Tourism in the City of Chillán

Distance: 112 Kilometers away from Concepción
Main Activity: Agriculture and Tourism

It is the capital of the Nuble province and it is located on a big plain that lies in the central valley.  It is surrounded by the imposing Andes Range of Mountains, to the east, and by the Coastline Range of Mountains, to the west.

Chillán is known as “the city of the four foundations” due to the attacks of native populations and nature disasters which forced inhabitants to rebuilt and changed the city.

To the south, Chillán Viejo, an old city (1751), is situated.  This place has a unique history of destructions and removals.

Tourist Attractions:

· Armas Square
· Botanical Area
· The Cathedral
· Municipal Cultural Center
· San Francisco Church
· Waterfall of Itata
· Pencheira Cave
· Chillán Handcraftsmanship Fair

Santuario de la Naturaleza (sanctuary) and Reserva Los Huemules del Niblinto (reserve)
belong to Santuario de la Naturaleza (sanctuary) and the rest 2.002 meters to the National Reserve, which was incorporated thanks to the contribution of the Sociedad Zoológica (company).
Its purpose is protecting the last village of huemules of Chile central. It is a heraldry mammal, an Andean deer, endangered specie that lived towards the south of Cachapoal River some long ago.
In these areas, there are 121 vegetal species. Because of the different altitudes, there are a lot of animals, 26 of mammals, 49 of birds, 7 of reptiles and 4 of amphibians.

Termas de Chillán Ski resort
It is located 1.650 meters above the sea level on the slope of Chillan Volcano It opens the whole year, because of its famous thermal waters, and it is possible to practice activities as trekking, mountain climbing, mountain biking among others. The sky resort has more than 28 ski runs and nine sky lifts, among them chairlifts and gondolas. It also has the longest lane of South America which is 13 kilometers long.
There are lodging services, restaurant, sky equipment renting and sale, school, coffee shop, sickbay and rescue services.
The sky season begins on June 19, 2008 and finish on October 15. Surroundings, there are places to visit as: Las Trancas and Cueva de los Pincheira (cave).

Fair of Chillán. It is considered one of the richest handicrafts fairs of Chile, eespecially in terms of pottery, weaving, baskets and “chupallas”.

Salto de Laja. It is located 70 Km to the south of Chillán. This is a huge arch-like waterfall that comes from the Laja River. This natural beauty can be seen from the bridge on the road near by. In the southern part of the riverbank, the hotel of Salto de Laja is placed.

General Information:

Commerce Schedule: From Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 20:00 Saturday: 9:00 to 14:00

Nearby to Chillán, there is Ninhue, a population where The San Agustin de Puñual Farmhouse is situated; nowadays, this is The Museum of the National Army.

Also, there is a nice town: Coihueco that is located 26 kilometers away from Chillán. It is famous thanks to its sugar beet plantations, festivals, wood - carving handcraftsmanship and loom knitting.