Conguillío National Park, Malalcahuello and accommodation

Conguillío National Park

Is the jewel in the crown of the Araucanía region in the central south of Chile. It is quite popular in summer for local tourists but not so well known outside of the region or country. Nevada. There are numerous walking tracks and several attractive lakes and lagoons. Inside the park there is one designated camping area with amenities. There are also one or two private accommodation operators.

Conguillío National Park  contains some of the best preserved examples of Araucaría araucana  forest complex, declared by UNESCO as being in danger of extinction due to previous logging, past and present land clearing. This forest complex is the home of the carpintero magellánico (Campephilus magellanicus) or Magellanic Woodpecker. The male has a bright red head, whilst the female is almost completely black and harder to see, although their loud pecking sounds echo through the forest giving their location away.

At the time of writing, the Park is closed on Mondays and it is necessary to reserve your entry ticket on this website:  http://www.aspticket.cl.

There are two main entrances to the Park, one in the north, close to the township of Curacautin and the other is the south near the town of  Melipeuco.

Malalcahuello

Is a rural town in transition from and economic base of forestry and livestock farming to one based on tourism. The town is surrounded by forested mountains which in winter are covered in snow and lures skiers from around the world. There are two thermal baths close the Malalcahuello and a third on the route to Conguillío National Park.

The town is central to many nature based activities and in summer has the tranquility of a small rural town. It doesn´t get inundated by hordes of tourists in summer as there is no large lake close by. There are two lakes within 1.5 hours driving distance from the town.

Accommodation

Malalcahuello is the closest town to the ski centre Corralco, for this reason there is an abundance of accommodation available in summer, when the town is smaller in size and generally quiet.

The accommodation offered varies from camping to the four star Corralco Hotel. In between there are an array of lodges and cabins to suit every budget. If you are looking for independence and quality the following cabins may interest you: https://www.chilewild.com/chalets/

If you are looking for accommodation other than cabins, a good place to start your search is the local tourism association website: http://www.malalcahuello.org