of the Vicen ...

. This waterfall is inside the

Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park () is located in Los Lagos Region, Llanquihue Province, of Chile. Its western entrance is close to the Ensenada locality, northeast of the provincial capital of Puerto Montt, and from Puerto Varas along Ruta ...

, close to the road leading to the Petrohue locality on lake Todos los Santos. Tourists on the international route between Puerto Montt in Chile and

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park ...

in Argentina are generally offered a stop for a walk to enjoy the sights. The waterfall is supported by basaltic lava (

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...

) stemming from the

Osorno Volcano Osorno Volcano is a tall conical stratovolcano lying between Osorno Province and Llanquihue Province, in Los Lagos Region of Chile. It stands on the southeastern shore of Llanquihue Lake, and also towers over Todos los Santos Lake. Osorno is con ...

that sits in between Todos los Santos and Llanquihue Lake and provides an interesting background for pictures. The average water flow of these falls is of 270 m³ per second, but it can be much larger during the rainy season when the surface level of lake Todos los Santos rises by up to 3 meters. The water, decanted in the lake, is usually clear with a green hue; however, occasionally, when lahars descending from the volcano are active, water at the falls can be loaded with sand and silt. Transport of these abrasive materials explains the polished aspect of the rocks. Attentive visitors may spot a couple of

torrent duck The torrent duck (''Merganetta armata'') is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Merganetta''. It is placed in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae after the "perching duck" assemblage to which ...

s mastering the rapids, with their chicks when in season.

External links

Petrohué waterfalls (1040x780 pixels)
Waterfalls of Chile Landforms of Los Lagos Region Tourist attractions in Los Lagos Region {{LosLagos-geo-stub