Trekking Hornopirén National Park.

Duration: 6 to 7 hours.
Difficulty: Medium
Capacity: A minimum of 6 participants and maximumof 10 participants.
Location: Hornopirén locality.
Timetable: Departure 09:00 hrs; Return 19:00 hrs.
Meeting point: Lahuán Cabinsor Hornopirén Ramp (Place to be agreed).
What to take: Suitable clothes for the activityand rainy temperate climate, sunglasses, sunblock, hat, camera and trekking shoes.
Includes: Local guide, snack and transport.

For those who are passionate about virgin and wild nature, this beautiful tour is an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy open air activities and delve into the thick and magical forest of thousand year oldalerces. Hornopirén National Park has an area of 48,232 hectares, around 10,000 hectares of which are covered by an evergreen alerce forest that frames one of the most stunning and memorable landscapes in the South of Chile. We’ll get to know these giant forest inhabitants, some of which are more than 2000 years old, and wander through streets made of ferns and native plants and paths that wind through a forest of species that call this rich ecosystem home such as the tepa, the ulmo, the Chiloé coigue and the luma, before we reach majestic Lake General Pinto Concha, a mirror of crystalline water that melts from the fierce blizzards and mountain glaciers that border these mysterious natural settings.We willbond with the landscape and feel what it is like to be part of this unique biodiversity. Along the way, forest residents such as the South American gray fox, the coypu nutria, the pudú deer (the world’s smallest), the condor and the black woodpecker and its distinctivecall that rings clearly through the silence of the forest will all be highlights of our journey.

This park was created in 1988 by CONAF (the forestry service) andcovers part of the Patagonian Pacific mountains including the Yates and Hornopirén volcanoes and the Río Negro river basin. It is noteworthy as a representative area of theSouthern Andes Rainforest Biosphere Reserve, created by UNESCO to protect the habitat of endemic species found only in the south.

The main attraction is the alerce (larch) tree, the name given to the Fitzroya Cupressoides species because of its similar appearance to the European larch (Larix Decidua), although it actually belongs toa different family. The Mapuche people, on the other hand, callthe treelahuán.

Itinerary:

08:00 hrs.
Departure from Hornopirén to Upper Chaqueihua to begin the part of the journey made by foot.

09:00 hrs.
The forest walk toLake General Pinto Concha begins.

13:00 hrs.
Stop for a light snack before we continue the trip, to take photos and spot local flora and fauna.

15:00 hrs.
Arrival at the lake, time for a rest, and to wander around and have lunch, before beginning our return to the park entrance.

19:00 hrs.
Arrival at the park entranceto return to Hornopirén.

20:00 hrs.
Arrivalat Hornopirén, end of the activity.

Time required: Full day
Type of activity: Recreational.

Trekking Hornopirén National Park.

Itinerary:

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