The lake and volcano region of southern Chile is the expression of nature in its inimitable beauty and surprising exuberance.
Among volcanic cataclysms, iceberg sculptures, rain and snow, torrential rivers, and temperate rain forests, we find a landscape in movement, one that is constantly modeled and changing before our eyes.
This is the motherland of the Mapuche Indians, one of South America 's most important indigenous cultures. For almost 300 years, the Mapuches defended the Araucanía, the northern area of this region, against the Spaniards. They fought, dispersed, and changed their culture, spreading out over the pampas. Three centuries of resistance: so much strength! But that is the nature of the lake region.
Strong, yes, but safe too, and with a European elegance that is surprisingly familiar. As the Mapuches relinquished their territory to the newly-independent republic, the European settlers poured into this paradise of rich volcanic soil, ancient forests, and limpid glacier-fed lakes whose waters reflect the range of active volcanoes towering on the eastern horizon.
These settlers advanced toward the mountains, cutting and burning their way through the temperate forest. They built cities throughout the central valley, and ports the length of the indomitable Pacific coast and on the banks of innumerable rivers and lakes. The serene landscape of the region's central valley -wide, rolling meadows , German style haciendas, quiet, neat towns- can to a large extent be attributed to the hard work and vision of these 19th century immigrants.
The forests, which so challenged the first European settlers, are a source of constant awe to the modern traveler.
There are national and private parks in Araucanía that protect the last araucaria forests, an age-old pine native to the region aptly termed in English the monkey puzzle tree. It dates back to the Jurassic period and is today a national monument in Chile .
The cities of Temuco and Pucón, built in the heart of Mapuche country, are gateways to the wide range of attractions that the region offers, undoubtedly one of the Chile 's prime tourist destinations.
Farther south, the Valdivia rain forest -the world's second-largest temperate rain forest- covers the Coastal and Andes mountain ranges. The cities of Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Varas, and Puerto Montt are good places to start exploring the beautiful Andes lakes, some of which straddle the Chile-Argentina border.
Still farther south, where the central valley finally sinks into the Pacific and the Chilean Patagonia begins, we find magnificent ancient alerce forests, a tree sometimes referred to as the South American redwood. Some hard-to-find specimens are over 3500 years old.
All of the region's cities offer excellent hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and transportation, as well as attractions for all tastes, ages, and physical fitness levels. Of particular interest is the chain of national parks that runs along the border with Argentina and protects numerous ecosystems, from native forests to volcanic plateaus.
There are many vacation options for families or people with general interests. Travelers can choose to visit the parks, take an Andean lake cruise towards Argentina , or visit a myriad of vacation spots along the lakeshores. For those with more specific interests or adventure seekers, hiking, mountain climbing, rafting, bird watching, mountain biking, and horseback riding are just a few of the almost unlimited possibilities offered by Chile's lake and volcano region.
