How to get to Pucón

Full, up-to-date guide: routes, 2026 tolls, buses, flights and a route video at pucon.tours: how to get to Pucón.

Pucón sits on the eastern shore of Villarrica Lake, about 100 km from Temuco by road (source: Sernatur, chile.travel, January 2026) and about 786 km from Santiago (source: Kupos). These are the ways to get there, from the most to the least common.

By plane: fly to Temuco, then overland

• There are no regular commercial flights to Pucón. In February 2025 Chile's civil aviation authority (DGAC) had not yet cleared its airfield for commercial aircraft (source: Pucón municipality, quoted by Emol, February 12, 2025), and we found no later route announcements when reviewing this guide.
• The airport to use is La Araucanía (ZCO), in Freire, 25 km south of Temuco (source: Sernatur, chile.travel). It has direct flights from Santiago; check current routes with each airline.
• From the airport to Pucón it is about 100 km, one to one and a half hours by road (source: SKY Airline, January 2025). You can continue by rental car, taxi or transfer: a shared transfer to Pucón meets each flight, with a desk in the arrivals area; book the return trip in advance (source: RELATES 2026 conference travel guide, Universidad de La Frontera).

By bus from Temuco

• Buses JAC runs regular departures from Temuco to Pucón (source: RELATES 2026 guide, Universidad de La Frontera).
• Temuco terminal: Av. Balmaceda 1005. Pucón terminal: Uruguay 505, with restrooms, luggage storage and information (same source).
• Travel time: about 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on traffic and stops (same source). There are usually more departures in summer.
• Timetables and fares: at jac.cl or at the terminal.

By bus from Santiago

• Direct buses take about 10 hours (source: Kupos). Many run overnight.
• They leave from the Sur, Alameda and San Borja terminals; operators include Turbus, Buses JAC, Pullman and Jet Sur (same source).
• If there is no direct seat available, you can travel to Temuco and continue by bus to Pucón.

By car

• From Temuco: take Route 5 south to Freire, then Route 199-CH, which runs through Villarrica and along the lake to Pucón (source: Wikipedia, "Chile Route 199").
• From Santiago: roughly the same 786 km, almost all on Route 5 south to Freire.
• In high season the Villarrica–Pucón stretch often gets congested: set off early.

Once in Pucón

To continue to the lakes, hot springs and parks nearby, see the Lake District and, for Huerquehue National Park, the guide How to get to Huerquehue National Park.

Information reviewed on October 15, 2026. Timetables, fares and flight routes change: confirm with each company before you travel.