Curarrehue

Curarrehue lies on the road from Pucon to the Argentine border, in country that is strongly Mapuche and specifically Pewenche - the people of the pehuen, the araucaria, whose seeds were a staple food gathered from the forests above. The village has an intercultural centre in the shape of a ruka and, more to the point, a set of community-run enterprises: cooking with Anita Epulef, whose restaurant works with Mapuche ingredients and has drawn national attention, along with weaving, herbal knowledge and guided walks arranged through families rather than agencies. The approach is deliberate and the terms are the community's.

Background

Curarrehue is both a town and a commune of Cautín Province, set at 406 metres. The commune dates from 1981 and spans 1170.7 square kilometres. The 2002 census counted 6,784 inhabitants, 1,862 of them in urban areas and 4,922 in rural ones, and later counts gave 7489 in 2017 and 7733 in 2024. After the town itself, the largest settlement is the village of Catripulli, home to 424 people in 2017. The town stands on the Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault. The climate is cool and humid, oceanic with a leaning toward the cool-summer Mediterranean type, and the average annual precipitation is 2134 mm.

Source: Wikipedia, "Curarrehue"

What you'll find

• Pewenche country - the people of the araucaria and its seeds.
• A ruka-shaped cultural centre - the village's intercultural space.
• Community-run food and workshops - arranged through families.
• Mapuche cooking taken seriously - the kitchen that made the village known.

When to go

December to March. A full day.

Things to know

Meals and workshops need arranging in advance and are not drop-in. This is a working community, not a display; photography of people needs asking. Services in the village are limited. Rain is frequent.

Nearby

Pucon is west; the Mamuil Malal pass to Argentina is east.

Key facts