At the foot of ominously smoldering Volcán Villarrica, 25 kilometers east of the town of Villarrica via Ruta 119, Pucón (population 13,837) has gained a name over the past decade as the destination for hikers, climbers, mountain bikers, windsurfers, and white-water rafters and kayakers.

Still popular with conventional Chilean holidaymakers in the summer peak, it enjoys a longer season than most lake district resorts because hordes of youthful international travelers frequent the area from November to April. It has no sights of its own because almost everything worth seeing or doing is outside town, but at the end of the day everyone swarms to local hotels, restaurants, and bars to party.

That doesn’t mean Pucón doesn’t have its serious side. Over the past several years, the landmark cooperative Hostería ¡Ecole!, along with the affiliated Fundación Lahuen, has actively promoted forest conservation in the surrounding countryside.

Getting There

Bus is the primary means of getting to and away from Pucón, but there are occasional summer flights from Santiago.

LanExpress (General Urrutia 102, tel. 045/443514) flies to and from Santiago in January and February only; otherwise, flights leave from Temuco.

Long-distance bus service is an extension of that from Villarrica. The three main carriers have their own terminals: Tur-Bus (O’Higgins 910, tel. 045/443328), Buses Jac (Palguín 605, tel. 045/443693), and Pullman Bus (Palguín 575). Intersur shares the Tur-Bus terminal, while other companies have separate terminals around the east end of town.

Buses Jac, Tur-Bus, Intersur, and Igi Llaima (Colo Colo 465, tel. 045/441676) have frequent service to Santiago, while Tur-Bus also goes to Puerto Montt. Igi Llaima and Buses San Martín (Colo Colo 612, tel. 045/443595) both cross the cordillera to Junín de los Andes and San Martín de los Andes, Argentina.