Parque Nacional Villarrica — Attraction in Pucón

We visited the park half December and there was no one there except us. It felt like the Park at the End of the Universe. Misty, cool and silent except for the birds. Leaving Conaripe the road still had asphalt but then continued as a gravel road for more than 25 km. Very scenic, past three hotspring places with as last one El Rincon to the right side (if you took along a swimsuit you could soak in the hot water tubs), the road climbed until it reaches the park entrance. You need to drive on till you encounter the ranger cabin where you should pay an entrance fee (helps pay for upkeep of the park!!!). Unless you have a 4WD it is wise to park there and continue on foot. One shorter trail option of 0.9 km is a marked and tended trail (called Werken) that loops to a river and then ends on the gravel road. This road /track continues on deeper into the park and the trailheads of two other hikes are located off it Already at the entrance to the park look up at the beautiful ancient trees that seem to be from the age of the dinosaurs. One of the Araucarias up the road from the Guarderia (has toilets by the way) is signposted as being 1000-years old. Good for a selfie! The undergrowth is a sea of native bamboo. You hear birds in the canopy and water but no human-generated sounds except what you make. You can also hike to the Mirador Los Volcanos (3.5 km one way); the trailhead is within a reasonable walk on the gravel road and promises a 360 degree view on 5 vulcanos. We didn't make it to that point since the park closes at 6 pm and it was getting late. There are a few longer hikes as well- you get a detailed map with the...

Exhilarating! Only 4 people and 2 extremely knowledgeable, helpful, awesome guides made it to the summit the day we climbed Volcan Villarica, due to high winds, low visibility, and precipitation in the form of snow ( white out conditions). My niece and I were 2 of the fortunate ( fearless and strong minded) who reached the summit. Due to the whiteout conditions, we were unable to view the active lava lake. Villarica has since erupted and blew it's top. I believe it lost 40 feet of elevation. It's not a very difficult climb, if you have self arrest training and aren't intimidated by heights, cold, and vertical. People do slide into crevasses, and you don't use a safety line with your team, so it's up to you to stop yourself. Gear (crampons, ice pick, helmet, pack, coveralls, boots, glissade sled) were provided. This was over 5 years ago. The outfitters we used were of Mapuche descent, and were so familiar with the mountain that I...

We hiked the three day Villarrica Traverse and views were fantastic!! The first day hike to Laguna Azul took us around 7 hours was quite strenuous. On that part, there where some dayhikers but after that, we only met 4 people on the trek, which we liked very much. The path was well marked and easy to follow. Don't rely on hitchhiking for getting to the starting point! Best to ask for transfer e.g. at TravelAid (~35000 pesos). Hitchhiking back to Pucón is not a...