As the early-morning mist burns off from the surrounding hill country, gaggles of parrots can sometimes be spotted lingering on the dusty road that leads to the 64-sq-km Parque Nacional Tolhuaca – a clear indication you’re on the road less traveled. One of the park system’s best-kept secrets, mainly because it’s harder to get to than nearby Conguillío, Tolhuaca is located northeast of Temuco, on the north bank of the Río Malleco.
The park offers trekking over elevations changing from 850m around Laguna Malleco to 1830m on the summit of Cerro Colomahuida; the 2806m Volcán Tolhuaca is beyond the park’s southeast boundaries.
