Autumn in Malalcahuello - hot springs & snow

Autumn has arrived in Malalcahuello, the temperatures have dropped and a fresh layer snow has descended on the nearby volcano cones. During the month of May we woke up many mornings to frost and even a little snow on the ground near our dome shaped cabin. Lucky that for Chilean standards it is well insulated and relatively easy to keep at a comfortable temperature, at least compared to the house we used to rent in Santiago.

The colours of the leaves have also gradually changed around our Dome and on the surrounding hillsides (sometimes creating breathtaking scenery) during the last few weeks, before dropping to the ground:

Whenever the weather turned a bit gloomy, especially in the second half of May, we've come to appreciate the "La Vaca" hotsprings. They are located on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada volcano and are accessible via a 20km dirt road, topped off by a 2 km trek. Once there, you get to enjoy a handful of hot tubs that are fed by a nearby hotspring. This time of the year, not very many visitors make it there, or at least each time we were there we had them all to ourselves.

Patricia posing on one of the hot tubs of the "La Vaca" hot springs (...easy to miss but note the snow on hills in the background q-;)

But autumn in Malalcahuello is not all doom and gloom, whenever we did have a couple of sunny days the views of the volcanoes were spectacular. We are nearing the skiing season now and soon it will become much more busy with winter tourists around here.

Enjoying the snow, Volcan Lonquimay in the background

We also managed to enjoy a few more bike rides, for example, one afternoon after work we cycled to Salto La Princesa, an hour away from our cabin and the way there was almost completely via an old train track turned into a very decent cycle path which crosses several cooled lava flows.

Salto La Princesa

Unfortunately, our two months in Malalcahuello have already come to an end and we are heading north for some more adventures elsewhere now. It is safe to say that the area has become one of our favourite places in Chile, and if the opportunity arises we will enjoy coming back here again.

A few more photos of memorable moments and beautiful landscapes captured during April, May and early June in below slide show (or in higher resolution here):