Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus To access the park, you'll need to reach Angol first.
Daily buses go from Angol's Terminal Rural, Ilabaca 422 ( T 45
2712021), to Vegas Blancas, a village 7km from Portones at
the park's eastern boundary, and in Jan and Feb Buses Angol
have a Sun return service to Pehuenco. In Angol, Terminal
Rodoviario, Oscar Bonilla 428 ( T 45 2711854), serves long-
distance destinations; Terminal Rural ( T 45 2712021), at
Ilabaca 422, serves local destinations.
Conaf There are five Conaf guarderías (ranger stations) in
the park, at Portones (where the entrance fee is paid;
T 402 1960244), Pehuenco, Coimallin, Pichinahuel and
Cotico. In Angol, the o ce is at Prat 191, 2nd floor ( T 45
2711870), and has up-to-date information on the park.
El Tablon/Barrabirra Plaza España 532. To catch the
latest match and knock back a beer, try this popular bar
with nightly drink specials and pizza. Beers CH$2000.
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are numerous banks with
ATMs on Barros Arana and O'Higgins; Afex, at Barros Arana
565, Local 57, changes foreign currencies.
Hospital Hospital Regional is on San Martín, at
Av Roosevelt ( T 41 2722500).
Internet access There are several internet cafés around
Concepción's centre; Fonossa Internet, at the corner of
Freire and Lincoyán, has broadband and Skype-enabled
computers (CH$500/hr).
Laundry Try Limposco y Lavenderia, Colo Colo 148.
Pharmacy Numerous pharmacies can be found along
Barros Arana.
Post o ce Colo Colo 417 (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat
9.30am-1pm).
Telephone centres Entel, Barros Arana 541, Local 2,
is the best phone centre.
ACCOMMODATION
Camping You can camp in relative isolation, either by the
park administration at Pehuenco, where there are eleven
pitches with picnic tables, fire pits, showers and rustic
toilets (CH$12,000/pitch for up to six people; T 2 1960244
ext 245), or at a smaller campsite by Coimallín's Centro de
Información Ambiental; you'll need to bring all your food
and supplies with you.
4
PARQUE NACIONAL NAHUELBUTA
High in the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta,
35km west of the frontier town of Angol,
lies the remote Parque Nacional
Nahuelbuta (daily: Jan-Feb 8.30am-8pm;
March-Dec 8.30am-6pm; CH$4000).
The park is 1600m at its highest point
and benefits from coastal rainfall, creating
a rare ecosystem that sustains both coigüe
and lenga trees, common to temperate
coastal areas, and the araucaria trees of
the mountains. The area is a haven for
diverse wildlife , including pudú (pygmy
deer), Chilote fox and puma, not to
mention many species of birds.
From the park administration at
Pehuenco, 5km from the park entrance, a
dirt trail snakes its way through monkey
puzzle trees to the 1379m pinnacle of
Piedra de Aguila , presenting awesome
panoramic views of the distant volcanoes
to the north and the endless blue of the
Pacific to the west. From the Refugio
Coimallín , 3km north of the park
administration, a shorter trail leads up
to the mirador Cerro Anay , at the top of
a 1450m peak, which offers similarly
impressive views of the park and the
wilderness beyond. The best time to visit
is from October to April, when there is
less rainfall.
The Lake District
Stretching south from the end of the
Río Bío Bío to the large port of Puerto
Montt, THE LAKE DISTRICT falls within
the region of La Araucanía, one of the
last parts of Chile to be colonized by
Europeans thanks to fierce resistance by
the Mapuche that lasted until 1880.
While not as challenging as Patagonia,
the area's multitude of snowcapped
volcanoes, sparkling lakes and dense
forest make it a vastly rewarding place to
explore. And after you've hiked, kayaked,
climbed and rafted yourself to a state of
exhaustion, you can soak your weary
bones in the numerous hot springs here,
sipping Kunstmann, Chile's best beer,
brewed in Valdivia.
TEMUCO
The busy market city of TEMUCO was
founded in 1881 towards the end of
the “pacification” of the Mapuche, the
indigenous minority who still inhabit the
area - Temuco remained a frontier town
well into the early twentieth century,
 
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