Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve counts with a mountain shelter belonging to the Austral University of Chile (Universidad Austral de Chile), at the west access, offering basic facilities such as a cooking area, litters and cushions; it can be used the entire year. To access the shelter, it’s necessary to wade across a small mountain range river.

From the shelter it comes out a trail clearly indicated towards the Tumba del Buey area, which is were the old ski center is located; today no longer in use. In this area the great majority of Trekking and Hiking activities can be practiced. From this place, there’s a privileged view of Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve and the lakes. The Mocho volcano can be climbed during the entire year, and basic knowledge about climbing is required for its ascension. The Choshuenco volcano, instead, has a bigger slope and a last stretch of climbing on ice or rock, depending on the time of the year. To go up this beautiful volcano, sounded mountaineering and climbing knowledge are required.

The majestic and imposing volcanoes appear with a truncated cone shape, which makes them visible in a great part of the Province, especially from the lakes that surrounded it, such as Riñihue, Neltume, Pirehueico and Ranco; from where you can get wide perspectives.

The flora of Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve is dominated by the Valdivian Forest type, which is characterized by a mixed humid forest that counts with a huge variety of species, standing out the Coihue (Nothofagus betuloides), the Mañio (Saxegothaea conspicua), the Canelo (Drimys Winteri), etc. Getting to the last area covered with vegetation, there are the wonderful Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) forests.

Regarding the fauna at Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve, it stands out the mammals such as the puma, the fox and the pudu (pudu puda). The most common birds are condor (condor), black-chested buzzard-eagle (águila mora), the Magellanic woodpecker (carpintero negro) and the crested caracara (traro).

The area of Mocho Choshuenco Nacional Reserve it’s characterized by the potentiality of its recreational and sports facilities. It offers ski tracks without infrastructure, rocky walls in order to practice mountaineering on ice and rock, areas of the forest for making excursions and taking pictures, suitable places for Hiking; panoramic views and major beautiful landscapes, such as lakes, valleys and volcanoes.


Mocho Volcano

The Mocho Volcano (Volcán Mocho), whose name means "broken point, flat", is an extinguished volcano that has a very privileged view: from its summit five lakes can be seen at a distance: Ranco, Riñihue, Panguipulli, Neltume, Pirihueico and the entire line of volcanoes from the LLaima to the Osorno volcano.

The Mocho Volcano is connected to the Choshuenco, a brother hill. It’s thought that together used to be one volcano. In any case, today both must be considered as part of one system. It’s possible to reach both summits in only one trip, although the Choshuenco is not really flat, and as an antithesis of its neighbor, is crowned by a large sharp rock tower that it’s a challenge to climb.

Both are situated in the midst of a typical landscape of the Los Lagos Region. Great extensions of native forest, known as "Valdivian forest", are occasionally interrupted by lakes and lagoons, and at a distance you can see some evidence that its higher part is located at the beginning of the Patagonian pampa on the Argentinean side. As a fact, before reaching the snow, you must go through a grass field very common in the Patagonia.

Just to reach the base of these volcanoes is a trip in itself. The access can be sometimes harder than to climb the volcanoes.

Choshuenco Hill
(Yellow waters)

Choshuenco in Mapudungún language means "yellow waters", possibly making reference to the sulfuric emanations or springs that may have dripped through the hillsides of the volcano.

The Choshuenco Hill (Cerro Choshuenco) is a hill with eternal snow that, together with its brother volcano called Mocho, dominate great part of the mountain range landscape of the Los Lagos Region. From its summit you can see at a distance between the Valdivian forest, the Ranco, Riñihue, Panguipulli, Neltume and Pirihueico lakes, and the entire line of volcanoes from the LLaima to the Osorno volcano.

In spite of being brothers and candidates to be treated and described as part of one system, the Choshuenco and the Mocho are very different. The Mocho is a volcano that you can’t confuse due to its flat and conic shape, surrounded by volcanic stones. The Choshuenco, instead, is a hill crowned by sharp rock towers and surrounded all the way to the base of its crest rock by eternal snow that during summer the giant and ferocious creeks can be seen. The Mocho is notable less complicated than the Choshuenco that requires a bigger technical knowledge and equipment handling. However, they share about 80% of the route that you must follow to climb them, and they are connected by a giant ice saddle that takes less than 40 minutes to cross it, traveling from the base of one to the base of the other.

Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve has not been explored and visited too much, thus making it even more attractive.

From the shelter it comes out a trail clearly indicated towards the Tumba del Buey area, which is were the old ski center is located; today no longer in use. In this area the great majority of Trekking and Hiking activities can be practiced. From this place, there’s a privileged view of Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve and the lakes. The Mocho volcano can be climbed during the entire year, and basic knowledge about climbing is required for its ascension. The Choshuenco volcano, instead, has a bigger slope and a last stretch of climbing on ice or rock, depending on the time of the year. To go up this beautiful volcano, sounded mountaineering and climbing knowledge are required.

The majestic and imposing volcanoes appear with a truncated cone shape, which makes them visible in a great part of the Province, especially from the lakes that surrounded it, such as Riñihue, Neltume, Pirehueico and Ranco; from where you can get wide perspectives.

The flora of Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve is dominated by the Valdivian Forest type, which is characterized by a mixed humid forest that counts with a huge variety of species, standing out the Coihue (Nothofagus betuloides), the Mañio (Saxegothaea conspicua), the Canelo (Drimys Winteri), etc. Getting to the last area covered with vegetation, there are the wonderful Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) forests.

Regarding the fauna at Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve, it stands out the mammals such as the puma, the fox and the pudu (pudu puda). The most common birds are condor (condor), black-chested buzzard-eagle (águila mora), the Magellanic woodpecker (carpintero negro) and the crested caracara (traro).

The area of Mocho Choshuenco Nacional Reserve it’s characterized by the potentiality of its recreational and sports facilities. It offers ski tracks without infrastructure, rocky walls in order to practice mountaineering on ice and rock, areas of the forest for making excursions and taking pictures, suitable places for Hiking; panoramic views and major beautiful landscapes, such as lakes, valleys and volcanoes.


Mocho Volcano

The Mocho Volcano (Volcán Mocho), whose name means "broken point, flat", is an extinguished volcano that has a very privileged view: from its summit five lakes can be seen at a distance: Ranco, Riñihue, Panguipulli, Neltume, Pirihueico and the entire line of volcanoes from the LLaima to the Osorno volcano.

The Mocho Volcano is connected to the Choshuenco, a brother hill. It’s thought that together used to be one volcano. In any case, today both must be considered as part of one system. It’s possible to reach both summits in only one trip, although the Choshuenco is not really flat, and as an antithesis of its neighbor, is crowned by a large sharp rock tower that it’s a challenge to climb.

Both are situated in the midst of a typical landscape of the Los Lagos Region. Great extensions of native forest, known as "Valdivian forest", are occasionally interrupted by lakes and lagoons, and at a distance you can see some evidence that its higher part is located at the beginning of the Patagonian pampa on the Argentinean side. As a fact, before reaching the snow, you must go through a grass field very common in the Patagonia.

Just to reach the base of these volcanoes is a trip in itself. The access can be sometimes harder than to climb the volcanoes.

Choshuenco Hill
(Yellow waters)

Choshuenco in Mapudungún language means "yellow waters", possibly making reference to the sulfuric emanations or springs that may have dripped through the hillsides of the volcano.

The Choshuenco Hill (Cerro Choshuenco) is a hill with eternal snow that, together with its brother volcano called Mocho, dominate great part of the mountain range landscape of the Los Lagos Region. From its summit you can see at a distance between the Valdivian forest, the Ranco, Riñihue, Panguipulli, Neltume and Pirihueico lakes, and the entire line of volcanoes from the LLaima to the Osorno volcano.

In spite of being brothers and candidates to be treated and described as part of one system, the Choshuenco and the Mocho are very different. The Mocho is a volcano that you can’t confuse due to its flat and conic shape, surrounded by volcanic stones. The Choshuenco, instead, is a hill crowned by sharp rock towers and surrounded all the way to the base of its crest rock by eternal snow that during summer the giant and ferocious creeks can be seen. The Mocho is notable less complicated than the Choshuenco that requires a bigger technical knowledge and equipment handling. However, they share about 80% of the route that you must follow to climb them, and they are connected by a giant ice saddle that takes less than 40 minutes to cross it, traveling from the base of one to the base of the other.

Mocho Choshuenco National Reserve has not been explored and visited too much, thus making it even more attractive.