Hiking Guide: Laguna Negra, Pucόn

Laguna Negra was a tough but beautiful day hike in Pucn, Chile. When we hiked the trail in May, it was made even harder by the snow we had to trudge through – but it felt like a winter wonderland!

This hike is about 17km round trip, but due to the snow we couldn’t get all the way to all of the lakes. It was still worth it though, as the lakes (albeit frozen over) were stunning and the trail showcased the diverse ecosystem of Villarrica National Park, which is unlike the scenery we had been seeing in Southern Patagonia.

How to get there:

TThe hike begins at the Rucapillán sector of Villarrica National Park, a 35-minute drive from Pucόn to the El Cañi Sanctury. There is a small reception area, where we parked our hire car and paid the CLP5,000 (AUD$8.16/USD$5.50) entrance fee which included a map. You can drive to another carpark slightly further up the hill, shaving 20 minutes off the hiking time, but you have to pay another small fee.

If you don’t have a hire car, there are also three buses per day that go via El Cañi Sanctuary through Buses Caburgua. Find the most up to date schedule on their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/BusesCaburgua/

The Hike:

The initial few kms is very steep and dusty, and not the most exciting trail – I just listened to a podcast and thought about how this was good training for some of our longer hikes! It started to get beautiful once we got to the small hut about half-way up, and that’s also when we hit the snow! The path was clear enough to not need crampons, but it did mean we had to be extra careful – and our hiking sticks were put to good use!

After the hut you are stepping into lush, green forest that is beautiful to walk through, and is nowhere near as steep as the first part of the hike. There are multiple lakes you will pass by, including Laguna Verde, Laguna Blanca and Laguna El Encanto – all of which were totally frozen over when we were there!

Top Tips:

• Bring your lunch and water for a picnic at one of the lakes! There is nowhere to purchase any food or drink, although there are fresh water sources up the top to refill your water.

• The map you are given at the start of the trek is really informative – even though the path is really easy to follow, the map gives you a lot of additional information about the trail and the local flora and fauna.

• Allow yourselves at least 6-7 hours to complete the day hike before sunset. The ranger may not allow you to go up if you don’t have sufficient time to complete the hike before it gets dark.