Pucon – The Outdoor Adventure Dream Town

03/01 ~ 08/01

Pucon Hikes and Sightseeing

Tues evening into Wed morning (03/01-04/01)

I travelled from Santiago to Pucon via overnight bus. There were only a few seats left and I chose the last window seat at the back thinking I was lucky… oh was I wrong! The smell of something I can only describe as boiling urine mixed with bleach! How many times can people pee in 9 hours? I didn’t go once! I still smell it now… front seats for me from now on buses with toilets. Come to think of it my flight seat was also next to a toilet, but the leg room is worth it, and it wasn’t as bad! In the end I got basically no sleep as expected (I can’t sleep unless horizontal).

Wed day (04/01)

Pucon… what a place! Driving in to see looming smoking Mt Villarrica in the background, along with forested other mountains… what a sight. It reminds me of a larger version of Queenstown in NZ as an adventure sports tourist hub, in a good way! I was able to check in at 9am and scout around for ideas for the next few days.

The Mt Villarrica summit climbs were booked out sadly for the next days, as bad weather was predicted after. I ended up booking white water rafting instead for the day after. It didn’t take long before I needed sleep, and returned to hostel. After an hour or two sleep I ventured out for dinner and a few beers at a local bar, conversing with the staff who were interested in my travels and even gave me discounted beers and providing recommendations. Kunstmann (I think it’s spelt) is my favourite local brand for now.

Thurs (05/01)

After a good sleep in the nice beds at the hostel I went downstairs where the lady prepared my breakfast of scrambled eggs and provided a tray with assorted items and several options to choose from. I could get used to this, I think. I further walked around town taking in the sights. The most memorable being the black volcanic sand beach by Lake Villarrica.

At 3pm I started rafting. I was paired with a group of travelling Chileans and was the only English speaker, but the guide was great at accommodating this. As this was my 3rd time, I knew the ropes anyway. I ended up understanding the Chilean commands after a while anyway. There were several steel parts that were great fun, I almost fell out but a good foot hold kept me in! One of my favourite parts was having to jump in the water off the cliff (there was a difficult cascade we couldn’t do). Great fun!

That evening I went out again and met a local Chilean girl in which we had a few beers around midnight into the morning at the moonlit beach sharing our thoughts… I’ll stop there ?. She was nice and it was a great insightful evening!

Huerquehue National Park

Fri (06/01)

After a long sleep in, I got my booked hire car at midday and made way to Huerquehue NP. I’d heard only good things about this place, so it was a must-see for me. Learning to drive on the right side again was funny. You really need to think hard when turning. I had a tiny Suzuki, literally the smallest car I’ve ever driven. I felt ridiculous, especially when I took it off-road and it felt like driving a giant ice skate!

The hike I was originally doing was 3 nights, but due to rain I only called one night at a remote campground called Renehue. The hike was roughly 13km each way of continuous up and downs and a few switchbacks. The scenery was spectacular! At least 5 lakes and two waterfalls.

At the campsite, there was only two other groups and two Swiss girls’ (did they even leave their tent?), and four 21 year old Chilean guys travelling from Santiago. I hung out with them as I cooked dinner, and we passed around a bottle of fireball whiskey which one brought and I contributed some chocolate (fair trade 😛 haha). We had a lot of laughs talking crap, they were pretty funny.

Sat (07/01)

In the morning, the rain started. ‘Should I pack up now or wait it out?’, I think. Checking the forecast on my satellite GPS, the weather was not going to lighten. I wanted to explore the river, but the rain meant the return trail would turn to mudslide cascades, so I packed up wet, said goodbyes and left.

The hike back up the switchbacks was tough. The trekking poles were invaluable! I don’t think I’d have gotten out without some falls if not for them. The rain skirt I made myself protected my groin from getting wet (and from chafing), and my first test of my wet Altra Lone Peak trail runners paid off. Not a single blister, and still comfortable when soaked with water for the whole 13km hike back!

It took me about 4-5 hours to return to the car. I drove back to Pucón, and got a room at a hostel/guesthouse that had room to dry my gear. It had a good sized sink/plug for me to do some bathroom laundry too. On the plus side, a fireplace to dry gear!

Sun (08/01)

The bed was nice and cosy, and I slept until 10am. I made some breakfast I’m kitchen from stuff I already had, chatted for a bit to other guests (offering my coffee to one, as I understood they were looking for it in Spanish). I made sure fire had wood to continue doing clothes, and packed my day pack for a trip to Termas Geometricas, a geothermal hot spring in a canyon with waterfalls. ‘Perfect for a rainy day’, I think!

It was quite far away, almost a two-hour drive. My Suzuki paid off, whilst an ice skate on the loose dirt road, it was perfect on the wet volcanic sediment. I coasted over potholes without noticing them and over took at least 15 cars going half the speed. Maybe I’m just reckless, but that car was great in those conditions – ‘move over 4wds…  baby Suzuki coming though!’, I think.

The hot springs were… amazing! At least fifteen pools ranging between 35 and 45 degrees Celsius. I personally liked like 37-39 degree ones the best for comfort. The geothermal authenticity was rich in the air, as you could smell a hint of sulfur (rotten eggs) – not pleasant at first, but you get used to it quickly. It was very relaxing on the muscles which took a beating on my first proper hike in ages the day before. I stayed for at least three and a half hours until 6pm and left (when a guy told me I left my car lights on – oops!).

I returned home and ate some of my remaining food for dinner, put some more wood on the fire and finished off my bottle of wine whilst talking to an American lady who was well travelled in the area. The big topic was ‘what is Chilean cuisine?’, we decided it wasn’t unique and laughed. Empadanas? Come on… 😛

~ Continue my Patagonian travels with ‘Villarrica Volcano Traverse – Patagonia: Multi-day Hiking Trip‘ ~

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