Pucón Travel Guide: Best Things to Do in Chile’s Adventure Capital

Located on the shores of Lago Villarrica and at the foot of the imposing Volcán Villarrica, Pucón is one of South America’s adventure sports capitals and is an extremely popular tourist destination for Chileans. Whether you visit in summer to raft down the rivers, ride horses, and fish the lake or in winter to ski down the slopes of the volcano, this action-packed town is sure to delight, with a boatload of activities and awe-inspiring nature everywhere you look.

Volcán Villarrica

The 9,380-foot (2,860 m) Villarrica volcano makes for a stunning backdrop to the town. Part of a chain of stratovolcanoes stretching across the Chilean Lake District, Villarrica is one of the country’s most active volcanoes, with a large lava lake contained within the crater at its center. Seasoned hikers can find guided ascents during the summer that allow you to peer into the crater, coming face to face with the molten lava; for those who prefer a less strenuous route, you can drive up to the Mirador or continue farther up the bumpy dirt road to the Centro de Ski, where you’ll have a close up view. In winter, of course, the ski center is open for you to go down the slopes that are literally on the side of the volcano; in summer, you can enjoy the view from the parking lot or ride on the ski lift to get even closer.

Town

The cute town of Pucón has a nice charm and better tourist infrastructure than you will find in other parts of Chile. Here you will find everything you need to enjoy your stay: helpful tour agencies, quality outdoor gear shops, and solid restaurants. For modern takes on local cuisine, I recommend Trawen; for pizza, Cornicione Pizzería; and for coffee, Que Llueva Café.

For lodging, I highly recommend splurging on Hotel Antumalal, a gem of modernist architecture located just west of town. The hotel, which hosted Queen Elizabeth II in the 1960s, has an incredible location on the hill overlooking the lake, and it makes for an extremely memorable stay. In addition, the hotel’s concierge can help set you up with a full range of outdoor activities to make the most of your days here.

Thermal Baths

The surrounding area is teeming with naturally-occurring thermal baths, which are another of Pucón’s main attractions. The best option is without a doubt the Termas Geométricas, on the other side of the volcano from town, just under two hours away by car. The site, which is nestled in a thick patch of Valdivian temperate rainforest within the confines of the Parque Nacional Villarrica, consists of eighteen stone pools fed by natural hot springs flowing down from the volcano. The water is unfiltered and unheated; rather, it is allowed to cool from its natural temperature of 176℉ (80℃) in each of the pools, which range in temperature from 95℉ (35℃) to 113℉ (45℃). The pools are connected by five hundred meters of walkways built with wood from the native coihue tree and painted bright red, in a style reminiscent of a Japanese garden, that follow a natural creek that makes its way through the dense rainforest.

The sight of the steam rising from the pools and mixing with the misty rain of the broad-leaf forest is simply magical, not to mention the serenity when you are soaking up the heat and natural minerals of one of the pools. The Termas Geométricas are a must-visit when in Pucón. Be sure to reserve your entry online in advance, as they often sell out over the summer.

Waterfalls

With plentiful water in its rivers and lakes, Pucón also boasts an impressive array of waterfalls. Two of the best are located quite close to each other, about a half-hour drive southeast of town. First, check out Salto La China, which drops 262 feet (80 m). Then, continue up the road to the even taller Salto El León, with a height of 312 feet (95 m). Both are incredible places to feel and appreciate the power of nature.

Salto El León has some thermal baths on the premises as well as a cafe with excellent homemade desserts. On your way from the waterfalls back into town, you can stop at one of the roadside stalls to check out some hand-carved wooden cutting boards or to try some sopaipillas, a delightfully doughy frybread typical of indigenous Mapuche cuisine.

Mapuche

The region of Araucanía is the ancestral homeland of the Mapuche, an indigenous tribe who inhabited a wide swath of southern Chile as well as portions of Argentina across the Andes. The Mapuche remained a fiercely independent people for centuries, resisting colonization by the Inca and later the Spanish empires, before ultimately being ‘pacified’ by the Chilean military in the 1880s. Today, some parts of the region are witnessing the slow-burning Mapuche conflict, an ongoing, occasionally violent land ownership dispute between indigenous groups, forestry companies, and Chilean farmers.

You won’t see any fighting in Pucón, but you will certainly see remnants of the Mapuche culture all around. You can visit the Feria Kui-Kui Quelhue to shop for Mapuche crafts and try traditional foods like pastel de choclo, sopaipillas, or roasted meats. However, the most prevalent trace of the culture is the ubiquitous araucaria, the towering trees that are as old as the dinosaurs. These trees, known to the natives as pehuén, were sacred to the Mapuche, with a great spiritual importance, and their seeds (piñones) served as a staple of the traditional diet. The trees you will see here today are thousands of years old, and the awe-inspiring sight of them standing tall with the backdrop of a snow-capped volcano is one of the most iconic views in Chile.

Looking for more places to explore in the region? Check out our guide to Conguillío National Park here.