Villarrica Lake
In short
A 176 km² lake with the town of Villarrica on its west shore and Pucón on the east. Its main inflow is the Trancura river.
Lake Villarrica covers 176 km², and La Araucanía's two best-known resort towns sit on its shores: Villarrica to the west and Pucón to the east, with Villarrica volcano as a backdrop (sources: Wikipedia; Sernatur, chile.travel).
Things to do
- Boat trips: tours leave from the Villarrica and Pucón piers, with views of the volcano. In summer, weather permitting, longer trips reach Aillaquillén Island (source: Sernatur, chile.travel).
- Water sports: sailing, kayaking and water skiing (same source).
- Beaches with mountain views, in Pucón and Villarrica.
- Nearby: Villarrica volcano, Licán Ray and Huerquehue National Park (same source).
Getting there
From Temuco on route 199 it's a little over an hour to Villarrica and 20 minutes more to Pucón. From La Araucanía Airport it's about an hour and a half (source: Sernatur, chile.travel).
Before you go
Both towns fill up in January and February: book lodging early. Only swim at designated beaches.
Where it is
- Area
- Lake District
-39.25533, -72.08573 (reference point inside the area) · View on map · Source of the point (© OpenStreetMap contributors / Wikidata)
Today's conditions
-
Villarrica Volcano on yellow technical alertCaution
Sernageomin raised Villarrica Volcano's technical alert from green to yellow on September 4, 2026; as of October 15 we found no change. Check sernageomin.cl and senapred.cl before heading up the volcano.
Checked October 15, 13:00 · Sernageomin · Not checked for more than 24 hours
Information from official sources, with the date of the last check. Confirm with the source before you go: araucania.tours informs, it does not guarantee conditions.
Nearby or similar
Huerquehue National Park
A 12,500-hectare national park created in 1967, next to Caburgua Lake. Its Los Lagos trail is 10.8 km one way (about 4 h...
Villarrica Volcano
A 2,847 m stratovolcano inside Villarrica National Park, between the towns of Villarrica and Pucón. Its summit is covere...
San Luis Hot Springs
Hot springs with thermal pools, tubs and lodging at km 27 of the road from Pucón to Curarrehue.