The Valdivia is a relatively small and fast growing city in Southern Chile. The city obviously puts a great deal of effort in to building a tourism industry, and it also has a well established agricultural industry that works well with strong environmental awareness of the community. Just a few minutes up river on a tour boat, the city of Valdivia melts in to a marsh land nature reserve built out of the confluence of several rivers as they flow from the South American Andes mountain range. Among other things you will find small Mapuche village, a Chicha brewer, and of course lots of animals that call the nature reserve home. We took a ride on one of the many tour boats in Valdivia, and it did not disappoint.

Valdivia is one of those cities that tends to get skipped on the major tours of Southern Chile. It sits just slightly off the main highway system, and thus it take another 30 to 40 minutes to reach it. People do not just stop by as they do in Puerto Montt or Temuco on their way to other points south. That said, it is more than worth the effort.

The tour boats anchored near the fish market and the now famous sea lions of Valdivia, are one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get to know the area. Tickets range from about 5,000 Chilean pesos to about 15,000 Chilean pesos, and are more than worth the price. In the summer high season you can also take dinner cruses.

Our trip was on the Bahia Patagonia, a small cruze ship that operates all year around. Their evening cruz through the wetland nature reserves around Valdivia includes a stop for a tour of the local Mapuche village of Punucapa just across the river from the more modern city of Valdivia.

The wetlands are most famously home to the Black Neck swans. The pairs of swans would take off and land alongside the ship as it made its way through the open water of the marsh. Hundreds of other species call the nature reserve home, and seem to take little notice of the slow boat passing through. It is one of those rare places where fresh water and salt water species mix easily.



Among other things, and by far our favorite stop, was a visit to a Mapuche brewery in Punucapa for a shot of Chicha, a traditional Chilean drink. Among other things the Mapuche have been working hard to produce Chicha and Cider for export and a few thousand pesos will get you some bottles for the road.

Be prepared in the winter time for a cold ride back in the dark, but even this was spectacular as the ship rounded the bend and the city lights of Valdivia suddenly filled the banks of the river.