Chile

Climbing Villarica Volcano

After the Argentinian side of the Andean mountain range, we were curious to find out how they look from the other side, from Chile. This long and very narrow strip of land which forms Chile boasts with a variety of landscapes. Coming from the south, the so called "Lake District" area was our first target, especially for the various volcanoes that define the landscape with their distinct shapes.
As we have heard from other travelers, Pucon is one of the best base for a variety of outdoor activities; one of them was climbing the still active Villarica volcano overlooking the town. This is what we were up to next!

Following the recommendation of the hostel owner, we signed up for a tour leaving with a small group earlier than all the other travel agencies, hoping this would give us the opportunity to have the volcano to ourselves.

6am the next morning, fully equipped with ice pick, warm clothes, helmet and crampons we were set and ready to leave for our adventure! After a 1-hour drive we arrived at our starting point at 1'600 m.a.s.l. The remaining 1'200 difference in altitude to the crater top were to be climbed by foot.

With the sun slowly rising behind us, casting a huge triangle shape onto the sea of fog to our feet, the ascent would start. Slowly, one step at a time, we gained height. First over loose gravel, soon the first snow patches and finally we reached the snowfield covering the top of the volcano. Step by step, carefully not to slip, we continued our path towards the crater. The higher up we climbed, the better the view over the surrounding landscape got. It was purely breathtaking! Still, the uphill climb was tearing at our strength, but with the many short breaks initiated by our guide, we still felt strong and could enjoy the beautiful landscape in which we currently were.

After 3.5 hours of climbing, we passed the last ridge and there was the crater; it seemed so close! But even if it looked like a stone's throw away, it took us another hour until we finally reached the top and were greeted by the volcano's hissing sound! What a feeling of relief, pride and excitement! The thought of standing that close to the gorge of an active volcano where you can hear the lava sizzling at the bottom and smelling the various gases coming out of the little holes in the ground, was just unbelievable! And with it the clear view, spotting even the Osorno volcano in the distance, which is located 200km south of Villarica, was just incredible!

Unfortunately, everything has to come to an end, with it as well our stay on the great Villarica volcano. Just after we started our downhill climb, we were greeted by hundreds of people, all still on their way to the top! The tour guide kept his promise, we had been the first ones on the top!

But still, the fun was only about to start! Instructed by our guide, it was time to dress up in all the gear the guide provided. Waterproof pants, jacket, gloves, gaiters and a sliding patch for around the hip. Ready, steady, GO! That was our command and off we were, sliding down the pre-carved snow channels! It was just hilarious... bringing us down the volcano in no time!

Later that day, back in Pucon, relaxing our tensed muscles with a swim in the lake, we would look back on the volcano, almost regretting the trip was already over... It definitely had been a great and unforgettable experience!