Melipeuco - and in the end, everything will be fine!

In Santiago, it is currently around 35 degrees, along with the hustle and bustle of a big city and all the unrest at the moment, Yannik and I don't want to spend too much time there. Therefore, we decided to drive half the way to Temuco on a "good luck" basis, then take a bus to Parque National Conguillo to go hiking there for a bit.

The problem in Chile: everything takes a little longer (distances and people) and you can find "almost no information" on the internet. However, we only had two nights until our bus to Santiago and arrived in Temuco at 11 pm the night before.

I have to say, I was a bit in a bad mood. Our bus also stopped in Valdivia, I would have liked to get off there and imagined two relaxed days. In a region where I know where and how the buses run, where supermarkets are, and what the best activities are. However, Yannik convinced me to go on this trip into the "unknown".

In the evening, tired, we found a hostel in Temuco. The city is the ugliest I have ever seen in Chile. We both felt a bit like in the ghetto, and we were also a bit afraid for our backpacks. The taxi driver and the hostel owner were extremely unfriendly, the toilet in the hostel did not work, and we had to sleep with earplugs because some ventilation was squeaking. Early the next morning, we got up to get away as soon as possible with the first bus. I wanted to get money from the bank, but it is not easy at half past seven on a Sunday morning in Chile. After being sent by three different people to various bus stops, we finally got on the bus to Melipeuco. Of course, it drove through all the small villages, so we arrived only around noon. There we learned that there were only private transports for 40 euros one way to the national park, and it would still take an hour from there. Or you could hire a hiking guide, which is also not cheap. Is it even worth it to hike if we only have two half days?! To be honest, I was a bit angry, I had told Yannik before that it would be a bit stressful to inform ourselves about everything and especially difficult to get around in the hinterland. I nostalgically thought back to Valdivia.

But hey, moping around doesn't help either, it was Sunday and the weather was beautiful. Based on a tip, we stood by the roadside. Many Chileans use the weekend to get out and have a picnic in nature. Since the distances are so insignificant, you can plan on a three-hour drive for an afternoon trip. And indeed, the first car stopped! We met a young family from Temuco who wanted to take a Sunday trip to the park to explore the entire park. They took us in the back of their van on two folding seats. At the park entrance, the nice staff member only asked for the entrance fee for Chileans, which saved us half the money. The family drove with us through the entire park, we stopped for many photo stops, and even had time to relax on the beach and take a short hiking trail among the giant araucarias.

The Conguillo Park is especially known for the "Laguna Arcauiris" (Rainbow Lagoon), a crystal-clear pond of volcanic origin, with many dead tree trunks. When the sun shines on it, the water shimmers in all possible colors, hence the name.

In addition, you have a beautiful view of the Llaima Volcano, which you could even climb with ice axes. These views alone made up for all the stress beforehand, and I had to formally apologize to Yannik and admit that he was right ;).

There were numerous hiking trails, with the most beautiful one being the "Sierra Nevada" trek. A climb along the largest lagoon in the park, through araucaria forests, to the best viewpoint of the volcano. We were motivated, and if it works once, maybe it will work again. So we stood by the roadside again the next morning at 8 o'clock. We had to keep an eye on the time: the hike takes 3-4 hours, and the last bus to Temuco leaves at 5:30 pm. Two hours are spent as pure travel time to the starting point, and you also have to be lucky to get picked up. Quite risky, but hey, if something is possible, it's in Chile! Mios Dio, we were lucky. A park ranger picked us up after half an hour, and on the way back, we (with the first car!) rode with a couple from Osorno. We even had so much time to relax in Melipeuco that we were able to try caramelized pork steak with rosemary and fresh raspberry juice. (Yes, we treated ourselves, we saved on transportation costs ;D).

And about the trail: just look at the photos yourself, it was indescribably beautiful.

In retrospect, we learned that Parque National Conguillo is supposed to be the second most beautiful park in all of Chile. I have learned that doubts beforehand don't help and only spoil the mood. I intend to give up this habit in the near future.

Frieda (23.12)