^{Photo Credit: EcoChile Travel}

Conguillío National Park, in Chile’s Araucanía Region, feels like stepping into another world. With a snow-covered volcano, bright blue lakes, and ancient lava flows, Conguillío National Park, is one of the most stunning places in Chile’s.

What really makes it special are the Araucaria araucana a.k.a monkey puzzle trees. These strange, spiky trees are Chile’s national tree and some are over a thousand years old. They’ve been around since the time of the dinosaurs and only grow naturally here.

The forests are a mix of araucarias and southern beeches like coigüe and lenga. In fall, the beech trees turn fiery red and orange, creating a wild contrast with the dark volcanic ground and deep green araucarias.

The landscape’s been shaped by eruptions, so you get lava fields, ash plains, and jagged ridges that are perfect for hiking. You can wander through forest one minute and sit on a quiet lake shore the next.

There’s plenty of wildlife too, there are woodpeckers, condors, foxes, and maybe even a puma.

Trails range from big view hikes like Sierra Nevada to short ones like Las Araucarias, where you’ll find the enormous “Mother Araucaria.”

Whether you’re here to hike, unplug, or just be somewhere totally different, Conguillío is a great choice.

Explore more: