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Distance: 19.8 km, hilly to mountainous. Duration: 2-3 days. Grade: Easy to medium (climb to the mountain top viewpoint at 1,750 m can be difficult). Recommended: comfortable clothes and shoes for walking.
In case you are looking for an inexpensive, more exciting and more challenging alternative to the overrun and over-commercialised Huerquehue National Park, check out this trail in the northern part of the national park. Great mountain slopes, wide grasslands, impressive forests with immense trees, and picturesque views of the mountains itself and surrounding ones and volcanoes.
1) You start in Caburgua from where you take the road along the eastern side of the lake until you reach the beginning of the trail. Camp the first night here or continue into the park where you can find further camping opportunities. 2) The next central spot of the trail is the Renahue Camping area, from here you hike up to Mirador Renahue (Pass of decision). And you either continue further south into the rest of the Huerquehue National Park (and back later) or straight up the mountain to about 1,750 m for picturesque views of the three closeby volcanoes of the region (Villarrica, LLaima, and Lanín). 3) Back at Renahue Camping area, the trail continues towards the termas at its eastern end—take the northern part of this trail, details for the termas see below. Take a dip into their refreshing and heating waters, and put up your tent or continue a little further for a free camp site.
There are many camp sites along the trail, as you can see on OpenStreetMap. There are regular buses from Pucon to Caburgua for 800 pesos. Leaving again from the end of the trail (at the termas) is more complicated—in case you intend to hitch-hike, get out of the trail on a Saturday or Sunday when you will also get some weekenders traffic. Otherwise, there is not much local traffic towards Temuco from the termas and waiting/walking for 6 hr is not uncommon. The other road east back to Pucon, however, seems to be more frequented by cars. Or you decide to hike back, taking the southern loop of this trail and then head south via Mirador Renahue through the main touristy part of the national park. Or you come in from the north east, i.e. termas, (with bus or hitch) to begin with. There are sometimes stray dogs along the trail, especially near houses—read Chile#Stay safe for behaviour advice.
Download coordinates: GPX, KML.
Snowcapped Villarrica (2861 m) looms majestically over Pucón at 2,840 meters (9,318 feet) above sea level. Climbing to the top is non-technical and, on clear days, easy. Thousands of people make the climb each year, most of them in January and February, taking in the spectacular views of Volcans Llaima, Choshuenco, Quetrupillán, Lanin, and Lonquimay in the horizon. Crampons, ice axe and/or trekking poles and warm windproof clothing are essential equipment year round. To be allowed to climb without a guide you must register with Conaf (in town), have your equipment checked and show proof of membership in a mountaineering organization in your home country. Most people start from the skiing area, where you can take the ski lift for the first 300 m. You can also start from near the refugio, at the Mirador Los Craters. From there the climb is longer, but for those carrying skis or snowboards, that means more riding when descending. Getting to the ski area or Mirador Los Craters is easy hitchhiking. Taxis in Pucón will gladly take you there as well. Most of guided excursions begin at around 07:00 but some agencies offer an earlier 05:00 start and you will get to reach the volcano alone with your team, avoiding the big crowds that arrive later. Agencies will provide equipment and transportation and cost around. Most guides won't go further up after 14:00 so get up early and don't waste too much time on your way up. Be sure to check how much money you'll get back if the climb is canceled due to bad weather.
Alternatively to the over-commercialised Volcano Villarrica, you can also visit Quetrupillan (2,009 m) right behind it and shoot some great pictures of Villarrica and Lanin, which is even higher, at the border. This trek only requires registration with CONAF and a fee of CLP$5,000. The trails starts from S-939, which is a side road of 199-CH between Pucón and Curarrehue. The latter is served by a bus. The trails here can be 2-5 days in length, depending on your route. From Quetrupillan it is possible to go back on the southern side of Volcano Villarrica or heading further southeast, which however can be quite muddy. Likewise you can start north at the foot of Volcano Villarrica and circle it west, south and east to head further to Quetrupillan. To find the trails, consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz use. However, the trail circling Volcano Villarrica is not visible there. So, either way it is a good idea to obtain some non-committal information beforehand from the CONAF office in Pucón.
A very beautiful and worth a visit national park in close reach of Pucón. Unfortunately, it seems you need to be in and out again between 09:00 and 15:00, which is quite a shame for the price you are supposed to pay and the beauty of the park. They have a camp ground at the entrance of the national park though. Nevertheless, it seems that the eastern entrance and western entrance do not have any restrictions enforced, and an official camp ground is available in the centre of the trail. To find all the trails and potential camp grounds, consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz use.
5 natural pools next to the river, water around 35-45ºC with a beautiful setting, especially during winter (snow around you).