The Malalcahuello national reserve combines with the nature of forest landscapes and remnants of volcanic activity, where its main attraction is the Lonquimay volcano, together with the Navidad Crater. Within the great variety of flora that exist in this place, the most characteristic are the ancient and large araucarias.
This park is located in the north of the Región de la Araucanía, set against the background of the impressive Lonquimay volcano. Created in 1931, the reserve has a surface area of 13,730 hectares (30,206 acres), including the volcano. This small reserve is interesting due to its great diversity of flora which can be found on the slopes of the volcano, and where the native forest is a carpet of different shapes and colors with its oaks, raulíes and coigües. Among all of the plant species, however, it is perhaps the age-old araucaria tree which stands out because of its presence and beauty. The araucaria exists at a higher altitude than the others.
The rivers, lagoons, ravines and marshes of this park boast a diverse range of environments for its visitors to enjoy, from trekking, mountaineering and fishing to skiing and horseback riding.
Location : Región de la Araucanía, 30 kms away from Curacautín.
When to go : Year round.
Trails
Piedra Santa : Difficulty: Medium. Length: 7.5 km. Time: 5 hours there and back. Height: 950-1.670 mts msl. Vegetation: Oak forests, rauli beech, coigue, araucaria, lenga beech.
Fauna: South American Gray Fox, Andean Fox, Chilean eagle, Magellanic Woodpecker, Chucao Tapaculo, and several species of reptiles and insects. Along the tour you will see the Sierra Nevada, the Llaima and Lonquimay Volcanoes and the Cautín River Valley.
Tres Arroyos : Difficulty: Medium
Length: 2.5 km
Time: 2.5 hours there and back
Height: 950-1.120 mts msl Vegetation: Rauli beech,pines.
Fauna: birds like rufous-legged owl, magellanic tapaculo, jilguero, Patagonian sierra finch, and thrushes. From this trail you will have panoramic views of the Raíces Mountain Range, the Caracoles Hill, and the rivers Tres Arrollos and Cautín.
El Raleo : Difficulty: Medium. Length: 3.5 kms. Time: 2 hours. Height: 950 - 1.120 mts msl. This trail cross rauli and coigue forests, and pine plantations. You can see the Cautín river valley and the town of Malacahuello.
Las Araucarias : Length: 1.5 kms Time: 1.5 hrs
El Coloradito : Length: 30 kms Time: 8 hrs
Malalcahuello National Reserve Natural Heritage
Flora : According to the classification proposed by Gajardo (1996), this reserve is part of region of the Andean-Patagonian Forests, and within in it belongs to the Araucanía Mountain range. It has vegetal formations named high-andead deciduous forests.
Hydrography : In general terms, the basins of this reserve are endorreic with a lentic regime. Cautín is the most important river. It is born in the city bearing the same name, South East of Lonquimay volcano, and its tributaries are the estuaries Caracol, Colorado, Tres Arroyos, Malalcahuello, and so forth.
Geomorphology : This reserve is located in the higher areas of the Andes range. Its main peaks are: Lonquimay volcano (2.865 mts msl), El Arenal and la Plancha hills, and the Raíces range. The reserve's relief is a consequence of glacial, tectonic, and glacial processes that have modelled the landscape. One remarkable event is the eruption of the Navidad volcano (25th of december, 1988).
The weather on this place is oceanic and rainy, with a bit of Mediterranean influence, there’s abundant and constant rainfall, even in summer. The annual average temperature is 11° C.
We advise you to wear clothes that are suitable for rain, because the weather is constantly changes at any time of the year.
Stores in rural areas are open all day, but they close between 13.00 and 15.00. We advise you to carry local currency (Chilean pesos), since it isn’t possible to pay with debit or credit cards in kiosks and rural stores.
Do not litter on parks or streets. Taking care of our environment is everyone's responsibility. Avoid fines by following the rules.
Malalcahuello National Reserve map
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