Pucón, nature and Mapuche

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Pucón is a great place which you shouldn’t miss when you visit Chile. It is located around 750km south from Santiago and is a very popular touristic town. In order to get there the best option is taking a night bus. Buses are very comfortable and you can choose semi-cama or cama bus. We took a cama bus and actually I didn’t feel a 10-hour trip at all. We started before midnight and got there in the morning. We overslept the whole trip so we were full of energy to enjoy our first day in Pucón. There is also a possibility to take a plane from Santiago to Temuco which is around 2-3 hours far from Pucón. Concerning bus tickets, the best option is to buy thickets online because you get a 10-20% discount. 

Pucón itself is a very small town lying between the lake Villarica on the north and still active Volcano Villarica on the south. As everywhere in Chile, the nature in Pucón is marvelous. You can experience those incredible sunny mornings sitting by the lake on the cold black lava (instead of sand or rocks) while behind you the volcano covered with snow is erupting hot vapor. This small place in Araucanía Region is full of restaurants, cafes, travel agencies, tourist offices, local shops, hostels and houses which resemble to the traditional German ones. It’s not surprising because this part of Chile was inhabited by German immigrants in XIX century resulting in a long-lasting influence on the society, economy, and geography of Southern Chile. As the town is pretty small you don’t have to worry about the location of a hostel you book. It will certainly be 50m from the centre. :)

There are many tourist activities which you can apply for in order to enjoy this gorgeous nature to the fullest – rafting, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, canopy, fishing, horseback riding, bird watching, skiing, water skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, visiting thermal baths. Pucón is surrounded by waterfalls, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, nature reserves and hot springs. There is something for everyone all year round. I went horseback riding through magnificent forests and valleys ending up relaxing by a beautiful mountain river. It was an amazing experience because I took a local bus to a hacienda where they offered 1, 2 or 3-hour riding. I met the whole family as it is a family business. They were very hospitable and kind to show me around and explain everything. I enjoyed very much and would rather do it again. 

What made this trip perfect in the end was that I had visited Mapuche family. They were the aboriginal inhabitants of south-central Chile and Argentina even as early as 500 BC. I was so lucky to meet a mum and her daughter Jenny who showed me antique dishes, jewelry, textile and clothes which Mapuche people use even today. She also showed me how they prepare bread – they put dough directly in the fire and once it is ready, they just clean it from the ash and it is ready and very tasty to eat. Everything was handmade from natural materials. Their houses – Rucas - were made of wood and/or materials they could find in the forest. The interesting fact is that Rucas were very warm inside during winters because they were small rounded houses where the fire was on all day long either for cooking or heating. In summers they were cool because the materials used for building Rucas were very good insulation. The name Mapuche means ‘people of Earth’ – ‘mapu’ means Earth and ‘che’ means people.  Mapuche were fighting against Spanish colonization and a great number of the population died in the war. Today, they still live in south-central Chile and some of them have accepted modern way of life living in modern houses and using water systems and electricity. 

If you are more for relaxation, visiting any of a vast number of thermal baths around Pucón is a big MUST. If you rent a car, you can easily visit them on your own. The other way is definitely with some travel agencies which give excellent offers. Thermal baths differ from each other in the number of pools, surrounding area, prices and water temperature. The most famous ones are Los Pozones, Termas Geometricas, Termas Huife, if we can even single them out. 

Pucón is all about beautiful nature, Mapuche and having a wonderful time with your friends or family. Don’t miss it!