Parque Pirinel: A New Conservation Space

Approximately 140 kilometers from Valdivia lies Parque Pirinel. It is located in the Chan Chan sector, in Panguipulli, near Choshuenco. From the capital of Los Ríos region, there are two access routes: Los Lagos-Riñihue, along the lakeshore, or Panguipulli via the Neltume-Choshuenco road.

This Park is a conservation initiative driven by Fundación Luksic, which worked for four years to bring this project to life. Since February 14, 2026, it has been open to visitors, currently operating in a soft-launch phase. It encompasses 12,000 hectares and more than 10 kilometers of trails. Upon arrival, visitors are welcomed by a visitor center — the first stop — where informational materials are available. A café is expected to be operational in the second half of the year.

The Route

A wooden boardwalk, 524 meters long with a slope of approximately 5 percent, is the highlight of the first section of the trail. It has been designed with inclusivity in mind, so that anyone — including those with mobility challenges — can walk along it. During the hike, visitors begin to encounter the first species of flora and fungi.

The copihue, for example, appears throughout much of the route. Also visible is the poe — known as chupalla or chupón — growing on some tree trunks. Trees such as ulmo, olivillo, coigüe (one specimen is notably over 600 years old), roble, raulí, and lenga can also be found along the way. Among the vegetation, visitors can hear the song of the chucao and catch a glimpse of it darting through the green landscape. At the end of the boardwalk lies the Pirinel waterfall, named after the estero — a stream that originates from the volcano and flows into the Enco River. Three additional trails branch off from the waterfall area.

One is Las Vertientes, a medium-to-high difficulty trail, 2.6 kilometers long, with an estimated one-way hiking time of two hours. Another is Bosque Antiguo, a medium difficulty trail, 2.9 kilometers long, with an estimated one-way time of two hours and twenty minutes. And Del Silencio, also medium difficulty, 2.6 kilometers, with an estimated one-way time of two hours. Along the Las Vertientes trail, one of the highlights is a suspension bridge, from which visitors can admire a flowing watercourse. All trails are interconnected and lead to La Raulivera, described as a natural amphitheater overlooking the Mocho Choshuenco volcanic complex.

Conservation

One of the park’s core purposes is to dedicate its lands to science and conservation — a principle built into its original design. For four years, the team studied the area: “We started by working with scientists, identifying the ecological values and determining what the conservation strategy should be. I would say that what has characterized this project is the perseverance and caution we applied to understanding the role we wanted to play and trying to build a conservation model that made sense. The fruit of all that effort, all those years of study, we were finally able to see when we launched the soft-opening phase,” explained Nicolás Mora, Conservation Director of Fundación Luksic.

The situation in Chile and globally, linked to the biodiversity crisis driven by climate change, was part of the studies conducted, which helped identify existing gaps in the country, he noted. “That, in some way, guides us toward the objective, which is conservation and science,” he said. But that work must be done in partnership with people. “Today, modern conservation includes productive activity and includes human beings. Humans are also part of this. It’s not about putting a lock on it, so to speak, and forgetting what’s there — it’s also about integration.” That, Mora affirmed, is the only way to achieve sustainable models with long-term permanence. “The ultimate goal here is precisely that this place is preserved in the best possible way for the future. But we know that goes hand in hand with communities and with environmental education. That is why the park is now open to the public — the idea is that people can come, get to know it, visit with their families, and explore it,” he said.

A key element in the park’s genesis was its infrastructure. According to Mora, a fundamental part of the original design was how the park would integrate into the landscape: “how we tried to intervene as minimally as possible, in a way that was functional to what we wanted to achieve — conservation, science, an outdoor education space, an open-air laboratory. Therefore, from the original architecture of the project and its development, the idea was precisely how to blend into the landscape. If you visit Parque Pirinel, the infrastructure is somewhat hidden when you first enter; it is truly the bare minimum needed to sustain our model, and as you make your way in, the access infrastructure gradually reveals itself.”

Mora emphasized that this project has had a strong community connection from the very beginning: “This is not a project for the community, but with the community,” he stated. “From the start, we have tried to embed that into every stage of development — building that collaborative fabric. Today, for example, we are not charging admission for residents of Choshuenco, Punahue, Paillahuante, or Riñihue; they can enter the park free of charge.” Alongside this component of the model, he noted the importance of integrating environmental education through partnerships with local schools — a goal being pursued through the Aula Pirinel initiative.

In that spirit, he described the mission as: “how do we bring schools from Choshuenco, Panguipulli, and the Los Ríos region to come and discover the park, to be amazed by everything we have there. In some ways, the park’s infrastructure is also designed to welcome students and visitors so that each one of them leaves, hopefully, having learned something new.”