For months, a trip to the South American country of Chile had been in the works. We would be flying into Santiago, then driving south to stay in Pucón for 5 days, stopping at wineries along the way. Nothing specific was planned in advance, as we wanted to make our agenda as we found things to do.
Arriving in Santiago, Chile on December 22, our 5-person group planned to drive south from the city to Pucón , hosteling in Talca for a night on the way down. We wanted to stop at a few wineries on our way to Talca. The first one we came across was Casa Silva . We tasted a couple different wines, but the problem was they were very small pours for 8$ USD. The wine was good, so we purchased a couple bottles and continued driving south. In Curicó , we had lunch at a restaurant called La Góndola. We ate empenadas and quesadillas, and also took in a few (very strong) pisco sours , Chile’s national drink, as well as a couple beers. The food was really great; we filled up then got back on the road and continued south and stopped at Miguel Torres Winery.
We reached Talca around 5:30 PM and found Casa Chueca (“crooked house”), the hostel we had reserved for the night. The staff there was great – very friendly and helpful. Dinner was a communal affair at the tables outside. They served a cooked barley salad, squash and cauliflower, along with a salad and avocado soup. After dinner we all proceeded to have drinks with our new Dutch friends and a couple other hostel guests.
The next morning, we drove south on Route 5 and after a couple hours of driving, stopped and had lunch at a place on the side of the highway. A couple hours later we made it to Villarrica, just west of Pucón . There, we stopped at a grocery store and got some groceries for the rental house, then followed the highway to Pucón. Once we arrived at the house, we met the owner, a small Chilean Buddhist named Patricia. The whole place was very zen, with Buddha statues and rock stacks and formations scattered around the property. Patricia herself was very soft-spoken and calming. She asked that when in the house we not wear shoes; slippers were provided at the entrance.
On Christmas day, we went to Huerquehue National Park , which was only about 30 Km from Pucón. It was an easy drive there, and once in the park we paid an entry fee of about 8$/person, then started off on a hike. The hike actually turned into several kilometers of hills through the forest, up and down on switchbacks. Elevation gain was pretty significant and more intense than we thought it would be. We reached the first waterfall after about an hour and a half, then continued on to the next one, which was about 3 times as high as the first. The hike was pretty grueling, but the exceptionally beautiful scenery made the walking a bit easier.
That day, we went into Pucón and made reservations to summit the Villarrica Volcano. On the 27th of December (a Monday), we all got up around 5:45 AM and went to the outfitter. We had gotten fitted for pants, jackets, boots, etc the day before, so all that stuff was distributed to us, and we climbed into the van for the short drive to the volcano. Once at the Villarrica Volcano , we all opted to take the ski lift up to the first portion and then climb the mountain from there. It cost 5,000$ CLP (about 10$ USD) to take the lift (but was worth it). The Ski lift actually ran to the base of the volcano, to where it began a steep ascent…where we then began the ascent to the top. The high point of elevation is nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. There were a lot of people climbing that day; this is actually one of the most climbed ” stratovolanoes ” in the world. The beginning of the trek was not too hard; we climbed for about 30 minutes, then rested and ate a quick snack. After about 10 minutes of rest, we climbed on, hiking for another 45 minutes to an hour before stopping again.
The incline was beginning to get steeper at that point and our legs were starting to ache. We had a quick lunch, and at the prodding of our guides (“let’s go, chicos, vamos”), we began climbing again. This section of the climb was extremely steep and long. For a portion of this area, we were at about a 45 degree angle and looking down induced instant vertigo. This was probably the most dangerous part of the summit. Another hour or so later, we reached the last rest point, where we ate a snack, drank some water and took photos. The view this high up was incredible. We could see lahars extending outward from the volcano, Quetrupillan Volcano in the distance (another stratovolcano that is inside Villarrica National Park as well) and all the surrounding towns and Lake Villarrica and way beyond.
We began climbing once again, and after 45 minutes, reached the summit. During the last portion of the climb, our legs were exhausted, and we had to stop frequently. At the top, though, we were able to sit for a few minutes, eat, and relax. The Israelis that were with us were also relaxing, smoking their cigarettes (“if the volcano is smoking, so can we”). We were also able to descend into the volcano’s caldera, explore it a bit and take some photos. The caldera itself was massive, spewing sulfur fumes and steam into the air and belching up gases that had this odd echoing sound. It was a strange feeling to be so close to something that is so fascinating and mysterious yet so dangerous. The gases make it hard to breathe anywhere inside the caldera. The maximum amount of time that we were able to stay at the summit was about 30 minutes because of the noxious fumes.
Once ready to head down, we suited up in our jackets, pants, hats and gloves and began a series of slides to get down the mountain. Literally, sliding on our butts the entire way down. After a slide of about 100 yards or so, we picked up, moved 100 feet to the right or left, and did it over and over again until reaching the base. It ended up taking about an hour to get back to the bottom. We were all so happy to have accomplished what we set out that morning to do.
The next day, w e departed Pucón at 8:15. There was an excessive amount of construction on Route 5, which caused some delays, but nothing major. It was really more of an annoyance. In Linares, we ate at a pizza place called Pizza Express. Finally, we ended up in the Colchagua Valley , near Santa Cruz around 4:30 or so, and stopped at a winery called Viu Manent. The Valley is regarded as one of the best wine regions in the world. The somellier at Viu Manent gave a very detailed and informative description of the wines we were tasting (7 for 7,000$ CLP) – it took about 30 minutes to get through all of them. We left the winery and got to Terra Vina , the hotel we had reserved, and checked in. The hotel is situated in the middle of a vineyard and is run by a Dutch lady. Each room has a balcony overlooking the fields of grapes.
The next day, we drove the rest of the way back to Santiago and did some site-seeing. Some notable places to visit: Cerro San Cristobal; Plaza de Armas , where the Santiago Cathedral, National Historical Museum, and other historic buildings surrounded the square; and the Central Market.