Pucon and Parque Nacional Villarrica

Today we were supposed to get a start on our festivities at 8am, but we were a
little late. Nate felt a mouse in his bed last night crawling on his
shoulder, but could not find it after jumping up and flicking the lights
(filthy creatures). We had a hearty breakfast consisting of bread, honey,
marmalade, granola, and durazno (peaches).



We left from Pucon for the Parque Nacional Villarrica (Villarrica National Park) which is located in south central Chile, near the border of Argentina. The park is known for the Araucaria and Northofagos forests. Dr. Mauro Gonzales, a Professor at the University of Chile Austral, was our guide for the day. Dr. Gonzales did his Phd research in the area of forest dynamics and fire history of Araucaria-Nothofagus forests and he is quite the expert.

Auracaria Tree


The bus drove along the national road to Argentina and through the Mahuil Malal (Corral of horses) Pass. The pass was named because Chilean´s used to steal Argentinian horses and sneak them through the best pass in the Andean mountains en route back to Chile. The Picon Mountains of the area are translated as “the combs” because the peaks are aligned like a comb. We stopped by an outpost that previously served as the border between Argentina and Chile until Chile acquired it.

We disembarked from the bus at “Tears of the Lake" and were greeted by magnificent Auracaria trees that are national monuments for Chilean´s. The leaves are coarse and needle-like. Parrots flew in the treetops eating the seeds of the cones in the canopies of the giant trees. Walking wasps were ornately colored black with orange stripes hunting on the ground. Before the road to the lake was built, a ferry was needed to cross the body of water. Despite being a national park, the land is still grazed by livestock since rural people dispute land claims. The trails contained a type of wild strawberry that was small, but sweet and delicious. 600 years ago the land was burned for grazing to create more area for livestock to feed and has been burned during the last 100 years due to human settlement. Many of the mature trees can be traced to this time period.

After three hours we eventually reached the black sand beach of Lake Huinfica and were treated to a sublime vista. A bluish glass lake with white driftwood surrounded by forested mountains and topped off by the glaciated Lanin volcano was visible. The water was crystal clear and freezing, but of course that didn´t stop Michelle from diving in.



After the hike we returned to Pucon for an early dinner and dessert. Dr. Gonzales recommended Spezialitaten, an artisanal ice cream shop, that blends local fruit into cream with sugar. It was absolutely delicious.

When we returned to our hostel in Valdivia, Ian and Nate were in for a nice surprise. Their luggage, which had been lost on the flight down, was waiting for them. This was great news since they had been wearing the same clothes for the past five days. Also, Jaime has returned from his trip home and we are glad to have the native Chilean with us again! Please see picture of Jaime below.

Adios,

Nate and Diane