Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve

Huilo Huilo covers a large area of Valdivian temperate rainforest around Neltume, established as a private reserve from the late 1990s on land that had been logged, and it is unusual on two counts. One is architectural: the hotels built in it - the Montana Magica, a moss-covered cone with water running down it, and the Nothofagus - are deliberately fantastical and are what most of its publicity rests on. The other is conservation: the reserve runs a breeding programme for the huemul, the south Andean deer on Chile's coat of arms, an endangered species with a small wild population; huemul were brought back to the reserve in 2005 from southern Aysen.

History

Before the reserve, this forest was part of the state-owned logging operations of the Complejo Forestal y Maderero Panguipulli; the businessman Víctor Petermann bought it in the 1990s, and the reserve was created in 1999, with 600 km² of native forest given to wildlife conservation and tourism. Huemul deer were brought back to it in 2005 from southern Aysén, and guanacos have also been reintroduced (Wikipedia, Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve).

The landscape

• Valdivian rainforest on logged land - protected privately since the late 1990s.
• The Montana Magica hotel - a moss-covered cone with water down its side.
• A huemul breeding programme - the deer on the national coat of arms.
• Waterfalls and trails - through the reserve's forest.

When to go

December to March for the best weather; open year round. Several days.

Good to know

This is a private commercial operation and prices reflect that; entry, activities and lodging are all charged. Rain is very frequent. The famous hotels are often full and expensive. The huemul centre is a conservation facility, not a zoo.

Nearby

Panguipulli is west; the Hua Hum crossing to Argentina is east.

Key facts