Location: Araucanía Region Map
Area: 608 km²
Conguillío National Park is a protected area located in the Andes, in the provinces of Cautín and Malleco, in the Araucanía Region of Chile also known as Region IX. It covers a total area of 608 km². Name of Conguillío National Park is derived from the native Mapuche word that can be translated as "water with Araucaria seeds". Extensive forests, formed mainly by Araucarias and Nothofagus species, and small lakes are surrounded by extensive lava flows. Due to its exotic beautiful Conguillío National Park was used as filming location for Walking with Dinosaurs, a television series produced by the BBC.
Lonquimay River that flows through Conguillío National Park empties into the Biobío river. Among locals one of the most popular destinations is fishing spot called the Truful Truful river, which is located 25 km to the north of Melipeuco. It flows through the volcanic scoria and finally drains into lake Conguillío, located about 14 km from Melipeuco. Swimming, rowing boats and fishing are allowed, along with motorized boats.
Place names
Conguillío comes from "Ko-nqilliu" which in the
Mapuche language means 'pine nuts in the water' or 'between pine nuts'
based on the abundance of araucarias and the existence of lakes and
lagoons that surround them.
History
The Unit was created as
"Los Paraguas" National Park on August 21, 1940, with 18,750 ha.
Together with this, on May 26, 1950, "the Conguillío Forest Reserve" was
formed with 36,000 ha. that later on October 17, 1967 the "Laguna Verde"
sector is annexed, with 137 ha. What was finally reconstituted on April
15, 1987, giving shape to the Conguillío National Park. currently the
national park has a size of 60,833 ha. In addition, in 1983 the Park was
named a Biosphere Reserve, being called the Araucarias Biosphere
Reserve, this Park is located in the Communes of Curacautín, Lonquimay,
(Province of Malleco) Vilcún, Cunco and Melipeuco (Province of Cautín).
Araucarias Biosphere Reserve
Created in the 1983 decade, this
reserve comprised an area of 93,000 ha, including the Conguillío
National Park and the Alto Bio Bio National Reserve. In later years,
Chilean state and private entities decided to reform the reserve and
propose the integration of 1,140,000 ha, which greatly increased the
reserve, this was carried out and was accepted to protect the forest of
araucarias, coigües and various species that make up the varied Andean
and pre-Andean ecosystem of the region.
Kütralcura Geopark
In
2009, a project to create a Geopark in Araucanía devised by CORFO began,
which would be the first in Chile and would bring a new idea of
tourism to the country and the region. In this way, in 2010, planning
began for this It would integrate the Andean area of Araucanía,
ranging from the Tolhuaca volcano in the north to the Nevados de
Solipulli in the south, managing in 2011 to begin training and begin the
study of the most interesting points for the tourist public. In the
center of this first Geopark of 8,100 km2, the Conguillío National Park
is located. This territory contains a total of six protected areas, five
volcanoes, and a great geodiversity, with various types of landscapes
and a geological history that spans more than 200 million years.
Climate
According to the Koeppen classification, the national park
has two types of climates, Temperate-Warm with less than four dry months
and Ice due to the effect of height.
TEMPERATE-WARM WITH LESS
THAN FOUR DRY MONTHS: in the foothills area, average temperatures
fluctuate between 15.1C in the warmest month, January, and 6.0C in June
and July, the coldest months. From May to October the minimum averages
are below 3 ºC, a figure that implies the occurrence of frequent frosts.
Precipitation ranges between 1,500 to 2,500 mm per year. Relative
humidity is low.
ICE DUE TO EFFECT OF HEIGHT: Summits of hills
from 1400 meters above sea level, and where the water is in the form of
snow. The prevailing temperatures are low, frequently below 0 ºC, both
in winter and in summer. The precipitations border the 3000 annual mm.
There is low relative humidity. It is necessary to emphasize that this
type of climate is seasonal, appearing from late autumn to mid-spring.
Fauna
As for the fauna, the park is very varied, having many
species, this being impressive due to the low amount of fauna that
exists in Chile, because the park is in the south and in the Araucanía
Region it has a great variety of mammals. , fish, reptiles, amphibians
and many birds.
Access roads
Los Paraguas Sector: accessed by
the Cajón-Vilcún-Cherquenco road, paved from Cajón to Cherquenco, gravel
rest, passable all year round, except on snowy days, for which chains
and double traction must be used.
Conguillío Sector: Via
Victoria-Curacautín, Route CH-181, paved road to Curacautín, the rest is
gravel, passable all year to the Captrén nursery, depending on snow
accumulation, the rest is only passable in the summer period, from
November to March . This sector can also be accessed up to the entrance
of the Park via Lautaro-Curacautín, up to Curacautín, the rest of the
gravel road is in good condition; then it continues uneventfully until
the control booth, approximately 8 km.
Truful-Truful sector: from
Temuco you access through Padre las houses towards the road to Cunco,
all asphalted until Melipeuco, then having parts with gravel and asphalt
to reach the Truful-Truful booth (in 2011 the process of asphalting the
Melipeuco road to the park).
excursions
In the national park there are several trails which can
be guided, or self-guided, being able to access the entire park and the
sectors of greatest interest and characteristic of it.
Sierra Nevada,
10 km - 3 hours one way
Los Carpinteros: 8 km - 2.5 hours one way
Pastos Blancos, 11 km - 5 hours one way
Smuggler, 15 km - 3.5 hrs one
way
Río Blanco crossing, 5 km - 5 hours one way
Crossing to
Malalcahuello, 10 km - 48 hours
Route to Llaima, 8 km - 8 h one way
Conguillio Los Umbrellas, 9 km, 10 h
Truful Canyon Truful, 0.8 km -
45 min one way
Las Vertientes, 0.8 km - 45 min one way
Araucarias,
0.8 km - 45 min one way
La Ensenada, 0.8 km - 45 min one way
Lan
Lan 0.2 km - 20 min one way
Los Escoriales, 17.8 km - 6 hours one way
Other possibilities are nautical activities, in which Lake Conguillío
can be accessed in boats leased from the administration, or fishing with
daily Fishing Cards.
Eruption of the Llaima volcano
On January
1, 2008, the last eruption of the volcano took place. The Park had to be
evacuated, including some 150 tourists and CONAF officials, because at
6:20 p.m. local time, the Llaima volcano erupted. During the eruption,
it released fumaroles and solid material up to a thousand meters above
its main crater, located at 3,150 meters, according to authorities.
Subsoil protection
The Conguillío National Park has protection of
its subsoil as a place of scientific interest for mining purposes, as
established in article 17 of the Mining Code. These tasks can only be
carried out with a written permit from the President of the Republic and
signed also by the Ministry of Mining.
The condition of place of
scientific interest for mining purposes was established by Supreme
Decree No. 133 of August 29, 1989 and published on October 26, 1989,
which establishes the protection polygon.