Santiago, Pucón and the Surroundings (Chile)
It’s March 2024. After spending a month in Buenos Aires and a week on Easter Island, we have to find a place to stay before our road trip in Japan with my parents. We choose to spend a few days in Santiago before heading quickly to the lake region.
Santiago
Santiago has never been a remarkable city for us. Despite passing through several times (often to get to another region of Chile or Argentina), we’ve always struggled to appreciate it. This time, we opt for a hostel right in the city center, in an old house (that could have looked like a museum, Casa Marina Huérfanos, Booking link). But we still can’t fall in love with its downtown.
I visit the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, hoping to see lots of gold jewelry like in Bogotá, Colombia, but there are more sculptures than ceremonial jewelry.
Quite disappointed, we sit on the terrace of a touristy restaurant downtown and enjoy one of those deliciously simple sandwiches. You can choose what to put in it. I added some beef, but the best remains avocado, egg, and tomato, nothing more! There’s a touristy pedestrian street where street vendors try to sell us cheap Chinese knockoffs. Anyway, compared to Buenos Aires, we have better purchasing power, we eat well for cheap, and their meat is just as good as in Argentina.
Pucón
After a day on the bus, we arrive in Pucón. The reason we’re here is that our guide on Easter Island told us about a beautiful hot spring in the forest, and the nearest towns are either Pucón or Villarrica. JB tries his best to find an Airbnb with a work desk (the Airbnbs here never have a work desk or dining table). The houses are a bit like Swiss chalets and are more suited for vacations, so they’re sparsely furnished.
We’re a 10-minute walk from Lake Villarrica…
and from our street, we can see the mountains; it’s very beautiful.
Despite many stray dogs (like everywhere in South America), the ones in Pucón are really friendly, and even at night, the only dogs barking are guard dogs (which have an owner).
Termas Geométricas
Termas Geométricas: that’s the reason we’re here. After asking around, we conclude that it’s better to go with an agency than to rent a car ourselves and pay admission. The hot springs are 2 hours by car from Pucón, and agencies sell us a package: round trip + admission + 2 hours on site, which is more than enough. We’ll go to Termas Geométricas twice because we love it so much! It’s truly the best spring in the area. Not only is the water hot (even scalding), but the setting is exceptional. We’re in the middle of the forest, with hot water carried through pipes protected by wood, a waterfall at the far end, and the icy water that flows from it… The two waters mix, and along the river, you can relax in 18 baths at varying temperatures (between 9 and 46 degrees). The baths are super clean, and despite the crowds, it’s so large that you don’t feel like you’re stepping on each other’s toes. JB is so brave that he dipped into that 9-degree bath and went under the huge waterfall at the end of the course.
There are changing rooms along the course, so I advise you to walk to the waterfall to see all the baths, then leave your belongings at the lockers in the middle of the course. The baths near the entrance are the least used (they’re only 35 degrees), and you’ll tend to stay in the baths in the middle and near the waterfall.
Near the entrance, there’s a café with two wood-burning fires where you can have a slice of cake or a tea while staying warm. I love it so much!!!
Mini Road Trip
There are two other tours offered by agencies. After doing my research, I pick the best of each tour and combine them into a road trip we do ourselves by renting a car. This lake area is really interesting. You can hop on a boat to Argentina, climb a volcano in winter and then sled down (when the volcano isn’t too active, which isn’t the case right now), enjoy several hot springs… It’s Switzerland and Japan combined.
First, we visit the Parque Neltume – Salto del Huilo Huilo. There are two entrances, and unfortunately, we pick the wrong one, see the waterfall from the wrong side, and walk more. But it’s still very beautiful. The water is freezing, but it must be amazing to swim there in summer.
Next, we go to Puerto Fuy , and that’s where there’s a boat that goes to Argentina.
Next to it are a few food trucks, so so good!
We spend the night near a lake and try to stargaze at night, but light pollution is still too strong.
The next day, we visit Portal Caverna Volcánica, where the only interesting activity is crossing a bridge that goes behind a waterfall and getting completely soaked.
Then we go to a hot spring that supposedly has about ten baths, but half are closed. The advantage is that the hottest one (41-42 degrees) is functional, and you can even swim in the river (glacial!).
We spend the night in a cabin in the middle of nowhere (electricity is solar), but the owners cook and make us homemade lasagna that’s to die for!
Then we visit the Parque Ojos del Caburgua. The land is split in two, and you have to choose the right entrance to access more things (which we managed to do this time).
Next, we went to see Playa Blanca Caburgua, where people swim in summer, and found a bumpy, unfinished road, but a very pretty sandy beach.
If the volcano hadn’t been on orange alert, JB would have liked to go with a tour company and hike up to the crater. It’s still possible to hike up, but you’re not allowed to go to the summit, which seriously reduces the appeal. In winter, you can even hike up and then ski or sled back down.
And since we’re not far from Bariloche (in Argentina, where they make good chocolate), the desserts here are very tempting, and they also have very rich hot chocolate.
We tried to go to Termas el Rincon but we didn’t think to book, so we were turned away. In my opinion, even though Termas el Rincon isn’t as nice as Termas Geometricas and the road is more precarious, it’s still a must-stop if you have time, and they also have a waterfall inside.
In short, this lake district is super peaceful and super beautiful. There are lots of things to do in the area, and you can easily explore by renting a car or going through an agency. Here are the March 2024 prices:
- Accommodation: 50,000 pesos/night for two people
- Restaurant: 18,000 pesos/person
- Car rental: 45,000 pesos/day
- Excursions between 41,000 and 60,000 pesos
- Hot springs: between 15,000 and 40,000 pesos
