Las Trancas Valley

(The Poles Valley)

Las Trancas Valley is a typical mountain range town of colorful constructions, located in an esplanade surrounded by beautiful cliffs and forests of lengas and coigües that changes of tonalities in the course of the year, turning their leaves more reddish in autumn and retaking their intense greenness in spring, on the ground covered with ferns and copihues (National flower of Chile). Las Trancas Valley is 43 miles to the west of Chillán, between the Volcano Chillán (Volcán Chillán) and the Cerro Negro (Negro Hill), only 4 miles before the Termas de Chillán ski resort, in the south of Chile.

Lodgings services are open during the entire year, making able to enjoy winter sports in one of the best centers of ski of the country, strolls and excursions surrounded by native vegetation and fauna, in the summer. The offers goes from Cabins and Hotels with varied entertainment in beautiful natural surroundings to very reasonable prices. It is a great departure point for mountain excursions, by foot or horse, preferably to make it with someone or a guide who knows the place.
One of the tours takes a footpath next to the Hotel Los Pirineos, towards Shangri-la, old center of ski with several buildings and aero chairs, abandoned in 1975. They are 6 miles of a very difficult way, only apt for light trucks 4X4, bordering a big wall of millenarian volcanic rocks called The Purgatory (El Purgatorio). In this sector is located the Huemul Lagoon (Laguna Huemul) and the millenarian lava river, both of great tourist attractive in this area.

You will be able to visit the mythical Cave of the Pincheira (Cueva de los Pincheira), situated in a farellón of hexagonal columns to basalt, a form of volcanic rock crystallization, is a big cavern of little depth, that refuge the realistic bandits commanded by the Pincheira brothers, who until death sacked Chillán in 1819 during the “war till death”. There is a picnic area there.

It is also located within this surroundings the Volcano Chillán (Volcán Chillán), interesting summits characteristic of the landscape of Ñuble, central zone of Chile, that are the source of numerous rivers that water this fertile zone, well-known from very old times by the abundant and rich mineral water that exist in their slopes. Impressive are the dumps that can be observed throughout the valley of Shangri-La, fruit of the last eruptions that took place during the 80’s.

The new volcano, located in the middle of the cord of the Snowed of Chillán (Nevados de Chillán), is of recent formation and its present cone and crater formed only 20 years ago during the last eruptive process, exceeding on few feet the Old Chillán volcano (Volcán Chillán Viejo) that is immediately on the south side of the first one. The new one has activity of small chimneys, while the old one has still less activity and with a crater much more eroded, although 656 feet under the summit, by its east side, is observed a great plateau with important gas emanations. In the back part of the old volcano, there is an old left sulfur mine, and it is possible to arrive there following the track of the way that goes from the end of the fields of ski of the winter center Termas de Chillán ski resort.

From the summit of the old volcano, there is a spectacular view of the Snow-covered volcano of Chillán (Volcán Nevado de Chillán), Volcanos Big Headless (Volcán Descabezado Grande) and Small Headless (Volcán Descabezado Chico), Snowed Longaví (Nevado de Longaví) and the Mountain Range of the Wind in Argentina (Cordillera del Viento en Argentina), with imposing Domuyo Volcano (Volcán Domuyo) in the first plane. In the Chilean side, towards the south are seen the less visited hills The Metals (Cerro Los Metales), the Eagles (Cerro Las Aguilas), The Ugly (Cerro el Feo) and the others which heights fluctuate between 8.202 feet and 9.842 feet. In the horizon one of the most beautiful hills of the center-south of Chile, the majestic Velluda Mountain range (Sierra Velluda).

In the exit of Las Trancas there is a control of Customs officers: the access is free in summer and regulated with schedules in winter, the way continues rising in ample curves through the forest. In mile 48 is located the The Pangues cave where you can stop to know the surroundings.

** Information related to Hours, Rates and Dates might change without any previous notice **

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