Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
though it was razed to the ground by the
Mapuche in the sixteenth century and
largely destroyed by the devastating
earthquake of 1960, which accounts for
the hotchpotch of buildings from every
era and architectural style here. Today
Valdivia remains an energetic university
city that lies at the confluence of the
Río Valdivia and Río Calle Calle,
145km southwest of Pucón.
Most of the action centres on the
waterfront
; you'll smell the fishy
Mercado
Fluvial
and hear the noise before you reach
it. The real highlight here is the resident
colony of monstrously sized
sea lions
,
which spend much of their day lounging
on the river behind the market feeding on
scraps (competing with a motley horde of
clamouring seagulls, cormorants, vultures
and pelicans). While the colony has
become somewhat acclimatized to humans,
they remain wild, so keep a healthy
distance, even when they waddle onto
the market floor. The waterfront is also
a departure point for numerous boats
offering entertaining half-day cruises up
the river to the fort ruins (see below) for
CH$15,000-35,000, though commentary
is Spanish only.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Just on the other side of the Río Valdivia
from the fish market, in a tranquil
section of Isla Teja, the
Museo Histórico
y Antropológico
(Jan & Feb daily
10am-8pm; March-Dec Tues-Sun
10am-1pm & 2-6pm; CH$1500,
CH$2500 with Philippi museum;
T
63 212872,
W
museosaustral.cl) offers a
rare glimpse of nineteenth-century Chile.
VALDIVIA
ACCOMMODATION
Airesbuenos Hostel
Hostel Bosque Nativo
Cabañas y Hostal Borde Río
Hostal Totem
4
3
2
4
1
EATING & DRINKING
Café Haussmann
Café Palace
La Calesa
Cervecería Kunstmann
Entrelagos
Mercado Municipal
La Última Frontera
3
5
1
2
6
4
7
Isla
Teja
Dreams
Hotel &
Casino
Bus stop for Niebla
Mercado
Municipal
Museo
Historico
Plaza
Pedro de
Valdivia
Cyber
Central
Unimarc
Supermarket
Mercado
Fluvial
Scotia
Bank
Banco de Chile
Feria Artesenal
Catedral
Bus
Terminal
Banefe
PLAZA
DE LA
REPÚBLICA
LAN
Banco
Santander
Plaza de
Los Ríos
Unimarc
Supermarket
Centro Cultural
El Austral
Iglesia de
San Francisco
Torreón de
los Canelos
N
0
200
metres
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