Outdoor Chile

Genus Araucaria — Monkey Puzzle Trees — gives this region its names. The Araucaria is an early conifer that looks like a pinetree with loopy tail-like branches. The tree is the key plant in an ecosystem that flourishes in the heavy rainfall, moderate temperatures, and volcanic soils of the region. The trees yield a piqon-type of nut that was the mainstay of the indigenous people, the Araucarians, who called the the tree pehuen and themselves the Mapuche.

Los Paraguas and Conguillo are actually two parks, but everybody treats them as one. Together, they take up 114,000 acres. Besides the large stands of Araucaria, the parks are noted for three medium-sized lakes and two very active volcanoes, the Volcan Llaima and the Volcan Sierra Nevada. See them on a map of Chilean & Argentinian outdoor attractions.

Natural and Human History

This is a land of vocal volcanoes. Volcaen Llaima's last major eruption was in 1957. You can see immense fields of lava flow in the very early stages of plant succession — here and there a lichen, a determined shrub, a clump of pampas grass. The volcanoes created the park's lakes by damning previously unobstructed rivers.

As well as the Araucaria forests, the parks are a good place to experience the South American beech forest, known as the Valdivian forest, or in Spanish, the bosques valdivianos. Together with forest preserves to the north, the Chilean government is trying to get this area declared a biosphere. Many birds are native to these forests, including the Magellanic woodpecker, which can only survive in mature forests that have not been logged over.

The Mapuche Indians were never successfully conquered by white colonialists. Consequently, out of all the Patagonian Indians, they have the largest population and the most intact culture.

When to Go

The peak months are November through March.

What to Do

This is a park for hiking. Trails are well marked and maintained, and because the forest floors are clear and the landmarks are so visible, you can leave the trails without much danger of getting lost.

Sleeping & Eating

These parks are well maintained without being overdeveloped. There are no hotels, but if you want a solid roof and a solid floor you can rent a cabin near one of the lakes. There are also several campgrounds with sanitation facilities, and you can camp al rustico in the back country.