Lago Budi is a truly unique fishing destination in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile — the only saltwater lake on the west coast of South America that receives seasonal inflows of seawater. Unlike the glacial lakes of the Chilean Andes, Lago Budi sits above a coastal plain just south of the Nahuelbuta Range and north of the Valdivian Coastal Range, where the Chilean Coast Range is remarkably low. The lake was formed through tectonic movements and eustatic sea level changes, giving it a brackish, tidal character unlike any other lake in the region. Covering a surface area of 56.2 km² (21.7 sq mi), it straddles the boundary between the Saavedra and Teodoro Schmidt communes. The lake drains via the Budi River and receives inflows from Estero Comoe and Estero Boyeco. Its waters reflect the surrounding coastal landscape — a mosaic of dunes, small forests, wetlands, and cliffs — and the area is deeply intertwined with the culture of the Mapuche and Lafquenche peoples, who have called these shores home for generations.