In the Day-care center of Quillaicahue (Guardería Quillaicahue), main access to the Ralco National Reserve , hundreds of araucarias give the welcome. Everywhere you watch you will find them, of all ages and sizes. As in the mountain range of Nahuelbuta, Conguillío or hills of the Lonquimay, in Ralco, they assure that there you find the highest and oldest araucarias of Chile. You can see imposing samples that are almost 800 years and rise over 164 feet of height. They are as cathedrals pointing to the sky.

Since 1972 Ralco, voice that means in mapudungún “plate for the water” has the category of national park, including 24 thousand hectares. But, as pehuenches inhabited for centuries those places, it was determined to give practically half to the pehuenches for the summer, moment when they take their animals to graze to the mountain. With the 12,421 hectares left, in September of 1987, Ralco National Reserve was created. The difference between both figures is, as national park, not even the harvesting of pinions could be allowed there. As reserve, however, the resources can be used in sustainable form. And this is what pehuenches have done during centuries.

Today, there are 25 families those that pass there in Ralco National Reserve , six months every year so that their flocks of goats and ewes, in addition, to some bovines, feed themselves of that grass that appears with force when the snow disappears and the reserve begins to wake up, this happens between the months of September and October. This is the time that pehuenches wait for to raise. And the Forest National Corporation (Corporación Nacional Forestal - CONAF) waits for to install its parks keepers, opening the season of visits. Until now, few are those that rise. Only people who look for something really different have done it. Between January of 1998 and April of the 2002, exactly 1.034 tourists have raised.

Pehuenches are, to tell the truth, practically the owners of house in the Ralco National Reserve . If you decide to visit them in their surroundings, you will not forget it easily, since the panoramas do not lack. You can fish in the rivers Ralco, Quillaicahue or Loncotahue; to swim in crystalline waters of the lagoon the Mule and even to take a thermal bath in the lower slopes of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui).

Although Ralco National Reserve was chosen for the project of National Parks for the Ecotourism, all the proposals were rejected because they didn’t incorporate the pehuenches. The idea now is to establish an Ecotourism Circuit (Circuito Ecoturismo), and people are working on it. The project that is in its first stage hopes to obtain financing. It is required between 25 and 50 million of pesos. It is necessary to buy mounts, to equip camping areas, to make sanitary installations, and furnaces for barbecues. It is a matter to support simple things, that they are the same ones which have been always done, so that they share them with the tourists.

Among the attractive landscaping ones of Ralco National Reserve , it is Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui), of 10.170 feet of height, with its always snow-covered summit, and the lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula), to 4.921 feet of height. In the place, there is a protected area of camping and with appropriate facilities.

As the sector of Ralco National Reserve still does not count on baths, whoever would like to camp there will receive from park keepers, along with the recommendations on handling with the fire and sweepings retirement, instructions so that the biological necessities do not contaminate the atmosphere.

Excursions (Excursiones)

Already in the interior of Ralco National Reserve there are 18 miles of qualified footpaths that allow arriving in vehicle until lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula), the Ralco River (Rio Ralco) and the valley of Quillaicahue (Valle Quillaicahue). Once there, if you really want to enjoy yourself, the option is to walk or to venture in a cavalcade accompanied by pehuenches guides. In those 12 thousand hectares, there are many places that only they know.

Lagoon The Mule (Laguna La Mula)

The beautiful Lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula) is 11 miles away from the day-care center of Ralco National Reserve and at the edge of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui); it is surrounded by native vegetation, mainly of araucarias.

In the lagoon the Mule (Laguna Las Mulas) are recommended activities of recreation such as swimming with diverse techniques of displacement and recreational fishing, that consists on the capture of fishes in their aquatic habitat, loosen them or releasing them later, which is also known as fishing with return.

Callaqui Volcano (Volcán Callaqui)

Callaqui Volcano (Volcán Callaqui), also known as "Callaquén" or "the White" (“La Blanca”), denomination of carriers of the sector. This active volcano, with permanent chimney in the east side of its summit, is located in the High Bio-Bio, giving birth from its abundant glaciers to the Pangue, Malla and Ralco Rivers, all tributary of the Bio-Bio.

Despite of the lack of a typical volcanic crater, in Callaqui volcano, it is possible to see chimneys in its Eastern flank, just on the glacier that gives origin to the Malla River Rio Malla). Nevertheless, eruptions are not registered, except for one slight reactivation of their chimneys in 1992; year in which one of the last eruptions processes of its neighboring Copahue volcano (Volcán Copahue) took place. The summit of the Callaqui, barely well-known and also little visited, constitutes an ample plain in where it is difficult to distinguish the highest point. Probably is this lack of knowledge, the one responsible of its absence in registries of ascent and the meaning of its name.

However, the figure of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui) glimpses clearly from the central valley, immediately to the south of the Velluda Mountain range (Sierra Velluda), by its form extended from north to the south. There are in its slopes abundant forests of araucaria, raulí, rivets, coigüe and lenga and also is Ralco National Reserve , with near attractive as there are the lagoons of the Boat and the Mule (Laguna del Barco y La Mula).

Lagoons of the Boat (Laguna del Barco)

It is a natural Andean lagoon, with about 2 miles in length and 0.6 mile of wide approximately; surrounded with big hills with dense forests of araucarias in its high parts; its edges, with strong slope, are covered in good part with big rocks and abundant native vegetation, which makes almost impossible to surround it by foot. Their waters, pure and crystalline, display rich sub aqueous vegetation that maintains a big variety of insects, and stand out different types from plecópteras or stoneflies and libélulas. Its population of trouts is conformed by farios and rainbows, although these last ones predominate. It is possible to point out that its sowing, happened in 1940-50, was made by the first Vial that arrived at the zone, who personally transferred young fishes in drums, taking them until the lagoon nothing less than in a hydroplane.

So far away is this place that the borderline with Argentina is very close, and in fact is common that many families who live in that distant corner go by horse to make their purchases to the neighbor populated Argentinean town Copahue.

Copahue Volcano (Volcán Copahue)

The active Copahue volcano is in the borderline of Chile with Argentina and of its slopes are born well-known valleys, such as the one of Queuco river (Rio Queuco Trapa-Trapa) and of the Lomín river (Rio Lomin Ralco - Lepoy), that slip towards the Pacific. By the Argentine side, it gives birth to the Agrio river (Rio Agrio), starting from a lagoon located in its crater, to 9.022 feet of height. The waters of the Agrio River (Rio Agrio) are dark and grayish and thanks to their flavor this river owns its name. Moreover, this river flows its waters in a bigger river with numerous cascades falls to the lake Agrio or Caviahue (Lago Agrio o Caviahue).

It is a volcano in permanent activity, with several effective chimneys and a pair of registered eruption processes during the decade of 1990. The place is also known by its abundant spas, as much in Chile as in Argentina, although only in this last one, an important tourist complex has been developed, as much thermal as of winter sports, in Caviahue Villa (Villa de Caviahue).

Toponymy (Toponimia)

Copahue is made up of the mapuches words "pahue", that means "sulfur", and "Co", that means "water", coming then to be translated as "waters with sulfur" or "sulphureous waters"; topónimo, quite appropriate given numerous thermal waters of its environs.

Since 1972 Ralco, voice that means in mapudungún “plate for the water” has the category of national park, including 24 thousand hectares. But, as pehuenches inhabited for centuries those places, it was determined to give practically half to the pehuenches for the summer, moment when they take their animals to graze to the mountain. With the 12,421 hectares left, in September of 1987, Ralco National Reserve was created. The difference between both figures is, as national park, not even the harvesting of pinions could be allowed there. As reserve, however, the resources can be used in sustainable form. And this is what pehuenches have done during centuries.

Today, there are 25 families those that pass there in Ralco National Reserve , six months every year so that their flocks of goats and ewes, in addition, to some bovines, feed themselves of that grass that appears with force when the snow disappears and the reserve begins to wake up, this happens between the months of September and October. This is the time that pehuenches wait for to raise. And the Forest National Corporation (Corporación Nacional Forestal - CONAF) waits for to install its parks keepers, opening the season of visits. Until now, few are those that rise. Only people who look for something really different have done it. Between January of 1998 and April of the 2002, exactly 1.034 tourists have raised.

Pehuenches are, to tell the truth, practically the owners of house in the Ralco National Reserve . If you decide to visit them in their surroundings, you will not forget it easily, since the panoramas do not lack. You can fish in the rivers Ralco, Quillaicahue or Loncotahue; to swim in crystalline waters of the lagoon the Mule and even to take a thermal bath in the lower slopes of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui).

Although Ralco National Reserve was chosen for the project of National Parks for the Ecotourism, all the proposals were rejected because they didn’t incorporate the pehuenches. The idea now is to establish an Ecotourism Circuit (Circuito Ecoturismo), and people are working on it. The project that is in its first stage hopes to obtain financing. It is required between 25 and 50 million of pesos. It is necessary to buy mounts, to equip camping areas, to make sanitary installations, and furnaces for barbecues. It is a matter to support simple things, that they are the same ones which have been always done, so that they share them with the tourists.

Among the attractive landscaping ones of Ralco National Reserve , it is Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui), of 10.170 feet of height, with its always snow-covered summit, and the lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula), to 4.921 feet of height. In the place, there is a protected area of camping and with appropriate facilities.

As the sector of Ralco National Reserve still does not count on baths, whoever would like to camp there will receive from park keepers, along with the recommendations on handling with the fire and sweepings retirement, instructions so that the biological necessities do not contaminate the atmosphere.

Excursions (Excursiones)

Already in the interior of Ralco National Reserve there are 18 miles of qualified footpaths that allow arriving in vehicle until lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula), the Ralco River (Rio Ralco) and the valley of Quillaicahue (Valle Quillaicahue). Once there, if you really want to enjoy yourself, the option is to walk or to venture in a cavalcade accompanied by pehuenches guides. In those 12 thousand hectares, there are many places that only they know.

Lagoon The Mule (Laguna La Mula)

The beautiful Lagoon the Mule (Laguna La Mula) is 11 miles away from the day-care center of Ralco National Reserve and at the edge of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui); it is surrounded by native vegetation, mainly of araucarias.

In the lagoon the Mule (Laguna Las Mulas) are recommended activities of recreation such as swimming with diverse techniques of displacement and recreational fishing, that consists on the capture of fishes in their aquatic habitat, loosen them or releasing them later, which is also known as fishing with return.

Callaqui Volcano (Volcán Callaqui)

Callaqui Volcano (Volcán Callaqui), also known as "Callaquén" or "the White" (“La Blanca”), denomination of carriers of the sector. This active volcano, with permanent chimney in the east side of its summit, is located in the High Bio-Bio, giving birth from its abundant glaciers to the Pangue, Malla and Ralco Rivers, all tributary of the Bio-Bio.

Despite of the lack of a typical volcanic crater, in Callaqui volcano, it is possible to see chimneys in its Eastern flank, just on the glacier that gives origin to the Malla River Rio Malla). Nevertheless, eruptions are not registered, except for one slight reactivation of their chimneys in 1992; year in which one of the last eruptions processes of its neighboring Copahue volcano (Volcán Copahue) took place. The summit of the Callaqui, barely well-known and also little visited, constitutes an ample plain in where it is difficult to distinguish the highest point. Probably is this lack of knowledge, the one responsible of its absence in registries of ascent and the meaning of its name.

However, the figure of Callaqui volcano (Volcán Callaqui) glimpses clearly from the central valley, immediately to the south of the Velluda Mountain range (Sierra Velluda), by its form extended from north to the south. There are in its slopes abundant forests of araucaria, raulí, rivets, coigüe and lenga and also is Ralco National Reserve , with near attractive as there are the lagoons of the Boat and the Mule (Laguna del Barco y La Mula).

Lagoons of the Boat (Laguna del Barco)

It is a natural Andean lagoon, with about 2 miles in length and 0.6 mile of wide approximately; surrounded with big hills with dense forests of araucarias in its high parts; its edges, with strong slope, are covered in good part with big rocks and abundant native vegetation, which makes almost impossible to surround it by foot. Their waters, pure and crystalline, display rich sub aqueous vegetation that maintains a big variety of insects, and stand out different types from plecópteras or stoneflies and libélulas. Its population of trouts is conformed by farios and rainbows, although these last ones predominate. It is possible to point out that its sowing, happened in 1940-50, was made by the first Vial that arrived at the zone, who personally transferred young fishes in drums, taking them until the lagoon nothing less than in a hydroplane.

So far away is this place that the borderline with Argentina is very close, and in fact is common that many families who live in that distant corner go by horse to make their purchases to the neighbor populated Argentinean town Copahue.

Copahue Volcano (Volcán Copahue)

The active Copahue volcano is in the borderline of Chile with Argentina and of its slopes are born well-known valleys, such as the one of Queuco river (Rio Queuco Trapa-Trapa) and of the Lomín river (Rio Lomin Ralco - Lepoy), that slip towards the Pacific. By the Argentine side, it gives birth to the Agrio river (Rio Agrio), starting from a lagoon located in its crater, to 9.022 feet of height. The waters of the Agrio River (Rio Agrio) are dark and grayish and thanks to their flavor this river owns its name. Moreover, this river flows its waters in a bigger river with numerous cascades falls to the lake Agrio or Caviahue (Lago Agrio o Caviahue).

It is a volcano in permanent activity, with several effective chimneys and a pair of registered eruption processes during the decade of 1990. The place is also known by its abundant spas, as much in Chile as in Argentina, although only in this last one, an important tourist complex has been developed, as much thermal as of winter sports, in Caviahue Villa (Villa de Caviahue).

Toponymy (Toponimia)

Copahue is made up of the mapuches words "pahue", that means "sulfur", and "Co", that means "water", coming then to be translated as "waters with sulfur" or "sulphureous waters"; topónimo, quite appropriate given numerous thermal waters of its environs.