Distance and duration:
8 km one way, 3½ - 4 hours uphill, 2 - 3 hours back. Staring point at 1.040 m, summit 2.380 meters, total ascent 1.430 meters.

Physical demand:
Moderate, save the last 300 meters covered with volcanic stones that difficult the walk.

Orientation:
Medium difficulty, inside the forest the path is easy to recognize, but there are detours without signs. Watch out with the fog, during the descent, it may be hard to find the orientation, bringing a GPS along is recommended.

Best time to do it:
January to May. There are extense snowfields untill beginning of summer. Ir you know the route, it is possible to do it in winter on randonée or snow shoes.

Equipment:
Good trekking boots are a must, and hiking poles are also recommended. In springtime or cold days crampons might be useful as well. During the winter it is possible to climb with snow shoes.

Entrance fee:
Announcement of the owners of the land bordering the National Park:

WE INFORM THAT THE TRAIL IS ON PRIVATE LAND BELONGING TO A SOCIETY CALLED "CAMPO LA MONTAÑA" AND ACCESS IS RESTRICTED. YOU MUST GIVE NOTICE THE ASCENSION TO THE VOLCANO WITH 24 HOURS ANTICIPATION. THE ACCESS FEE IS $5.000.-. THE NOTIFICATION MUST BE DONE TO THE MOBILE PHONE +56 9 9978 6153 AND TO THE E-MAILS cuo@holdingfrontera.com AND luisfelipediaz21@hotmail.com . THE PAYMENT CAN BE DONE BY DEPOSIT OR FUND TRANSFER TO THE ACCOUNT N° 65-66275-2 AT BANCO SANTANDER, ON THE NAME OF "ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LITO S.A." RUT 76.147.759-5. ONCE THE PAYMENT IS INFORMED, WE WILL SENT YOU BY E-MAIL A DOCUMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITY RELEASE THAT MUST BE SIGNED AND HANDED OVER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ASCENTION. THOSE WHO DO NOT FULFILL THIS REQUIREMENT AND ARE NOT REGISTERED, WILL BE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE TRAIL.
To see the full comunication (Spanish only) >

If you leave the car in Fundo Porvenir, the Ulloa family may also charge you a fee.

Immediately after the house there is a fork with signs: ahead you will find the alternative entrance to the trekking known as the “Villarrica Traverse” through the Estero Mocho, arriving after a six-hour-walk to the Laguna Azul. To climb the Quetrupillán, which you already can see far away, you must cross the bridge over the Mocho creek. The trails climps the slope and the continues during the first half an hour through a flat land which still shows remains of the fires the pioneers made to get through the thick forest. From the path there are several ancient roads, but you must follow the clearest one. Finally we enter a forest with evergreen coigües; the path gets narrower and steeper. After 70 minutes walking there is a path to the left, it gets down to a small creek and crosses it, but the right path continues straight ahead. There are some arrows carved in the trees that show the right way.
Gaining more and more altitude, the coigües are replaced by lengas covered with lichen. After walking another 20 minutes, the trees grow smaller and smaller, until the 1.600 meters high where we finally reach the limit of the forest and find an Andean prairie.
At last we can see our goal, but there are still 90 to 120 minutes to walk. It is possible to distinguish two summits, the higher one to the right. The path descends a little and gets closer to a creek that follows in small waterfalls from the slopes of the Quetrupillán. Important: It is the only chance to get safe water. There is a path that goes to the right and crosses the creek, continuing to the south to the Laguna Azul.
The path uphill continues left of the creek. Due to the rocks, sometimes it is hard to follow the road, but it continues very straight up to the top. While we are getting higher and higher, we have more impressive views towards the volcanoes Llaima and Sollipulli to the north, the Villarrica to the west and the Mocho/Choshuenco to the south. The last 300 meters are exhausting, the path is very steep with a lot of loose volcanic stones, which difficult the walk. Once on the top you have a view to the east to the Lanín Volcano, 3,747 meters high, making it the highest of the region, and the impressive mountains Peineta and Colmillo del Diablo (Devil’s Fang). From the highest summit, the one to the south, it is possible to see the Laguna Blanca below.
The summit of the Quetrupillán is the eroded edge of a crater, which is several kilometers wide and falls to the west. The last eruption was on 1872. Inside of the crater there is a glacier which waters fall to the valley of Rinconada.

Transfers:
If you don't have your own transport, we can organize the transfer for you (please ask at least with one day in advance). These are the different options, all rates for the ride with up to 4 people:

Transfer to the trailhead	Ch$ 50.000
Dropping off and picking up (on the same day):	Ch$ 80.000

For larger groups over 4 people, please ask for rates.
Note: The rates do not include possible entrance fees.

GPS Rental:
We can also rent you a GPS device with the uploaded track and waypoints you will need.
For detailled information>