Pucón

Infobox City
official_name = Pucón
nickname =
motto =


imagesize = 248px
image_caption = Volcano and Lake Villarrica in Pucón.


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mapsize = 100px
map_caption = Location of Pucón municipality in the Araucanía region
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = bottom
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Chile
pushpin_mapsize = 80
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type = Region
subdivision_name = Araucania
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Cautín
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Carlos Barra Matamala
established_title = Foundation
established_date = February 27 1883
area_as_of =
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 552
area_total_km2 = 1,429
population_as_of =
population_note =
population_total = 14,532
population_footnotes =
population_metro =
population_urban = 8,023
population_density_km2 = 10.16
timezone = CLT
utc_offset = -4
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST = -3
latd=39 |latm=16 |lats=36 |latNS=S
longd=71 |longm=58 |longs=28 |longEW=W
elevation_m =227
elevation_ft =
website =
[http://www.municipalidadpucon.cl/ municipalidadpucon.cl]
footnotes =

Pucón (Mapudungun: "entrance of the cordillera") is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the southeast of Temuco and 780 km to the south of Santiago, Chile.

Pucón's unrivaled location by a lake and a volcano and quite stable weather (especially in the summer) make it a popular destination for tourists. It offers a variety of sports and adventure/recreational activities for tourists, including water skiing, snow skiing, backpacking, white water rafting and kayaking, horse back riding, natural hot springs, zip line rides, and guided ascents of Villarrica volcano.

History

Pucón is a centennial tourist destination, created with the support of European settlers, particularly Germans, who started arriving at the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. It was initially established as an Army outpost to protect the borders and contribute to the pacification of Araucanía. A fort was thus erected on the February 27 1883 by the Chilean Army, similar to the ones in Paillin (known today as Palguín) and Maichi. The successful coexistence between natives and settlers allowed for the cattle ranch and exploitation of the forests to fructify and become the main economic activities during the initial years. The touristic development did not begin in earnest until the 1930s, with the construction of the "Gran Hotel Pucón" as part of a project initiated by the "Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado", alongside the small preexisting hotels and residencies (La Posada, Acevedo, Playa, Gudenschwager and Suiza).

Tourism

Pucón is a major centre of adventure tourism in Chile. During the summer, tourist attractions include hiking, rafting, horse back riding, birdwatching, fishing. Due to its privileged natural surroundings, near a volcano and several lakes, nature reserves and thermal baths, Pucón is a destination which can rely on tourism all year round. In winter and spring, it is possible to go skiing or snowboarding on the trails of the Villarrica volcano.

Natural interests

* National parks: Villarrica National Park, Huerquehue National Park and Villarrica National Reserve.
* Volcanos: the most notable are the Villarrica, Mocho or Quetrupillán and Lanín volcanos.
* Main lakes: the Villarrica, Caburgua and Tinquilco lakes.
* Main river: Trancura.
* Spas in the commune of Pucón: Palguín, Rio Blanco, Huife, Quimey-Co and Los Pozones; other nearby spas include the ones located in the commune of Curarrehue: Menetúe, San Luis, Trancura, Panqui and Ancamil.

ister cities

*flagicon|USA Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA

External links

*wikitravel|Pucón
* [http://www.jauspucon.cl JausPucon Travel]
*es icon [http://www.pucononline.cl Tourism info, history and webcams]