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- Destinations
- South America
- Chile
- Lake District
- Pucón
Pucón
Pucón is a pretty resort town situated on Lake Villarica, set
against the looming backdrop of the live Villarrica Volcano. The
town has an excellent tourist infrastructure and is one Chile's
most popular domestic holiday destinations. Surrounded by one
private and two National Parks, Pucón is the focus of the Lake
Districts' adventure tourism industry and is a growing centre for
outdoor sports including hiking, kayaking, white-water rafting,
windsurfing, horseback riding and mountain biking. More relaxing
outdoor activities in Pucón include fishing, birdwatching soaking
up the sun on the lakeshore or bathing in the nearby hot
springs.
In the winter months, skiing and snowboarding in Pucón are the
major attractions, and the resort is one of the few places in the
world where visitors can ski on a live volcano.
Information & Facts
Activities
Pucón is ideally situated for adventure sports and outdoor
activities, as it is framed between a mountain and a lake, and is
on the cusp of two national parks and one private reserve. In
summer there is white water rafting, trekking, hot springs,
fly-fishing, birdwatching, horseback riding and volcanic caves to
explore. Winter activities center around skiing, snow-boardingand
lounging about in the restorative hot springs.
Language
The official language is Spanish.
Money
The local currency is the Chilean Peso (CLP), which is divided
into 100 centavos. Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and to a lesser
extent, American Express, are accepted in most large shops and
hotels. Travellers cheques, particularly in US Dollars, are welcome
in major towns, where there are banks and
cambiosoffering currency exchange services. ATMs are
widely available.
Negatives
Can be very crowded during college holidays and ski season.
Night Life
The nightlife is Pucon is usually lively, and the town has the
reputation of having something fun to do 24 hours a day. The most
popular evening out in Pucón is probably Mama's and Tapas which
serves decent Mexican food and oversize beers. Krater and Indiana
are also worthwhile assuming your thirst has overridden your
aversion to cheesy music. A step up in terms of style, price and
clientele is El Bosque. Many bars and nightclubs are open only in
summer, and the town is much quieter during the winter months
though there is always somewhere to get a drink.
Restaurants
Hoards of hungry tourists have ensured a lively and diverse
restaurant scene in Pucón. Latitude 39 is a great place for burgers
and American food, while Ecole! is a popular vegetarian restaurant.
Viva Peru has good South American food, while La Maga is a good
steakhouse.
Shopping
It's never a good idea to shop too extensively in a resort town
as the prices are generally higher, and the range more generic,
than in less affluent towns and areas. Shopping in Pucón is no
different, although there are plentiful high quality carvings,
textiles and leather goods if you are in the mood to shop. If you
want maps, guide books and trekking kit visit Travel Aid or
Expolibros, both on the O'Higgins main drag.
Time
Mainland is GMT -4 (GMT -3 from October to March). Easter
Island is GMT -6 (GMT -5 from October to March).