Hiking
The nationalparks in the area offer a couple of very beautiful hikes. Huerquehue NP is well known and easily accessible, whereas the Huincacara area is a unknown gem on the foot of the volcano Villarrica.
Huincacara
Situated on the western slopes of the volcano, the Huincacara area is a little visited sector of the Villarrica NP. The hike leads through ancient Coigue and Araucaria forests up to the foot of the volcano. It's a good hour on a pretty bad gravel road from Villarrica to the trail head, and there's no public transport available.
Huerquehue NP
The small and extremely beautiful Huerquehue National Park is easily accessible by public bus. There are ancient Araucaria forests, waterfalls and several lakes, some of them well hidden and inaccessible. The dayhike up to the three lagoons Chico, Verde and Toro is a "must-do" for every reasonably fit hiker.
Hikes
| Hike | Level | Time | Dist. | Ascent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huincacara | medium | 3-4 hr | 8 km | 500 m |
| Huerquehue | medium | 6-7 hr | 15 km | 900 m |
| Rio Blanco | medium | 3-4 d | 35 km | 1700 m |
| V. Traverse | hard | 6-7 d | 75 km | 3200 m |
