Blogs from Pucón, Araucanía, Chile, South America - page 7

We got up at the crack of dawn to put our gear on and go hike up the volcano. Usually people start hiking the volcano at 5000ft where the ski lifts can take you, but being winter, the lifts were frozen. We had to start at about 300ft at 8am. Twenty minutes into our hike my heart was racing and my feet were hurting. Breaks were never long enough for me but I had to keep on trekking. Every ten minutes the slope got steeper and the snow got deeper. After hiking 3 hours and almost reaching the 6000 ft mark most of us gave up. The view from there was amazing! You could see three volcanoes, the Andes Mountains and Lake Villarica. The hike was worth it just to see that view. We had lunch ... read more

Our night bus from Santiago to Pucon was wonderful...blankets, pillows, snacks, and foot rests all for $30! I popped a melatonin and woke up 7 hours later to the sun shining off the lake under the huffing cone of Volcan Villarrica (2847m)...stunning! Pucon was my winter adventure playground...the first day we hiked through the forest on snowshoes. We had an incredible view of the lake at the top and they had just had a fresh snowfall so we were making new tracks through the glades. We were surrounded by the snow-capped Andes and the sun streamed through the trees! It was definitely a good workout and we had fully de-layered by the time we arrived down the mountain ;) The next day was white water rafting down Maichin River (Class IV and V rapids)...WOW is all ... read more

Happy birthday Alastair and Roey! We were all pleasantly surprised that after 3 days of continuous downpours we awoke to a clear sunny day. We were taken to volcano Villarica by our guides Claudio, Richard and Christian, after being kitted out with trousers, jackets, ice picks, helmets, crampons, gaiters, gloves and some hardcore hiking boots. Our first view of the volcano, which had been shrouded by clouds the previous day, drew gasps of excitement from everyone. The stereotypical, conical shape, mostly covered in snow and clearly smoking. I started to get a little nervous. Chris and I started out at the front, and were surprised by the guide's very slow pace. It was a little frustrating, but we assumed he was pacing us. The group split into three almost immediately, with a couple of people wanting ... read more

After getting up at 5:30am in the hope of a volcano climb, we started the day with disappointment due to the continual rain. Our tour guide had said two days here was essential as it tends to rain one day and shine the next. We played cards to fill the time before heading to the centre to explore Pucon town and get fitted for equipment ready for climbing the next day. On the walk, others in the group spotted another volcano climb service provider at just two thirds of the price. Sophie was nominated to attempt some negotiation in Spanish with the "Kumuka recommended" provider, but the guy was an arsehole and having none of it. So we booked with our new, friendly agency instead. In the afternoon the group headed to volcanic hot springs - ... read more

Not much to report today as it was another driving day with border crossing back into Chile. The highlight was the vast rolling landscape, first the Argentinean Lake District, and then Chile's, including waterfalls, lakes and abundant forest. The downside was a day filled with rain, making us nervous about the possibility of no volcano climb in Pucon. ... read more