Pucon was the first stop on our three week trip to the Central Lake District of Chile. We took our kids on three fantastic hikes in the region including, Los Lagos trail, Los Ojos del Caburgua and Mirador Las Crateres, a hike around the base of Volcan. Considering Pucon is the region’s most well known adventure tourism hub, we thought it would be a good place to start and get our feet under us.
Pucon is situated on Lake Villarrica and is well positioned for great access to multiple national parks. There are many tour operators in town offering tours and guides to explore the trails and parks, or if you have your own transportation, you can easily explore the area on your own.
We spent 5 days in Pucon and had adventure plans in mind. Our goal for this trip was to tackle some longer hikes with the kids. We started training about four months before we left and slowly increased the distances hiked as well as the weight of this kids’ packs. We were really excited to put those broken-in hiking boots to the test!
Since it was spring (mid-November), we weren’t sure what condition the trails would be in or even which trails would be open for the season. Finding information on-line was very difficult but once on the ground in Pucon, it was fairly easy to get local information and maps from both the Tourism Information Office and the CONAF (National Forest Corporation of Chile) office in town.
Our options were a bit limited due to the late snow but we still managed to do some fantastic hikes in the area.
Los Lagos Trail
Our first big hike was the Los Lagos trail in Huerquehue National Park. Huerquehue National Park is located 35 km east of Pucon. Once off the main road, the access was on a well maintained gravel road that switchbacked up the mountain. As with all trails in the national parks, it is maintained and run by CONAF. To enter the park you first have to register at the CONAF office and pay a small park entrance fee (about 4 dollars per person).
The hike leads up the mountain to a circuit of three lakes. There is a small circuit (13 km up and back) and a long circuit (16.2 km up and back). We opted for the small circuit which takes you past Lake Chico, Lake Verde and Lake Toro.
The big draw for this hike is the Araucaria tree forests. These unique Chilean pine trees are native to the region and only grow at elevations above 1,000 metres. They can live to be over 1,000 years old. Even their thick, scale-like pine needles typically last 24 years! I loved them for their unique silhouette in the skyline. Very photogenic trees!
The hike itself was a steep incline for the first 5 km and then the trail reached a plateau around the lakes. The kids handled it so well! We made sure to stop for lots of water and snacks at each “mirador” or look out point. And of course to take time to appreciate the amazing view with Volcan Villarrica in the distance!
Our reward was a picturesque picnic lunch on the banks of Lago Chico.
There are a few side access trails that lead to look out points for the waterfalls as well. We saved those for the way down!
Los Ojos del Caburgua (Caburgua Waterfalls)
Los Ojos del Caburgua are about 15 minutes outside of Pucon and make for a lovely afternoon outing. More of a walk then a hike, a trail takes you along the edge of the pools with wooden platforms built out over the water to view the waterfalls. The land that the river runs through is privately owned and maintained. The entrance is about 3km from HWY 905 along a dirt road. Once you get to what looks like someones house, you have arrived at the entrance! There was someone there to take our entrance fee and direct us to parking. From the parking lot the river and waterfalls are within 100 metres.
The water is such a beautiful shade of blue! All together there are about 2km of trails that run along the river and across to a small island in the river. It was calm and peaceful to just stroll and enjoy the view. It was also a great way to get out into nature but still give our legs a bit of a break!
Mirador Las Crateres, Volcan Villarrica
We were really excited about this one! Almost everywhere you go in Pucon, you can see Volcan Villarrica standing majestically in the distance, smoke drifting from its top. We couldn’t wait to get up close to our first volcano!
There are many tour operators in town that offer tours up to the top of the volcano, but our kids were not nearly old enough. In order to climb to the summit, you must go with a registered guide and each climber has to be at least 16 years of age and in good physical fitness to complete the ascent. We were happy to opt for a hike around the base of the volcano that still offered a great climb with spectacular views of the Andes mountains and Lake Villarrica.
Pucon was a fantastic base to explore this beautiful area of Chile. We only wish that we could have done even more of the hikes and explored a few more of the national parks. All the more reason to go back another year!
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