As usual, we want to get away from the stuffy and tedious city, so we ask at the hostel's reception for some alternative place and park Oncol is our destiantion for today. It is about 28 kilometers from Valdivia, although we don't know absolutely how to get there! The indications are really poor, so we hope to get some more information at the bus terminal, but it's not the right place and they send us back to the minivans' parking a few blocks back. We don't get any clear informations but to not waste more time we get on a minibus to Curiñanco, that makes all the stops in the area towards the coast.
A Chilean gentleman, on holiday with his family, tells us that we are in the right direction, that Curiñanco's cliff reserve is a spectacular place! Ok, now we understand that we won't go to the park Oncol, but we hope it will be also a nice place because it took us about an hour of bus while standing with families and their kids going to the sea. We are the last to get off and beyond you can't go. A cobalt blue sea welcomes us and we forget about any other destination we have previously planned. The reserve is a protected area managed by the non-governmental organization CODEFF (Committee for the Defense of Fauna and Flora) that since 2000 has as goals the protection of biodiversity, the promotion of research and the development of eco-sustainable tourism. The reserve represents a true natural richness and for this reason you can't find any areas for camping or picnic, indeed you have to be careful to treat carefully the wildnerness, it is forbidden to smoke, drink alcohol, light up fire and not even bring pets.
We buy some empanadas for lunch and some water, then we pass through a narrow path between the houses and after a hundred meters we arrive at the entrance of the protected reserve, whose entry costs about three euros. The guardian explains us the whole path, that is a circular way between the woods and the sea. The area comprises a surface of 80 hectares and can be visited through four easy paths: Sendero Mirador Chungungo, Sendero Coste, Sendero Bosque Olivillos and Sendero Los Melies, for a total of about 10 kilometers by foot, where you can see different types of flora and fauna.
The climb is easy, the path is well signed, you spend two hours walking in the nature and your eyes never get tired with a new landscape after the next corner. The Forest of Olivillos is unforgettable, with its ancient trees of about 700 years, unique in Chile, reaching up to 30 meters of height and hiding the sky from the sight. This forest is a sacred place for the Mapuche people, for the supposed existence of a primitive indigenous cemetery. It is a place not so much known, so there is almost no one and the only sound we can hear is the voice of nature, from the birds singing, to the sound of the breeze, to the waves splashing on the rocks.
A wonderful feeling! In one of the paronamic view you can see the "Ojo de piedra", a striking hole in a rock overhanging in the water, in the last instead we are able to glimpse the sea otters of Valdivia swimming in the waves.
Leaving this morning, we didn't know where we were going but luck led us to discover another beautiful spot of Chile.
On the way back, we see a campsite where they rent boats for a few euros and it seems a fantastic idea to enjoy a happy and romantic half-hour on the near lake. I want to row, I like sailing in a boat, but at the beginning the effort is huge. How can I be so weak?? Ahh... after a while we notice that the boat was still tight to the anchor in the water! I thought I was not able to row, but after discovering the misterious impediment... I didn't row much quicker than expected!!! I was just circling around, what a bad performance! So I surrender, I leave the hard work to Brian and I enjoy the breeze of the wind and the sun before going back to the city!
The photos are of the author.
