End of March we visited together with our friend Guido from Switzerland the Laguna del Laja National Park near Antuco in the Bío-Bío Region some 500 km south of Santiago.

We spent the long weekend at the Antucalhue Cottage right at the entrance to the park. On our first day we explored the park along the main dirt road that goes around the Antuco Volcano and along the Laja Lagoon. The volcano and its lava flows dominate the views of the park together with the massive mountains and glaciers of the Sierra Velluda. The natural Laja Lagoon itself, the Laja River and the waterfalls all suffer from the current drought in large parts of Chile. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the drive and small hikes through the sparse landscape. On the second day we first climbed part of the trail towards the Sierra Velluda which was mostly hidden in low hanging clouds on that day. The trail led through native Coigüe and Cedar forests to beautiful views of the Laja River valley. In the late afternoon we enjoyed observing two shy couples of torrent ducks in the rapids of the Laja River. Enjoy the picture galleries and the panoramic views!