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Araucanía Andina
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The Villarrica volcano near Pucón
Chile gets a lot of press and promotion from the Chilean government;
however, just north of Pucón is one of the hidden treasures of
Chile. In just one spectacular three hour drive you will find
Volcanoes, national parks, ski resorts, hot springs, water falls, and
some of best fly fishing in Chile. We should also mention that you
will pass through the longest hand dug tunnel in South America. You
will find more than a few high quality bed and breakfast hostels with
international quality food and service along the way. We want to take
you on short tour of this hidden wonders of the Araucanía
Andina in Southern Chile. We certainly can not cover all of this
region has to offer in one article; but we will give it a shot.
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If you head East from Temuco on the
international highway to Argentina you enter the foothills of the
Andes, the first town you will encounter is the town of Curacautín.
Curacautín is one of
those small Chilean towns that is fighting hard for a piece of the
tourism action in Southern, Chile.
We
happened to catch Curacautín at its best with the whole town
out for the annual national "Teletón". The Teletón
is a national drive across Chile to raise money for disable children.
It essentially is an import of the Jerry's kids telethon in the
United States; just in Chile, every little town gets in on the action
making it more of a national holiday. Our bus was stopped at each
town during the Teletón weekend so that people could come on
board to collect money. Even armed robbers would have a hard time
being as effective as helping disabled children for getting money out
of the pockets of passengers.
The
town of Curacautín
is far from Las Vegas when it comes to action; but, that is also why
you would want to go there. Curacautín
is really just a jumping off point to the nearby natural wonders,
specially the Conguillío National Park and the Llaima volcano.
It is also where you can make contact for pickups with many of the
local hostels and hotels that are closer to the parks, if you should
decide to come in by bus. We spent the night at the Bavarian / German
Hostel Andenrose. The owner, Hans Schoendorfer picked us up in
Curacautín.
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If
you head out of Curacautín East towards the Andes, it is not
long before you start to see the snow capped volcanoes such as the
Llaima and Lonquimay, as well as the spectacular Sierra Nevada
Mountain. About 30 minutes East of Curacautín are the Salto
del Indio and Salto de la Princesa, or the Indian and Princess
Waterfalls. Just a few meters up the road from the Salto del Princesa
is a Campground with a restaurant and a patio overlooking the river.
Stop for at least a Pisco Sour or a beer.
Photo left Bavarian / German
Hostel Andenrose |
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Another
20 minutes up the road brings you one of the South American wonders
of engineering or just plain stubbornness: the longest hand dug
tunnel in South America. The tunnel is one lane, regulated on either
end by series of lights that lets one line of cars pass at a time.
Expect to pay about 1,200 pesos for the ride through the 4.5 Km
tunnel that seems to go on forever.
Just
pass the tunnel, in the small town of Sierra Nevada, is where the
real Andes start. Green valleys surrounded by a fortress of
snowcapped mountains and the Lonquimay volcano gives you the
impression that you just entered Switzerland.
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It is well worth looking
up Uta
Hashagen,
owner of "Lonco
Patagonia" for a horseback ride in to one of the many national
parks, and perhaps a stop at one the many hot springs in the area. A
dip in the Hot springs after three or four hours on horseback will
save those that do not spend their life on a horse from painful
muscles the following day. Chilean saddles also help, as they are
well padded and nowhere near the torture devices of the standard
western saddle.
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We
recommend that you wrap your trip up with lunch in Lonquimay
at Hostería Donde Juancho. This restaurant is famous with bus
tours in the region passing from Argentina. It seems strange in such
a remote location to find a restaurant that has a waiting list like
New York's finest; but, that is what we found on a sunny Sunday
afternoon in the Araucanía Andina.
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The
Lonquimay County has many attractions mostly unexplored. There are 15
towns apart from Lonquimay in the county that get little to no
promotion. Exploring areas such as lakes Icalma and Galletué,
the towns of Liucura, Cruzaco and Troyo, the Bio Bio Valley, among
many others, could be the best part of your trip. Rural buses are
available for this destinations, but plan accordingly with just one
or two runs a week.
In
total, expect to spend at least a day doing this drive; two to three
days to really get in to the region and enjoy yourself. A few of the
places we would recommend along the way and some other sources of
information:
Hostal
Andenrose Baviarian Bed and Breakfast with one of the best dinners we
have had in the region with excellent rooms and the German owner who
will invite you to a toast over dinner. Give them a call and they can
help find your way around the Araucanía
Andina. German, Spanish, and English Spoken. The sound of the river
a few hundred meters away will lull you to sleep at night. They also
offer tours, white water rafting, and more.
Cafe
Vizzio's in Curacautín
We must put a plug in for this restaurant, as they serve one of the
best sandwich we have had in Chile. Everything served fresh including
the bread. Nice patio seating on a side street with no traffic or
noise.
Uta
Hashagen,
owner of "Lonco
Patagonia" she can get you in to the National Parks
of Araucanía
Andina on horseback.
Hostería
Donde Juancho in
Lonquimay Is a very popular stop with the big tour buses from Chile
and Argentina passing through the region.
Also
a full list of tourism information for the region can be found at the
Araucanía Andina Association
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