Tours and Activities:

Visiting Alto Palena

Walking down the streets of Alto Palena is a good way to see its very beautiful buildings and to understand the peaceful lifestyle of its inhabitants.

The Plaza de Armas represents the central point, as the town hall, the Carabiniers, the Visitors Assistance Center and the Banco del Estado building stand around it. That is the starting point for this city tour.

Like in almost all Chilean towns in the provinces, and even in giant Santiago, squares are an excuse to get together. Neat and illuminated, it represents what we would see in town.

We got into the Visitors Assistance Center, where we could see a scale model displaying the orography of the entire Palena Basin with its settlements, the height of its mountains, its rivers and lakes. This was an excellent way to see the land that we would visit afterwards.

As we became familiar with the activities practiced in town, its timing and its streets, we heard some rumors about one of the typical sites in Alto Palena: its Medialuna (croissant), a mythical place where the Official Rodeo takes place every year in January.

This event summons people from all the nearby communes to present their bravest horsebreakers handling with the reins. The venue gets really crowded on that date.


In the Surroundings

Palena features several points from where visitors may appreciate the four cardinal points and observe the entire scenery around.

From the height, the panoramic view of town is amazing and the most representative buildings in the commune may be spotted. The paved streets, the Palena River, the mountains and the valley may be perfectly observed.

Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) let us spot Cerro de la Virgen (Hill of the Virgin) and Cerro Bandera (Hill of the Flag). Visitors may take unique photographs from that point. Likewise, hiking trails starting there lead us to other close sites in town.

Palena is beautiful from all perspectives and it reflects all the natural paradises of the entire Palena-Queulat Basin. A place in the world not to be missed.

See also: Hotels in Alto Palena and other accommodation venues