Experiences and local guides in Temuco

Nature

Temuco is the capital of La Araucanía and the city with Chile's largest Mapuche population, in the central valley between the coastal range and the Andes. Right in the city centre rises Cerro Ñielol, a natural monument with intact native forest where the copihue, Chile's national flower, grows — an unusual contrast between city and Valdivian rainforest.

Activities

• Cerro Ñielol: short trails through native forest, viewpoints over the city and a copihue garden
• Temuco's Municipal Market, the largest and oldest in La Araucanía, with Mapuche stalls selling medicinal herbs, weavings and traditional food
• Regional Museum of La Araucanía and the Pablo Neruda Railway Museum, covering Mapuche history, colonisation and the poet's childhood in the city
• Feria Pinto, a weekend street market of farm produce and Mapuche crafts

When to go

Year-round, since most of what it offers is indoors or on Cerro Ñielol; December to March to combine it with day trips to Conguillío, Curarrehue or the coast.