Navidad Crater Hiking Route

Climb the Lonquimay volcano to admire its spectacular Navidad crater on this hiking route from Malalcahuello. The views will leave you speechless!

Navidad Crater Hiking Route

We'll begin the activity meeting at 7:30 am at Kilometer 0 of the Lonquimay Volcano Crossing in Malalcahuello. This hiking route is of medium difficulty covering a total of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

The hike will take us to an area located 1,765 meters (5,790 feet) above sea level. At this altitude lies the Navidad crater, a pyroclastic cone of Lonquimay that began forming on December 25, 1988. The eruption lasted no less than 13 months.

As we ascend the northeastern flank of Lonquimay, we'll take in panoramic views of the Navidad crater, a large 190-meter (623-foot) cavity open to the northeast. This is where the lava flow descended, reaching more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) long and 60 meters (197 feet) thick.

We'll take a break next to the crater to refuel with an energy bar, a candy, and an isotonic drink. After this snack, we'll start the descent and explore other areas of the volcano.

Finally, at 12:30 pm we'll conclude the trek by returning to the meeting point.