Getting out to the countryside near Valdivia presents many more facets of this unique land. Up the rivers are Punucapa, a small village known for its pilgrimage and brews, and Reserva Natural Río Cruces, a reserve land created from the new brackish ecosystem that the 1960 tsunami had left behind. Parque Oncol and the new Parque Nacional Alerce Costero south of Corral are other places for hiking and birdwatching. Check out the Spanish fortresses studding the banks of the river all the way downstream to the Pacific Ocean. The ones at Niebla, Corral and Isla Mancera are the most popular. These off-the-beaten track towns, though, offer much more to travelers, as do the dozens of villages along the coast. From Niebla you can chill at Los Molinos, Curiñanco and other beaches. Near Corral are Amargos and San Carlos, both with colonial forts, Los Liles, Chaihuín and Huiro.