Petrohué Waterfalls, Waterfalls at Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, Chile

Petrohué Waterfalls are a series of cascades in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park where water tumbles over volcanic rock formations while displaying intense turquoise colors. The river flows beneath the view of the snow-capped Osorno Volcano and creates multiple tiers of varying height and power.

The rock formations were created millions of years ago through volcanic activity from Osorno Volcano, which filled the landscape with basalt stone. This geological history continues to shape the appearance and flow of the river today.

The falls lie on the upper Petrohué River, a short way downstream of Todos los Santos Lake, inside Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. Travellers on the Puerto Varas–Bariloche route often stop here, and the Sendero Saltos de Petrohué, the park's main trail with services, leads over dirt paths, paving, walkways and bridges to viewpoints above the water.

Visitors follow built wooden pathways and viewing platforms to experience different angles of the cascades. The route is walkable most days, though slippery surfaces require appropriate footwear.

The average flow is 370 cubic metres per second, and it rises in the rainy season, when Lake Todos los Santos can climb by up to 2 metres. The water is usually clear with a green tone, but lahars from Osorno Volcano can load it with sand and silt. That abrasive sediment polishes the basaltic andesite rock the falls pour over.