Xailafken Lake

The lakes of the southern Chilean Andes lie in glacial basins amid wooded hills and volcanic peaks. In the country around Panguipulli and Riñihue, waterways link several lakes before the San Pedro River carries their waters westwards. Forests cover the intervening slopes, and mountain streams feed the lake system. Mapuche communities have long inhabited these valleys, whose lakes and rivers connect the foothills to lands nearer the Pacific.