Laguna Blanca: Milky water, distinctive landscape - Villarrica National Park, Chile

Описание: Camp at Laguna Blanca on the Villarrica Traverse route: Milk-like water, volcanic landscape and distinctive rock formations. Spectacular golden hours.

Villarrica National Park
Araucanía region, Chile

March 2025

Trailhead: Puesco (Villarrica Traverse)

Itinerary:
On my fifth day of the Villarrica Traverse backpacking trip I spent the night at Laguna Blanca which is a short distance from the main Villarrica Traverse route on the Las Avutardas Trail .


AllTrail map: my itinerary, including extensions to the Quatrupillán volcano and the Mirador Volcan Quinquilil:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/rec...


Notes about the map: the map is indicative of the trip itinerary although mileage and moving time cannot be considered as reference as I often deviated from the route for filming and photography; also the moving time on the map includes all stops and breaks during the day as I stop recording only once camp was setup for each day.


Hiking Notes:
The name Laguna Blanca is very literal for this beautiful lake on the Villarrica Traverse route. It is Blanca/White indeed, that is to say that the water color is somewhat milky white. This peculiar feature is very evident when the wind picks up forming waves across the body of water; waves of "milky water". In addition to this particular feature, the landscape around the laguna is also beautiful. It is a desert-like landscape with almost no vegetation where the lakeshore features some interesting volcanic rock formations. As a back drop, the surrounding mountains present a variety of red, brown and orange tones. The "sum of all parts" makes it for a truly distinctive landscape which becomes even more spectacular during golden and blue hours at sunset and sunrise.
I enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful solitary evening at Laguna Blanca. The night was not so quiet as the wind really picked up intensity. But the windy morning brought the surprising milky waves on the lake surface. A bit of inconvenience to break camp compensated by beautiful views of the lake and its shores.



Music:
All That's Left to Say by David Celeste
Licensed by Epidemic Sound.


#lagunablanca #villarricatraverse #hiking #backpacking #trekking #chile #araucania #losrios


CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Trip Highlights
02:42 - Laguna Blanca