Pucón definitely has a beach town vibe. Chill, lounge-style restaurants are everywhere, but honestly, it’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, it really makes you feel like you're on vacation.
The beautiful town of Pucón, nestled between a lake and a volcano
We arrived directly from San Carlos de Bariloche to Pucón with a bus layover in Osorno. The trip took us about 14 hours to reach this town, which sits right on the edge of a gorgeous lake and just below a volcano.
Tristan hadn't done any research on this city before coming, which made the discovery even more wonderful. We arrived with no big expectations, just eager to see what we would find.
We stayed at a hostel that was easily one of the best in town while still being incredibly budget-friendly. Its biggest perk: it's right on the beach. The beds were super comfy, and the kitchen was great too. Honestly, a solid 5/5 for Soley Hostel.
Santiago
CHILE
A real holiday vibe
From here, you really start to get a feel for the surroundings. Pucón definitely has a beach town vibe. There are trendy lounge-style restaurants everywhere, but it's actually really nice. If anything, it really puts you in that holiday frame of mind.
The town itself is fairly big, but thankfully the main spots are actually quite close to each other.
Walking from the hostel down to the casino, you'll run into a lively little square. A street performer there was keeping everyone entertained by goofing around with the passing cars. At one point, he even hopped into a car to get the passengers dancing. The whole square was in stitches.
Right next door, several food trucks were selling different things: hot dogs, crepes, burritos… We went with a hot dog. And as is often the case in South America, they are really loaded. Safe to say, it definitely hits the spot.
In the same area, we also stumbled upon a small artisan market with about twenty stalls. It was absolutely charming. Unfortunately, our bags are already packed to the brim, so there was no way we could take any of these lovely souvenirs home with us. Next time, for sure!
A city that really comes alive late at night
On the way back to the hostel, we walk through the park again. It's already 9:00 PM and yet the place is absolutely buzzing. Kids are playing Mario Kart on rolling dinosaurs, and cotton candy vendors still have long queues.
All of this makes the city feel incredibly welcoming. You instantly get the feeling that you're going to have an amazing time here.
El Claro Waterfall
Our first day started with a little expedition into the jungle to go see the Cascada El Claro.
Once we arrived at the park entrance, it took us about a 30-minute hike to reach the waterfall. It stands about 90 meters high, and the surrounding vegetation is so dense you almost feel like you're stepping into an unexplored paradise.
We took the opportunity to have a picnic with this magnificent view, watching a few brave souls try to take a dip in the freezing water.
On the way back, we walked about 40 minutes to get back to the road, and managed to flag down a collectivo in less than five minutes. It saved us from ordering an Uber and, best of all, saved us some cash.
The incredible waters of Ojos del Caburgua
The next day, we set off on a new adventure to another corner of Pucu00f3n.
This time we caught a collectivo. After a quick chat with the driver, he knew exactly where to let us off and dropped us right by the side of the road.
From there, we had about a two-kilometer walk ahead of us.
And at the end of the path, we reached the Ojos del Caburgua. The water is a crystal-clear, deep azure blue, with several small waterfalls feeding into it. Itu2019s the kind of water that looks so incredibly pure, you feel like it could wash away any impurity.
A little mix-up and an unexpected encounter
On our way back, we passed by a place that seemed to have fish on display. Curious, we decided to pop in for the equivalent of two euros.
And that… was a mistake.
We found ourselves in a carp breeding facility. Just small tanks packed with hundreds of carp huddled together. It was a bit disappointing and, honestly, quite sad to see, so we turned around and left almost immediately.
Fortunately, on the walk back, we stumbled upon a little house selling homemade cakes. A sweet little girl welcomed us, looking very ready to do business alongside her mom.
The cakes were absolutely delicious and gave us just the boost we needed for the remaining two-kilometer walk.
The volcanic caves… that missed the mark
On our third day, we wanted to go check out the volcanic caves.
We decided to have a lazy morning and head over in the afternoon. Bad move!
Since we didn't have a car, and the path usually requires a 4x4, our driver dropped us off about a 15-minute walk from the site, which already put us behind schedule.
When we finally reached the entrance, the staff let us know that the last tour of the day was already fully booked.
We still hung around for a bit to soak in the incredible views before trekking back through nature to the main road to catch another ride.
The final day
Itu2019s our last day in Pucu00f3n, but it doesnu2019t really feel like weu2019re leaving just yet.
Tristan is off to climb Volcu00e1n Villarrica, an active volcano with fairly low activity right now. Meanwhile, Mathilde is headed into the jungle for a canopy zipline tour, featuring seven lines, including two that zoom right over waterfalls.
Since we had to check out of our room by 11:00 AM, we locked our bags in the hostelu2019s lockers. Super convenient.
Tristan’s 5:00 AM wake-up call was a breeze, he was like a kid on Christmas morning ready for an adventure.
The climb up the volcano takes about ten hours in total. While heu2019s trekking up, Mathilde is flying through the forest canopy on the ziplines.
This was the first time during our trip that we split up to do different activities, but in the end, it was absolutely perfect. We met back up in the evening with so many stories to share with each other.
A city we'd return to in a heartbeat
Pucón really left a mark on us. Between the lake, the volcano, the forest, and countless activities, this town has so much to offer.
I have a feeling we'll make our way back here one day.
It was a truly wonderful experience.
