Pucón

We arrived in Pucón, adventure capital of Chile, shortly after sunrise.

Pucón is known for its stunning natural landscape, with volcanos, lakes, waterfalls, and thermal springs. The national park containing it is at the north end of the Patagonia region of southern South America. It’s a ski town in winter.

The area is dominated by the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Latin America. My view of it from the bathroom window of my room was the best!

National Park tour

We hopped in a van for a tour of the area. First stop was at the top of a waterfall, where we had to hike down to its base for photos.

We went to a site covered in lava from a major eruption of Villarrica in 1971. Our guide told us of stories of destruction and death, and also of how closely the volcanos are monitored so everyone will be well aware of another impending eruption.

We stopped at one of the many lakes in the area surrounded by volcanic peaks.

Thermal springs

There are a few thermal springs in the area, some commercialized and upscale. We chose to go to a rustic collection of warm mineral pools. In between you could go for a cold plunge in the river alongside.

Villarrica volcano hike

The next day we hiked to the base of the most active volcano in Chile, Villarrica. We walked up on lava fields, then back down through a forest.

Two of our group chose to do an extreme version of our hike. They set out before dawn with their guides, carrying heavy bags with crampons, an ice pick, and a gas mask, and wearing pants with a padded butt. They hiked up to the top of the volcano, needing the crampons on their boots for the ice at the top. There they saw lava lakes, but the lava was too far down to see from their vantage point. They may have needed the masks for fumes, but didn’t.

It took 5 hours to hike up, then with soft snow they sat, and slid down. If it had been too icy, they would have have to pick their way down as they would slide too fast. What an adventure! I almost wished I had gone with them but our hike was great too.

Mapuche people

We heard some stories of the local indigenous people, the Mapuches. Ruben, our hiking guide, is part Mapuche. They are the only indigenous in South America not conquered by the Spanish. There was a Mapuche ceremonial statue at the end of our volcano hike. The people hold some natural locations in high regard, viewing them as places where the spirits and the earth connect.

Town of Pucon

After returning from the hike, I did a quick tour of the downtown. The town reminded me of Banff in Canada a long time ago, before it became overrun with tourists. It sits at the edge of a lake, the harbor filled with fancy boats. Then I went back to the room to collapse for a while.

Barbecue dinner

We went to the rural home of one of our hiking hosts for a barbecue dinner. We had many different types of meat, plus lots of wine, and the local specialty terremotos for dessert. The name means earthquake, and they are made of pisco liqueur, wine and pineapple ice cream.

After dinner I asked for local music, maybe a dance? and was treated to instruction in cueca by our hiking guide Ruben.

I discovered that our Argentinian tour leader Javi dances tango! He taught me a little tango, I taught him a little bachata. A fun dance night for our last night in Chile!

We had a clear sky at midnight on the farm, so Javi showed us the constellations of the southern hemisphere. Orion’s belt is still there, but upside down, is what I remember most about that.

Tomorrow we have a long day of travel through the Andes mountains to our next destination, Bariloche in Argentina.