Welcome to Conguillio
National Park in Araucanía, Chile! No matter if you consider yourself an
explorer or just a nature lover- Conguillio will definitely be the right place
for you. The territory, which was declared a national park in 1950, is located
120 km east of Temuco and a little piece of gold in the region. As every
national park, it offers you a great number of leisure-time possibilities and
sports activities. After all, it’s the feeling of freedom that makes such parks
so attractive, right? I personally only made a one-day hiking trip to some of
the lakes and recommended viewpoints to take pictures. But I also saw people
riding their mountain bikes which looked like a lot of fun. If you are thinking
about staying in the park overnight you won’t be disappointed either. Official camp
sides which come with electricity as well as lodges are available in the park.
When to visit
According to the
administration, the best time to visit the park is between November and March.
During these spring and summer months the climate is milder which I can certainly
confirm (I went in spring). Nonetheless, the website also advertises winter
sports activities which is why the park could also be an option during the
colder months of the years. So it’s totally up to your plans and expectations.
How to reach
The best way to reach
the park is by car. Further it gives you certain flexibility in the park as you
don’t need to hike from morning to night and can save your energy for the
actual hotspots. However as a tourist, it can sometimes be tricky to rent a car
because of regulations (e.g. minimum age) or the rarity of car rental firms in
rural areas. By law, Chile for instance demands an international driving
license, however some online platforms suggest that most car rental companies
don’t ask for it. I also found some forum entries saying that the police
normally accepts your national license, as long as it contains a photo.
What to see
In my opinion, the
park offers a wide variety of landscapes which I really really enjoyed. We
entered the park at the..let’s call it “volcano- section” where you cannot only
admire the white volcano in all its majesty but also walk through real volcanic
ash. The very thought, that the volcano is active and erupted where I was
standing made the trip already extremely existing for me (Well, I guess for the
locals, a volcano is not that existing anymore). Second, you can explore some
beautiful, crystal clear lakes in the park. I think I’ve never seen such a nice
tone of blue and I could hardly resist the temptation of jumping into the
water. Third, the territory is also covered by a wide section of green and you
can hike up the hills through the forests. Another thing that is typical for the
region and interesting to see is the so-called Araucaria araucana tree, also known as the monkey tree. The nut-like
seeds are used by the Mapuche, the native inhabitants, for several purposes (I
think they primarily used it for cooking).
All in all, the trip was great and I can
highly recommend visiting it if you are in the area.
Sunny Greetings
☀
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