Pucón is a place where we could have stayed a lot longer but our information source is no longer to be trusted! (Anyone considering buying a Footprint guide, we wouldn't recommend it – we think the one for Sth America is just crap. Lonely Planet or Rough Guide are much better choices.)
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To us, Pucón seemed like the Queenstown equivalent in Chile and was really set up for anyone who had energy. The setting was stunning as the town is sandwiched between a lake and a volcano
and offers loads of hiking, climbing, rafting, sailing, skydiving, windsurfing …. you name it, they’ll offer it. I will forever regret not climbing Volcan Villarrica that towered above the town although there were mixed reviews from those who had done it.
We stayed in a huge old place with a pool, tennis court (slightly overgrown) and a huge kitchen and lounge.
They also had a resident dog that was huge, only six months old and he got very boisterous
before collapsing for a siesta.
We passed these flower stands coming in on the bus
and it wasn’t until we got up close that we realised they were fake and made out of wood! How clever is that?
We revelled in cooking (steak again) for ourselves and I got quite a kick out of seeing wine sold in cartons like orange juice for less money! A 500ml carton of red wine (Concha y Toro, so a label we knew) was about 50 pence.
We headed down to the lakeside for a swim and got the shock of our lives to find every man and his dog down there! It was like Brighton beach in the UK on a nice day.
Pucón isn’t like any of the places either Euan or I have visited in Chile and is really geared up for visitors. There is loads of tourist tat but put that aside, the town is in a lovely area and actually offers visitors, should they want it, a bit more in terms of food and accommodation obviously in addition to the stunning setting. These guys were clever and carving horses so quickly (my camera is still working – its just that they were working under a yellow canvas).
We spent the evening chatting over wine to two very entertaining young trainee doctors from Holland who were so unorganised and had managed to leave their packs behind on buses and get into all sorts of scrapes. They were meant to be going partying but stayed with us until well after midnight before stumbling out the door to find some action.
We caught an overnight bus back up to Santiago and spent the day there sorting out all our onward flights that had somehow been completely cancelled. I don’t know what it is with us and incompetent airline employees but we seem to attract them like you wouldn’t believe.
On the flight out, I was playing around taking photos and most didn’t really come out but this caught my eye. It was a huge sand dune that seemed to be moving in on a town or city.
You might be able to see it better here.
View Larger Map
To us, Pucón seemed like the Queenstown equivalent in Chile and was really set up for anyone who had energy. The setting was stunning as the town is sandwiched between a lake and a volcano
and offers loads of hiking, climbing, rafting, sailing, skydiving, windsurfing …. you name it, they’ll offer it. I will forever regret not climbing Volcan Villarrica that towered above the town although there were mixed reviews from those who had done it.
We stayed in a huge old place with a pool, tennis court (slightly overgrown) and a huge kitchen and lounge.
They also had a resident dog that was huge, only six months old and he got very boisterous
before collapsing for a siesta.
We passed these flower stands coming in on the bus
and it wasn’t until we got up close that we realised they were fake and made out of wood! How clever is that?
We revelled in cooking (steak again) for ourselves and I got quite a kick out of seeing wine sold in cartons like orange juice for less money! A 500ml carton of red wine (Concha y Toro, so a label we knew) was about 50 pence.
We headed down to the lakeside for a swim and got the shock of our lives to find every man and his dog down there! It was like Brighton beach in the UK on a nice day.
Pucón isn’t like any of the places either Euan or I have visited in Chile and is really geared up for visitors. There is loads of tourist tat but put that aside, the town is in a lovely area and actually offers visitors, should they want it, a bit more in terms of food and accommodation obviously in addition to the stunning setting. These guys were clever and carving horses so quickly (my camera is still working – its just that they were working under a yellow canvas).
We spent the evening chatting over wine to two very entertaining young trainee doctors from Holland who were so unorganised and had managed to leave their packs behind on buses and get into all sorts of scrapes. They were meant to be going partying but stayed with us until well after midnight before stumbling out the door to find some action.
We caught an overnight bus back up to Santiago and spent the day there sorting out all our onward flights that had somehow been completely cancelled. I don’t know what it is with us and incompetent airline employees but we seem to attract them like you wouldn’t believe.
On the flight out, I was playing around taking photos and most didn’t really come out but this caught my eye. It was a huge sand dune that seemed to be moving in on a town or city.
You might be able to see it better here.
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