Unesco Global Geopark Kütralkura: a journey through earth and time.

Welcome to the UGG Kütralkura Geopark. A place lost in time, renowned for its indomitable nature, landscapes that seem to come from a dream, with incomparable flora and fauna that made this inhospitable place their home. Impressive geography that shows the history of millions of years of our land for all to see and that you can discover through its 117 geosites and 22 georoutes, bringing you a living Geotourism experience that connects you to the memory of the Earth. Its name originates from the language of the Mapuche people, who inhabited this territory long before the Spanish colonization. Kütralkura is a combination of the Mapudungun words for Stone (kura) and fire (Kütral) and is related to the great number of volcanoes in the area due to the volcanic cord of the Southern Andes. There are 6 active volcanoes in the area.

Nature and Culture.

The nature and culture present in the territory of the UGG Kütralkura Geopark offers a variety of tourist services provided mainly by local communities and operators. In this varied touristic service, you can find everything from services offered by rural and indigenous communities, which allow visitors to share unique experiences with the local culture in their own natural spaces, to luxurious thermal and mountain centers, where various tourist activities can be carried out, including some highly specialized ones. To explore the territory of the Kütralkura Geopark, various georoutes have been designed, where you can enjoy fascinating landscapes and hidden stories of local communities, protected wild areas and geosites, some of which have viewpoints and interpretive panels.

These Georoutes take advantage of the existing road infrastructure in the territory and trails that can be travelled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, with different degrees of difficulty. In this way you will be able to enjoy the beautiful views that the Geopark has to offer by car, mountain bike and road tours, horseback riding and hiking. In Kütralkura we have an important geological natural heritage, we have a long history that includes 300 million years of history marked by volcanism, continental marine basins and glaciations,all of this influenced by large structures and faults that largely control the affectation of processes natural.

Flora and Fauna.

In the territory of our geopark the origin and evolution of life from, new species to mass extinctions, are visible, which serves to mark important milestones in the park’s long history. 

To further enrich your experience learning about the Geopark, you can explore its forests and meadows to observe the flora of Kütralkura. In the plant species of the Andean areas of the La Araucanía region you will see Araucaria forests (Araucaria Araucana) are the dominant and representative species of this area, its seed (piñón) is stored, dispersed and consumed by a wide variety of fauna. 

The fauna constantly interacts with the flora, and are largely responsible for the dissemination of seeds and as pollinators. In turn, the flora provides food, shelter and fresh air for all animals. Some of the most iconic species of the Geopark ecosystems are the magellanic woodpecker (campephilus magellanicus), Andean condor (vultur gryphus), chucao (Scelorchilus rubecula), Rufous-legged Owl (strix rufipes), pumas (puma concolor), gray fox or chilla fox (licalopex griseus), tolhuaca spiny frog (alsodes igneus) and the monito del monte (dromiciops gliroides).

Fungi Kingdom.

To end your tour of our Geopark, we cannot forget the Fungi kingdom, an important part of its natural heritage. It is the third great Kingdom of Life, together with the Animal and Plant Kingdoms. Fungi are nature's great recyclers. They break down plant and animal residues, leaving the resulting nutrients to support the growth of new plants, on which animals (including us) depend. Fungi are immensely diverse, both in terms of the number of species and their extraordinary variety of forms. Most have specific habitat requirements, and our geopark with its rich diversity of habitats has a unique environmental range in which fungi thrive. Therefore, different types of fungi and mushrooms will accompany you on your journey through different corners of our geopark.

So, we cordially invite you to get to know our Kütralkura geopark, to come and marvel at its amazing nature and to find yourself in a place where you will learn about the origin of the earth and its history in every step you take.