Villarrica (volcano)
Snow covered Villarrica, one of Chile's most active volcanoes, rises above the lake and town of the same name. The volcano is also known as Rucapillan, a Mapuche word meaning "House of the Spirit". It is the westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes that trend perpendicular to the Andean chain. Villarrica is one of only a handful of volcanoes worldwide to have an active lava lake within its crater. About 25 scoria cones dot Villarica's flanks. It also has volcanic caves.
The volcano, along with Quetrupillan and the Chilean portion of Lanin, are protected within Villarrica National Park.
Guided hikes to the crater are sometimes offered from the town of Pucon, but may be suspended in periods of seismic or increased volcanic activity. Helicopter sightseeing services offer flights over the crater as well.
In the winter (July-September) skiing is practiced on the western slopes of Villarrica.
External links
Satellite photo of Villarrica Volcano
Villarrica Volcano info on SummitPost.com
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Villarrica (volcano)
