Trips to Chile

The Araucanía is a beautiful region that offers the perfect combination of adventure and comforts: very good hotel capacity for all the tastes and pockets, two airports, three border steps, the most extensive road network of the country and, mainly, beautiful crystalline landscapes of Lagos, millenarian forests of araucaria and spectacular volcanos. It also has thermal waters and great attractive ethnic and a cultural one by Cultural the Historical Patrimony of the Mapuche Town.

The Lagos is diverse as far as size and characteristic. There are them developed for the tourism, like the Villarrica, and rustic like the Colico; brackish like the Budi and glacial like the Tinquilco.

The volcanos, numerous and of form unmistakable, include more assets of Chile both, the Llaima and the Villarrica, besides many other extinct or still active ones, like the Lanín or the Lonquimay. Their snow-covered silhouettes that are reflected in blue Lagos of a deep one conform a dream landscape.
The Araucanía is protected, to a large extent, by the National Parks Tolhuaca, Huerquehue, Conguillío and Villarrica.

In the direction of the mountain range, several thermal stations like Palguín, Quimey-Co and the Huife exist, in the province of Cautín; and Manzanar and Tolhuaca, in the province of Malleco. This water thermal, that always offers an pleasant rest, reaches temperatures of 25º to 63º, being very recommendable after diverse diseases.

Population:
The Araucanía is the Earth of mapuches (“Earth men”) or araucanos, one of the towns that more headaches it has given to the Spanish crown. The Incas did not manage to conquer it and the Spaniards, who already had put under Aztecs, Mayan, Incas… ran into with these irreducible soldiers whom imposed their own border in the Biobío river during almost three centuries, without conquering, nor Creole, nor national armies could transfer it.

In 1858, a French citizen arrived at Chile, Antoine de Tounens, attracted by the brave and heroic resistance of the town mapuche - well-known in Europe in defense of his sovereignty and he moved to his territory, then independent. Quickly he integrated themselves in his society, he learned mapu-dugun (language mapuche), dressed poncho and he let himself grow the hair in the style of the native ones. He shared the home of the Toqui (maximum heads) and the Lonko (local heads), managing to conquer his confidence, respect and affection.

As his lawyer and connoisseur of the western diplomacy he advised, them on the most effective form to negotiate with the Chilean and Argentine authorities, that then confabulaban the definitive occupation of the Mapuche territory. The foundations of a hereditary Constitutional Monarchy laid and, in 1860, Antoine de Tounens self-proclaimed King of the Araucanía, with the name of Orelie Antoine I. This untied the alarm in Chile, since if mapuches were put under dominion of another State, the country would geographically be party in two.

A series of military campaigns of conquest and extermination began then, in charge of Cornelio Saavedra, that culminated with the complete submission of mapuches in 1882. To this the “Pacification of the Araucanía” would be called. In the following years, mapuches began to integrate itself in the Chilean nation, although always they remained pockets of resistance, that in the decade of 1990 would even be increased arriving at the commission from violent acts against Customs officers and forest companies.

Although the Monarchy remains in I exile - France for more of a century, it has never resigned to its rights, valid before the international laws. At present, prince Felipe D' Araucania and Patagonia, who heads this Real House, give press conferences continuously to set out before international the public opinion the situation of the town mapuche. He has taken part before the Work group on Indigenous Towns of the United Nations and other international forums.

Capital of IX the Region:
The capital of the Araucanía is Temuco, one of the most prosperous cities of the Chilean south.

Temuco, with 210,000 inhabitants, is to 673 kilometers the south of Santiago. Frequent rains and the fertile grounds have favored an economy based on agriculture and the cattle ranch.

In their territory, the Mapuches has managed to maintain their culture effective.
Temuco is not only the departure front door to the Region of the Lagos, but also point towards spectacular routes by the environs, like the National Park of Conguillío, with Llaima volcano and its tracks of ski; and the forests of araucarias, endemic conifer of Chile of 60 million ago years.

The south of Temuco one enters completely a landscape of volcanos and Lagos. It emphasizes Pucón, located to the feet of Villarrica Volcano. There are torrentosos, ideal rivers for the adventure sports; and footpaths that cross forests and cascades for strolls on foot, to horse, or in bicycle. Here also they bring forth numerous thermal baths, symptom of a great volcanic activity.
The people of the Araucanía are friendly and warm, simple and proud of her region.