Pucon

Pucón is a small touristy town in the middle of the southern lake district in Chile. Pucón is extremely popular with Chileans and foreigners for the beautiful views of Volcano Villarrica and for mountain-climbing. The night-life is quite active.

Understand
The city center is a backpacker's Disneyland, filled with travel agencies offering a wide range of day trips. If you don't like it crowded, you'll be better off in the nearby town of Villarrica. January and February are the busiest months.

The climbing of Volcano Villarrica, which is the highest and most-active climbable volcano in South America, is highly commercialised. You must take a guided tour unless you are a professional climber with a certification. Tour prices sky-rocketed in the mid-2010s. The trail is easy, though. Local tour guides will admit that the only reason for these rules are to force tourists into expensive guided tours.



By bus
Buses travel between Santiago and Pucón daily, many overnight. Tickets are scarce in summer, buy yours sufficiently ahead of your intended departure time. You can also take the bus from Valdivia, it takes 3 hr.

By plane
Pucón's airport operates only during summer (for regular flights); the flights from Santiago are expensive. The closest airport for the remainder of the year is Temuco, to which airlines do the flight in about one hour from Santiago or Puerto Montt. Temuco is about 1½ hours away by road.

By train
Trains run to Temuco in summer (Dec-Feb), and only to Chillan at the rest of the year. Buses are better value.

By car
Driving from Santiago takes approximately 8 hours and involves the passing of seven road tolls on the ruta 5, 1,600 pesos each. The road from the turnoff to Pucón is paved and in good shape.

Mainly taxis to places out of town; the town is small enough to walk. Cycling is easy as they have put in cycle lanes along the main road. There are plenty of collectivo buses too and small public buses.

See
From Pucon's center there are stunning views of Volcan Villarrica, one of the most active volcanoes in Chile.

Do









 * Skiing and snowboarding. The skiing area on Villarrica is open May until the beginning of October. Rent equipment in Pucón, or on the drive up to the ski slope. The highlight of the resort is its amazing views over the lake. It has 4 chairs and 3 T-bar lifts. The resort area goes from 4,527 ft to 5,314 ft, making a total drop of approximately 800 feet. The backcountry possibilities of the resort are great: with the help of a local guide you can ski to the Villarrica Volcano's summit, 9200 feet above sea level. The volcano often has good snow conditions up until November and the duration of the climb and descent is approximately 9 hours, for advance skiers in good shape, but it's really worth the effort.
 * Golf. In "Peninsula", a residencial area downtown, there is a well maintained golf course with views of the Villarrica volcano and the lake surrounding the course. The course is officially for members only.
 * Horse back riding. This is a popular way to see the Mapuche settlements like Quelhue in the area. Tour agencies selling these tours are located all over the town. Check the conditions of the horses, as not all of them in good shape. Rides to "Salto el Claro" are in parts beside paved roads. Trustfull agencies are at Ecole and Politur.
 * Hike past the waterfalls and gurgling brooks in the Huerquehue National Park. Doing this will enable you to get to know the strange Araucaria (monkey puzzle) tree, and other native vegetation such as Coigües and Lingues. The trails pass view points where you can while away the time namedropping volcanoes and Andean peaks. Bring food and water because you might want to stay the whole day.
 * White water rafting and kayaking is a possibility in the glacier-fed Trancura River. Trancura Bajo offers third-degree rapids, good for beginners. Trancura Alto offers fourth-degree rapids and might require a little more courage. Tour agencies in the town will take you there.
 * Fishing. Guided fly-fishing excursions are held on the tranquil Río Liucura and the more turbulent Río Trancura. Both rivers offer scenery and trout.
 * Visit the volcanic caves at Villarrica Volcan.
 * Visit the volcanic caves at Villarrica Volcan.



Tour prices
Some official guided tour prices as of Mar 2018:
 * Climbing Volcan Villarrica: US$130-165
 * Rafting Alto (i.e. higher level): US$38-46
 * Termas Geométricas: US$63
 * Termas Los Pozones: US$38
 * Parque National Huerquehue: US$74
 * Canyoning: US$46

Sleep
Due to being extremely popular for its volcano, there do exist many accommodation options in Pucón and prices are considerably lower than elsewhere.

Go next
Should Pucon start to feel a bit too touristy, hop on a mini bus and make the 20 minute trip to the little city of Villarrica. It has a population of about 46,000 and escapes the tourist trappings of Pucon.

However, most people will probably decide to head further to either Concepción or Valdivia.