Pucon: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Pucón is a small resort town on Lake Villarrica in Chile’s Lake District, under the snow cone of Villarrica, one of the most active volcanoes in South America. It is the adventure capital of the south: volcano climbs, rafting, hot springs and ziplines. This is Mapuche land, never conquered by the Incas or the Spanish and annexed by Chile only in the 1880s. A day; the climb needs a licensed guide and good weather.

A short history of Pucon

Pucón began in 1883 as a Chilean army fort, at the end of the war in which the country took over the Mapuche lands in the south. For decades it was a small timber and farming town on the shore of Lake Villarrica. Above it rises the Villarrica volcano, about 2,850 metres high and one of the most active in Chile; in the eruption of March 2015 it threw out lava and the area was briefly evacuated. From the mid-20th century holidaymakers began to come here, and today the town lives almost entirely from tourism.

The ten best sights in Pucon

1
Playa Grande
Black volcanic sand on the lake
2
La Poza
The wetland and little harbour
3
Península de Pucón
The wooded point on the lake
4
Volcán Villarrica
Climb it with a licensed guide
5
Ski centre
Skiing on an active volcano
6
Volcanic caves
A walk inside a lava tube
7
Salto El Claro
A tall waterfall close to town
8
Ojos del Caburgua
Turquoise pools and falls
9
Lago Caburgua
Warm water and white sand
10
Huerquehue National Park
Lakes among ancient monkey-puzzle trees

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Pucon →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Pucon:

Free walking tours in Pucon

Lake and volcano

Playa Grande · The town beach of black volcanic sand, from which the white cone of the volcano rises directly across the water; on clear nights you can sometimes see a red glow above the crater.
La Poza · A sheltered bay and wetland where the Trancura river reaches the lake, used as a small harbour for boats and kayaks and home to black-necked swans.
Península de Pucón · A wooded point between the beach and La Poza, once a private estate, with houses among old trees and views of the lake from the water’s edge.
Volcanic caves · A lava tube on the volcano’s flank, a tunnel left by molten rock, which visitors walk into with helmets to see the layers of past eruptions.
Ski centre · In winter the volcano’s slopes are a ski resort; in summer the guided climbs start here, a day’s ascent with crampons and ice axes to the crater rim at about two thousand eight hundred and fifty metres, and a slide down on the snow.
Volcán Villarrica · One of the few volcanoes in the world with an open lava lake inside its crater at times. In March 2015 it erupted with a fountain of lava a kilometre high at night, and the surrounding towns were evacuated.

Lakes, forests and pools

North-east of Pucón are turquoise falls, a warm lake and a national park of lakes and ancient trees. A day by car or bus; Huerquehue’s main trail climbs steeply.

Salto El Claro · A waterfall of about ninety metres dropping into a forested gorge a short drive from town, seen from a viewing platform.
Ojos del Caburgua · The eyes of Caburgua, pools of startling turquoise where water from Lake Caburgua, filtered underground through volcanic rock, bursts out in small falls.
Lago Caburgua · A lake whose Playa Blanca, a beach of white sand unusual in this land of black volcanic sand, has water warmer than Lake Villarrica in summer.
Huerquehue National Park · A park of small mountain lakes and forests of araucaria, the monkey-puzzle tree, some of them many centuries old; its seeds, piñones, were a staple food of the Pehuenche Mapuche, the people of the araucaria.
Termas de Menetúe · One of a dozen hot springs in the valleys around Pucón, all heated by the same volcanic system, with pools in the forest and on the riverbank.
Termas San Luis · A hot-spring resort further up the valley toward Argentina, a good place to soak after the volcano climb.

The Mapuche valley and the springs

East of Pucón the road climbs toward Argentina through Mapuche communities; south lie the finest hot springs of the region and other lakes. A day by car.

Curarrehue · A village of Mapuche families where a cook, Anita Epulef, made Mapuche cuisine known across Chile — dishes of piñones, quinoa, wild herbs and merkén, the smoked chilli of the Mapuche.
Aldea Trawupeyüm · A small museum built in the shape of a ruka, the traditional Mapuche house, showing silver jewellery, textiles and the instruments of the machi, the Mapuche healers.
Termas Geométricas · About twenty slate-lined hot pools linked by red wooden walkways along a narrow ravine in the rainforest, designed by the architect Germán del Sol and opened in 2004; best on a cold or rainy day.
Licán Ray · A small village on a peninsula of Lake Calafquén, the lake of seven islands, with two beaches of black sand on either side.
Villarrica · The town at the other end of the lake, founded by the Spanish in 1552 and destroyed by the Mapuche in 1602, then refounded only in 1883, after Chile occupied the region.
Pucón Aerodrome · A small airfield east of town with seasonal flights; from the air the line of volcanoes of the Lake District — Villarrica, Quetrupillán, Lanín — runs south toward Argentina.

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A guide in your headphones, stop after stop.

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Getting to Pucon and getting around

Pucón Aerodrome · Seasonal flights from Santiago

Cheap eats in Pucon

The south of Chile eats from two traditions: Mapuche food of piñones, the seeds of the araucaria, and merkén, smoked chilli; and the German settlers’ kuchen, fruit cakes served with afternoon tea, called once. Add empanadas, sopaipillas of fried pumpkin dough, and trout from the lakes. A slice of kuchen costs about three or four dollars.

Curarrehue · Mapuche cooking
Playa Grande · Kuchen cafés in town
Villarrica · Lake trout

Museums in Pucon

The culture of the Mapuche, the people of the land.

Aldea Trawupeyüm · The Mapuche museum
Volcanic caves · The volcano’s history

Nature and day trips near Pucon

Volcanoes, lakes, monkey-puzzle forests and waterfalls.

Huerquehue National Park · The araucarias
Ojos del Caburgua · Turquoise pools
Volcán Villarrica · The volcano

Things to do in Pucon with kids

With children: a lava tube, hot pools, a black beach and a warm lake.

Volcanic caves · Inside the volcano
Lago Caburgua · Warm swimming
Termas de Menetúe · Hot pools

Nightlife in Pucon

Pucón’s nights are bars on Avenida O’Higgins in summer and a hot spring under the stars.

Playa Grande · Summer bars in town
Termas Geométricas · Evening soak

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Frequently asked questions about Pucon

What is there to see in Pucon?

The top sights in Pucon are Playa Grande, La Poza and Península de Pucón. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Pucon?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Pucon without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Pucon?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Pucon, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Lake and volcano.

How do you get to Pucon and get around?

The main ways are Pucón Aerodrome. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Pucon, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Pucon that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Pucon for your dates?

Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.

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