Valdivia

A university city laced with rivers, with sea lions at the riverside fish market, a network of Spanish colonial forts, German-heritage craft beer and black-necked swan wetlands.

Valdivia, capital of Chile's southern Los Ríos Region, sits at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Cruces and Valdivia rivers, about 18 km from the Pacific. It was founded in 1552 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, and a wave of German immigrants in the 19th century left behind timber mansions and a beer culture. In 1960 the city was struck by the strongest earthquake ever recorded, a magnitude 9.5, which caused the riverbanks to subside and formed today's wetlands. In the city center, a walk along the riverside promenade links the river fish market and its sea lions, the Torreón Los Canelos, the submarine museum and Calle General Lagos. Across the bridge on Isla Teja are the Historical and Anthropological Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Universidad Austral botanical garden and Parque Saval. The classic day trip is a boat or bus ride downriver, passing the Kunstmann brewery, to visit the colonial forts at Niebla, Isla Mancera and Corral. Other options include the Río Cruces wetlands for black-necked swans, the Oncol rainforest and the Curiñanco coast. Dec–Mar is dry and warm, the best time to visit; the rest of the year is rainy. You can fly from Santiago to Pichoy Airport (about 1.5 hours) or take a long-distance bus. Plan on 2–3 days; February brings a beer festival and the Noche Valdiviana, with illuminated boats on the river.

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