Chile · Los Lagos
Saltos del Petrohué
Turquoise glacial meltwater from Lake Todos los Santos tears through channels carved into ancient lava flows, with the snow-capped cone of Osorno Volcano rising directly behind. The falls are more about ferocity and color than height, a compact stop on the classic Andean lake crossing route.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Petrohué Falls drops 9 metres (30 ft) on the Petrohué, inside Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. It is a cataract-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Puerto Varas, with PMC the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy.
As a cataract waterfall, a large, powerful waterfall or series of rapids on a big river.
Planning one of these? Check your travel insurance covers adventure activities — SafetyWing is one option.
Also good forHikingPhotographyWildlife & safari
Southern summer (Dec-Mar) gives clear views of the Osorno Volcano behind the rapids.
Entry: Park entry ~$8-12 USD
This waterfall
Petrohué Falls
Chile
Height9 mWidth—
Most similar
Jägala Waterfall
Estonia
Height8 mWidth50 m
Also a cataract waterfall and of similar height
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
Angel Falls is 109× taller than Petrohué Falls. Victoria Falls is 12× taller. We don't have a reliable crest width for Petrohué Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
32:29
12:11
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Guidebook
Mark Johanson et al. · 2025
Covers Los Angeles/Bío Bío for Salto del Laja, the Lake District's Vicente Pérez Rosales park, and Torres del Paine.
Guidebook
Ben Box · 2017
The one-volume continental handbook, useful for multi-country trips that link falls such as Iguazú, Kaieteur and Angel Falls.
Walking guide
Rudolf Abraham · 2023
Trek guide to the W and O circuits, which start near Pudeto and the short trail to Salto Grande on the Paine River.
-41.1394, -72.3961
Petrohué Falls is in Chile (Los Lagos), inside Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. The nearest base is Puerto Varas and the closest airport is PMC. Its coordinates are -41.1394, -72.3961.
Petrohué Falls drops 9 metres (30 feet). It is a cataract-type waterfall on the Petrohué.
Peak flow is January to March and December. Southern summer (Dec-Mar) gives clear views of the Osorno Volcano behind the rapids.
Beyond the viewpoints: kayaking, white-water rafting, hiking, photography and wildlife & safari. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
The usual base is Puerto Varas, and the closest airport is PMC. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. Park entry ~$8-12 USD.
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