Conguillio National Park

Last weekend we went to Conguillio National Park. We had an amazing time there. The park is a beautiful place and we learned that hiking is serious business, the hard way, of course.  We took another long bus ride and this time there was a clown entertaining us bright and early in the morning. After his "show" he walked around demanding money from the passengers.  Funny-sort of.

We arrived to the park on a grey and rainy Saturday. However, we still took a short hike. Guiding us was an adorable dog that we trusted completely to show us the way. Perrita (the dog’s name I created) stuck with us the whole time, barking to keep us moving and stopping every time there was a great view or a photo opportunity. Perrita came in handy at the end of our hike when it was dark and we had no idea where to go. 

 Our Cabin

 Arden and  OUR dog Perrita

View from the Sendero

The next day we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the La Batia and traveled to hike the Sierra Nevada. On the way there we stopped at the Laguna Arcoiris, a lagoon that is totally clear to the bottom and breathtakingly beautiful. The pictures (see below) create a perfect reflection of the Andes and the Llaima volcano. 

Our Cabin

La Batia

Laguna Arcoiris

Reflection of Llaima in the Lagoon

We then began to hike the Sierra Nevada. The weather was warm and the trail was well shaded. It began as a fun uphill trek. It later turned a bit steep in the snow! Some how we managed to climb all the way to the top. 

 A little home.

 Fab Views from the look out points

 Araucaria Trees, the famous trees our region is named after

 Andes Mountains

Happy in the Sun

The closer we got to the top the more the weather began to change. We got to a pretty dangerous part of the hike where Arden convinced me to climb up the side of a mountain while digging into snow with my bare hands in a tee-shirt. Luckily a pair of REAL hikers (they had poles, cool clothes and everything) offered us some help and showed us the easier path...Finally we made it to the top! 

After climbing down we went to the Playa Linda beach. We enjoyed a picnic of turkey sandwiches and snickers bars. It was a great way to celebrate our accomplishment. 

 Playa Linda

As we left the park we explored the Lago Verde. It is a green lake; however it has no natural water source. All its water is subterranean. The water is green because the water is so clear; the green color comes from the plants on the bottom shining through.

Lago Verde ( super green, just not showing in my photo)

It was another wonderful weekend in Chile.

I think we are really becoming “nature” people...