Nahuelbuta National Park () is one of the few parks located in La Araucanía Region of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

's Coastal Mountain Range. It sits atop the highest part of the

Cordillera de Nahuelbuta The Nahuelbuta Range or Cordillera de Nahuelbuta () is a mountain range in Bio-Bio and Araucania Region, southern Chile. It is located along the Pacific coast and forms part of the larger Chilean Coast Range. The name of the range derives from th ...

. Created in 1939, it consists of 6,832 hectares situated just 162 km northeast of Temuco. Nahuelbuta (Mapuche for "big tiger") is a sanctuary for monkey puzzle trees, with specimens dating back 2,000 years.

Flora

In addition to monkey puzzle trees, the park is also home to coigüe, ñirre, oak, lenga, orchids, carnivorous plants.

Fauna

The park provides habitat for the

mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

, the

pudú The pudus (Mapudungun ''püdü'' or ''püdu'', es, pudú, ) are two species of South American deer from the genus ''Pudu'', and are the world's smallest deer. The chevrotains (mouse-deer; Tragulidae) are smaller, but they are not true deer. The ...

, a small Chilean deer, and Darwin's fox. Among the birds are the Magellanic woodpecker, the Andean tapaculo and the chucao tapaculo.

Destinations

The park features 30 roads and 15 trails that can be explored by car or foot. The

National Forest Corporation (Chile) The National Forest Corporation or CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal) is a Chilean private, non-profit organization, through which the Chilean state contributes to the development and sustainable management of the country's forest resources. C ...

information center and camping area are both found in Pehuenco, where the most popular route begins. Following it will treat you to over four kilometers of scenic paths before ending at Cerro ''Piedra del Águila'' (1,379 meters). The peak offers a terrific view of the park's exuberant and pristine natural wonders, the immensity of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

to the west, and an impressive chain of Andean volcanoes to the east. Other peaks include Cerro Anay and Alto Nahuelbuta, part of the

. At sundown, you can enjoy the most sublime postcard view Nahuelbuta has to offer: a sky marked by red and pink hues framed by hundreds of thousand-year-old monkey puzzle trees. The administration of the park is located in Pehuenco, which is about 42 km from

Angol Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío- ...

. There are 10 camping sites here, with picnic tables, fire areas, rustic toilets and water. It is open to the public all year round.

References

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Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta
Protected areas of La Araucanía Region Protected areas established in 1939 National parks of Chile Hiking trails in Chile 1939 establishments in Chile {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub