Ever wondered what the view's like from the top of a volcano?

Overview

Pucon may not be the cheapest area in Chile, but what you spend in money you’ll get back in stunning scenery and memorable experiences.  Complete with a gorgeous lake surrounded by several active volcanoes, a black sand beach, whitewater rafting, winter sports, and, oh yeah, the chance to CLIMB A FREAKING ACTIVE VOLCANO (and then slide back down on your ass), you may want to put Pucon on your itinerary.

Getting There/Arriving

Airplane- Pucon’s airport is less than a mile (~2km) from from the city.  Flights go to and from Santiago in the summer about 2-3 times a week.

Bus- There is no municipal terminal for Pucon.  Each bus company has its own terminal.  Buses in Chile are similar to Argentina, but not quite as nice.  They are still very pleasant compared to Greyhound in the States or buses in regions like SE Asia.  Santiago is about a 10 hour bus ride.  NOTE: If going to or from Argentina, be aware that the border crossing is a pain in the ass and can take a few hours.  They load everyone off the bus and check everyone’s bags, mainly for banned food that is not allowed over the borders.  It’s a ridiculous and tedious process, but it happened all three times we crossed the borders of these two countries.  Just a word of advice.

Getting Around

Foot- Pucon is pretty small, and getting around on foot is easy enough.  Cabs are easy enough to get and cheap if you’re accommodations are far or you are tired from hiking to the TOP OF A FREAKING VOLCANO.

Where to Stay

As stated, the central area of Pucon is very small and walkable, and most hostels/hotels are located in the residential area in between the lake and the main road, Av Bernardo O’Higgins.  If you’re planning on traveling here during high season (December-February), you may want to book in advance.  Rooms and the town itself is not the cheapest in the region, but we got what we paid for.  And the town is small with several good, big grocery stores, so if you want to save some cash, get a hostel with a communal kitchen.

Where we stayed- We stayed at the Etnico Eco Hostel, which was a few blocks off Av Bernardo O’Higgins and very close to the lake.  We loved it, for the most part.  The place was lovely; our room was massive, we had cable tv, free wifi, a good sized kitchen, a decent breakfast included, a giant backyard with patio, tables and chairs, hammocks, a pool, and a giant barbecue pit.  They even hosted an asado one night for a fair price. We paid about $50US (in February 2009) for our private room with bath, but after doing a search, it looks like prices went up and are $85US.

The for the most part was because of an incident the day we were leaving.  Our bus didn’t leave until nighttime, so we checked out of our room at the appropriate time and asked if we could store our bags and hang out for the afternoon.  They wanted to charge us for a half day, which I honestly thought was total bullshit.  We had and did do this numerous times throughout our trip, and this was the only place who tried to charge us for it.  Despite this, we suggested this place to some friends of ours, and they had a horrible experience with a really small, upstairs room and an altercation with the owner.  As I said, the vast majority of our stay was great, but it did leave a bad taste in our mouths, and our friends having a bad experience is definitely worth mentioning as I value their opinions.

Food and Drink

Because of our splurge on accommodations, the fact that we only stayed for three nights, with one of those nights being an asado at the hostel, we didn’t eat out too much while here.  If in Chile for the first time, expect seafood, lots of it.  It’s really good, really fresh, and cheap compared to anything else you’re getting at home (provided that home is the US, Canada, Europe, or Australia, where most of my readers tend to come from).

One thing that also had us excited, not only about Pucon but Chile in general, was the quality and size of the supermarkets.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some corner markets, farmer’s markets, and tiny, little stores, but sometimes I just like a big supermarket where I can get everything I want in one place.  I’m American, what can I say?

Things to Do

There is lots to do in Pucon, but the main reason we came, and I’m not sure if I mentioned this yet, was to HIKE TO THE TOP OF A FREAKING VOLCANO.

Hiking Volcan Villarica: Sorry, I just get a bit excited when reminiscing about this incredible and awesome experience.  There will be an entire post, with tons of pictures and even some video, of our day hiking to the top of Volcan Villarrica.  It’s coming tomorrow, so don’t forget to come back.  It was one of the top 3 highlights of our entire year-long trip.  Did I also mention that you get to slide back down the volcano on your ass?  Well yeah, you get to do that, too, which is pretty cool.

Lake and Beach: Ever been to a black sand beach?  Yeah, us either, until Pucon.  The lake is gorgeous, the sand is, well, black, but it’s super cool looking and no different than any other beach.  Well except for the fact that it’s black.  It’s possible to rent all manner of water toys or just get a chair and umbrella and just chill out and relax.

Fishing:  If fishing is your thing (it’s not ours), then the Pucon area is said to be a center for fishing on Lake Villarrica and in several nearby rivers.  There are plenty of tour companies in town, so mosey around and find the best one.

We were short on time while in Pucon, and our main objective was hiking the volcano, so we didn’t get to take part in all the other activities on offer, like horseback riding, hydrospeeding, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, ziplining, and relaxing in thermal springs.  So if you have the time and the funds, consider a longer stay in Pucon.  It’s a great place!