Pristine Pucon

November 2011

Having returned back to Chile after a 3 month long business stayover in the US in September 2011, there was an obvious desperation in our hearts for a sheer lack of indulgence that we call 'vacation'. Our last long one at that time was Rajasthan which was around December 2010; almost a year ago. While in the US, we did spend some time in Chicago and Washington DC but upon our return to Chile, we couldn`t resist the idea of a holiday not filled with museums or a long list of things to do. Pucon was almost an immediate choice for its proximity to Santiago and mainly because it serves as a magnificent entry to the world famous lake districts of Chile.

As the Tur Bus slowly makes its way through the narrow streets in downtown Pucon, you will not miss the 2nd most active volcano in Chile, volcan Villarica overlooking the beautiful town of Pucon. On a clear sunny day (which shouldn`t be taken for granted), volcan Villarica is a beautiful sight and enough to inspire an ascent. At an altitude of about 2800 meters, a guided ascent is something we should have done and that is something which will be reason enough to go back to Pucon for the 3rd time.

Lago Villarica is a major attraction in downtown Pucon. This is a big lake and around November it wasn`t as crowded as it is during the summer months. In case one is thrilled by unparallel natural beauty, the best thing to do while in Pucon is to hire a car and drive around. During our drive across Pucon, we came upon numerous picturesque waterfalls and hot springs which were around 20 km to 70 km from Pucon and with great roads all along, driving was never a problem. It was during this trip that we tried river rafting for the first time on river Trancura : another amazing experience.

About 20 km to 30 km from Pucon is Lago Currarahue. This is another beautiful lake surrounded by snow capped peaks and easily one of the best in this continent. About 75 km from Pucon lies the frontier to Argentina and the remains of the dead volcano Lanin. The international highway is a mouth watering opportunity to drive at speeds of more than 120 km/hr. However the last 20 km of this trail has been left as a gravel road and definitely driving is difficult especially if it has rained. We were lucky as November was relatively dry. While we were driving up to Lanin, the gravel road was almost never ending with no sight of any volcano in the vicinity. Thats the best part of this drive because you don`t see this volcano at all along the drive until it suddenly emerges. 

The proximity of this amazing volcano forces you to stop your car and ponder, ' where was it hiding all along the way !' We almost had an inclination to come back the next day and hike this one but we somehow assured ourselves of a return not the next day but some other time in the near future. I must also mention about a wonderful lake that we came across while laboriously driving through the gravel road up to Lanin.

This lake is called Huechulafquen (a tounge twister almost!). There was absolutely no one around and I have to admit that the whole setting was just spectacular. I wish we were there during sunset. We spent sometime on this lake and quietly marvelled at the amazing natural beauty. The only sound that we could hear was that of the water hitting the shores of this beautiful lake. It was time to go back and bid good bye to Pucon. We had promised ourselves that we would be back for the Villarica ascent and so we were there once again in February 2012. 

At that time Pucon was crowded with many tourists (mostly Europeans) and it rained quite a bit. So the ascent was almost out of the question. In this second trip, we went to the Huerquehue national park for a short trek and that was splendid as well. I hope to finally add the details about the pending ascent as soon as we finish ticking it off. Thats planned for December 2012!