Pucón

Pucón is a small town lying on the shores of a stunning blue lake, and at the foot of the Villarrica Volcano, an active snowcapped volcano that glows red at night. During high summer and winter seasons, Pucón becomes receives many local and foreign visitors looking for nature, outdoor activities and adventure sports. In winter, skiing and snowboarding become the focus.

Amongst the patchwork of volcanoes and near the town of Pucón is a temperate rainforest Nature Reserve covering480 hectares, with at least a dozen hidden crater lakes. The steeple-high primary forests are home to a biological diversity of Coihue, Lenga, and Araucaria (or monkey puzzle trees) which are capable of reaching 2,000 years old and many rare species of animals such as puma, skunks, Pudu, wild boar and a rich bird life.

Volunteer work: CONSERVATION WORK IN NATURE RESERVE
Times of year: November – May

Feb – April:
Collection of seeds from the ground within the Private Nature Reserve (Coihues, Roble, Ñirre, Roule, Lenga) orNothofagus (latin word) to plant later in the “vivero” (tree nursery).

March – April:
Plant Araucarias (Sacred Mapuche Munkey Puzzle tree) Pehuen (Mapuche name for Araucaria).

April – May:
Collect the Araucaria´s seedlings (tiny little trees) to then plant in the tree nursery later that day or the next.

November:

Work in the park, and stay in a refugio in the Park.
Collect seedlings (Coihues, Roble, Ñirre, Roule, Lenga) from the nature park and plant them in the tree nursery.
Replant trees that have been in the tree nursery in a deforested part of the park
Araucaria trees are generally replanted in the Sanctuary. Other varieties are sold to help generate some income for the park.
Clear debris and trees from the public and privately guided trails that have been left after the winter snow has melted.
Make signage to improve public trails.
Repair fences: 5km of fencing is needed to be erected in order to keep cattle out of the park (as they destroy the vegetation, eat the seedlings, etc.)

December – February

Help to remove the cattle from the nature reserve.
Clear and repair trails (including laying gravel, making wooden steps, etc)
Work in the kiosk at the park entrance (to collect entrance fees).

All Year Round:

De-weeding the tree nursery.
Assisting the guides on the nature trails, helping with translation.

* Note: other jobs such as locating areas in the forest and position Infra Red Night Sensor detectors to track Pumas and work with the local school children on environmental awareness workshops with local school children to learn about endemic species, sustainability and recycling are available specific interest or skills & experience.

How to get there

Santiago to Pucón

The park is situated 21 km from Pucón, about half an hour. There are 2 options to get to Pucón.

Overnight sleeper bus ( 12 hour bus) to Pucón
Flight to Temuco, and then a bus from there to Pucón (about an hour).
Flight prices are dependent on availability.

Pucón to Sanctuary

A local bus must be taken that drops you off outside tree nursery / Sanctuary entrance. It costs USD 1,5 one way and lasts 30 minutes (own cost).

Accommodation: Basic accommodation at locally run cabañas, local staff cabañas, homestays or camping (only in summer: November – March)

Free time: Trekking in stunning scenery including volcanoes, lakes and temperate rain forest. Huge array of optional adventure activities such as rafting, canopy, horse riding, mountain biking, camping, hot springs, and even hiking an active volcano.

Some extra activities:
Mapuche museum in Pucon
Exploring the nature trails of the park.
Visit The surrounding area: