| I first went to visit this gorgeous Chilean National Park in January 2001 after returning from a trip to Patagonia, January being the high summer time of the year in Chile, and I had always wanted to share the beauty of this park, and the region in general, with my son. So we carefully synchronized our calendars and planned the trip for February, the same day a major earthquake hit Chile and we were forced to abandon out plans right before heading for the airport in Washington DC. We could not synchronize our calendars again for a trip to Chile until this past February/March and Parque Nacional Huerquehue was foremost in our list of places to visit.
Huerquehue in Mapudungun – the native Mapuche language – means “place of messengers” but I do not know the history, or the story, behind the name. To reach the park, one must travel to Villarrica and then Pucón, and while the roads around Villarrica and Pucón are all paved and relatively on leveled terrain, the last ten miles or so make it for an interesting drive on gravel-grade roads. The last couple of miles the road goes bordering the Tinquilco lake; the park ranger station and the parking lot are located half way the length of the lake and that is where the hiking trail begins, first bordering the lake and then continuing through the park and to the top of one of the mountains that encompasses the park. The trail is exhausting but not necessarily too difficult and along it there are magnificent “coigue” trees that soar to the sky for what seem tens, if not hundreds of feet, native wild flowers and a silence only broken by one’s steps. The immediate goal of the hike, if one has enough energy, is to reach the lakes section of the park, three of them at the top of the mountain: Lago Chico (Small Lake), Lago Verde (Green Lake) and Lago Toro (literally Bull Lake, but not sure if it means the animal or if it is named after an illustrious person since Toro is a familiar last name in Hispano-America). Our round trip amounted to 8.8 miles and it took us about eight ours. One knows when it is getting close to the mountain top because your lungs and legs are complaining the loudest at that point and also because you start seeing Araucaria trees, a magnificent tree that only grows in this region of the world; some of these trees are estimated to be around 2000 years old. A common name for these trees is Paraguas (umbrellas) because the tree has a long, long trunk crowned by branches and leaves forming a circular flat top. Once you reach Lago Chico, the others are not far away, all of them with clear, transparent water and surrounded by native vegetation and Araucaria trees. Having reached the top, one would think the return trip would be easy, but as anyone who has climbed a steep mount can tell you, the descend is nothing buy easy, but the rewards of having seen the lakes at the top, and taking in the views of the valley and lake Tinquilco below, are priceless. Oh! And I realized that in ten years of aging, you gain a lot of new respect for a mountain. Here my pictures of the visit. Best…..Ernesto |
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Pucón
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| Recently I posted about Salto del Carileufú and our experience staying at the hotel there while vacationing in Chile. Very nearby is Ojos del Caburga (the eyes of Caburga), a place that collects the waters from several small rivers, including the subterranean rivers discharging the waters from Lago Caburga (hence the name), just a few miles up east. It is a bowl with blue waters, mist, rainbows and cascading waters all around the bowl. It wasn’t until reading about the place that I learned that at least one of those rivers was subterranean.
One of the unexpected finds within the private property where the waterfalls are, were the beautiful and very old chestnut trees bearing fruits still green waiting to mature in the fall. As we know, chestnut trees were wiped out from the US and efforts to restore it have been undergoing for many years so it was almost spiritual to see these majestic trees. One can only imagine them before their demise here in the US. Here are some pictures of Ojos del Caburga. Best…..Ernesto |
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| Many years ago I almost literally stumbled against a place called Salto del Carileufú in the Lakes District of Southern Chile. I wanted to visit Parque Nacional Huerquehue and I had reached Pucón, which is a tourist’s magnet in the region, and not wanting to stay in with the crowds, I asked in the tourist information office if there was an affordable place in the vicinity and they sent me to this small “hostería”. Finding the place was an adventure in and by itself but when I found it, it was magical: a small lodge, quiet, imposing views of Volcán Villarrica, fresh food, sinfully-tasting German “kuchen”, green-emerald river waters and the waterfall of the Carileufú.While planning another trip to the region this year I discovered that the place had been sold and reopened under new management and I was highly apprehensive about what changes I’d find. The previous owner wanted to keep the lodge small and pristine and having seen in other places the results of “improvements”, my apprehensiveness was bordering cynicism.
It is magificent. The new owners – an Italian family – added a couple of tastefully designed cabins, improved the extensive lawns and created a magical garden that is nothing like I have ever seen. From lettuces to raspberries, potatoes to green beans, they are all there. More importantly, what nature created in the first place – the waterfall, the green-emerald waters, the peace and tranquility, the sound of the waterfall at night, the “kuchen” at tea time, they are all still there. Plus the Italian food now! Please visit my gallery of pictures of Salto del Carileufú and let me know what you think or ask me if you have questions. Above all, try visiting; there is a whole new world around there. Best…..Ernesto |
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