Pucon

Thursday was another long drive day, although we covered a lot of distance driving along straight tarmac roads which were predominantly dual carriageway. We did however break down en route though which delayed us a bit but we covered the 800km to arrive by dinner. In Pucón we stayed in a hostel, which sat below the nearby Villarrica volcano which after a few hours of arriving started spewing gas! Dinner in the evening was another included bbq which included lots of beef, chicken, and sausages. The evening itself was nice and relaxing with a few beers and campfire before bed. I did gash my toe open however although I got it cleaned up.

Southern Chile's lake district boasts some lake and mountain scenery
comparable with what the Swiss Alps or New Zealand have to offer! Beautiful
deep blue lakes are flanked by majestic forest-clad mountains with snowy
peaks to provide picture-postcard views and a perfect spot for walking. The attractive small town of Pucón is located at the heart of the Chilean lakes, sitting below the Villarrica volcano. We had the option to climb the volcano although it was a very expensive activity so I decided to catch the local bus to the nearby huerquehue national park.

After having a packed lunch made for me, we set off early to get to the national park, with 8 of us making the hour long drive. We arrived in good time after paying the fees we set off on a hike called the Los Lagos de Senderos which was a 20km return trip to Lago Chico, Lago Verde, and Lago Toco. The paths were basically woodland trails, getting occasional views of the nearby volcano en route. We took detours to a couple of waterfalls en route too. We arrived at the lakes by lunchtime and had lunch at the top before heading back down.

We arrived back of the bottom by half 4 so it was a good days walking. The lakes were stunning though having perfect reflections of the surrounding forest scenery. We didn't realise how far we climbed up though until going back down as it was quite a fair way up! After catching the bus back to Pucón we relaxed at the hostel before going out for dinner at a local restaurant. The town of Pucón itself is very touristy based and modern, home to wooden buildings with your companies and restaurants. Come evening most people went to the hot springs although I stayed at the hostel as my toe was completely destroyed after the injury the day before.

Saturday was another free day, although I didn't wake up until lunchtime as I had quite a late night the night before, drinking with the locals. After listening to the Saints game I spent the afternoon relaxing, although I did go out and see the nearby lake and harbour despite it raining. The evening was a pretty chilled out one, sitting in the lounge area before having a relatively early night.