Water and Sunshine

Like Centuries Ago

"Antuco" means "water and sunshine" in the Mapuche tongue. And there is no doubt that the name given to this wonderful place should be exactly that one.

In 1680, Captain José Núñez de la Cantera asked the King of Spain for official permission to take the lands East of the District of Concepción, which were immediately granted to him.

Years later, these lands were acquired by don Ambrosio O´Higgins and, in 1802, his son Bernardo was in charge of managing and populating them. Thus, the city began to grown out from an old fort called Ballenar, which was later destroyed.

Little by little, families who took advantage of the valley fertility settled down to devote themselves to agriculture and cattle-raising, always watched by Mount Mirador and, farther on, by the impressive Antuco Volcano.

The Laja River is surrounded by two well differentiated biomas: the native forest and the volcanic mountain range, which becomes dominant as we approach the Andes Mountain Range.

Its geographic location is essential for the Bío-Bío region, as this is the starting point for the road leading to Argentina through the Pichachén Pass (only 75 kilometers away).

Amusement Cocktail

No sooner Antuco is reached than visitors cannot help falling in love with its simplicity and comradeship, its one-storey houses, its streets and its square, located in the entrance to the city. The latter is the venue for a proud ship that sailed the Laja Lagoon many years ago.

With a permanent population of 4 thousand inhabitants, Antuco has an incredible tourist potential ideal to boom in the next few years. There are plenty of cabins, hostels and restaurants that are gradually contributing with the necessary color to give shape to this future tourist village.

Beautiful sceneries, rivers with salmon, lakes to have fun, a ski resort and a huge volcano are some of the activities and natural resources visitors may have access to.

Undoubtedly, the volcano is the greatest attraction in the surroundings. It lies 2,985 meters above sea level and is considered as one of the most sharp-pointed in the planet, according to specialists and expert mountaineers. During the winter, it becomes a winter recreation center, where ski and snowboarding are the activities preferred by most visitors. In the summer, some climbing expeditions go up in search for the top.

Wildlife mapping is another attraction in the city. Plants and shrubs appear before the visitors’ eyes as they get deep into the forests. Foxes, bandurrias, vizcachas and cougars may be spotted in their natural ecosystems, just like large condors, whose magnificent flight reveals their presence from a distance of several kilometers.