How to get to Pucón

Distance: 786 km by road (OSRM on OpenStreetMap; Kupos gives the same figure). Time: about 9 hours of driving without stops; Meganoticias estimates 9 h 20 min. Stops for meals and fuel add to that.

The route, step by step:

1. Leave Santiago heading south on Route 5 South (the Pan-American Highway).
2. Stay on Route 5 past Rancagua, Talca, Chillán, Los Ángeles and Temuco to Freire.
3. In Freire, take Route 199-CH east. It is a state road with no tolls (Meganoticias).
4. Route 199 runs through Villarrica and along the south shore of Lake Villarrica to Pucón.

Tolls: Route 5 South has 8 main toll plazas between Santiago and Freire (table below). They are paid with a TAG device: without one, or with an overdue contract, a late-payment charge of about 25 % applies (Meganoticias). The Ministry of Public Works approved moving the Púa and Quepe plazas to free flow (gantries, no stopping), with no date yet (Diario Financiero, October 5, 2026).

Tips:

• Fill up in the Santiago Metropolitan Region: in Ñuble and Araucanía fuel can cost CLP 30 to 60 more per liter (Meganoticias).
• On long weekends and in summer, traffic on Route 5 in Araucanía exceeds the road's design capacity (Diario Financiero): set off early or avoid peak days.
• If you continue in winter from Pucón to Curarrehue or the Mamuil Malal pass, check road conditions first: snow chains have been required there.

Distance: 106 km (OSRM on OpenStreetMap); Kupos lists 109 km. Time: from Temuco you reach Villarrica in just over an hour and Pucón about 20 minutes later (Sernatur, chile.travel): 1 h 20 min to 1 h 45 min in total, depending on traffic.

The route: Route 5 south to Freire, then Route 199-CH through Villarrica to Pucón. There is one toll: the Quepe plaza between Temuco and Freire, CLP 3,600 for cars in 2026 (Chócale). There are no tolls after Freire.

There are direct buses from Santiago to Pucón. According to Kupos (checked on October 22, 2026), operators include Jet Sur, Turbus, Buses JAC, Pullman Tur, Transantin and Ivergrama.

• Travel time: about 10 hours. Most services run overnight, so you arrive in Pucón in the morning.
• Terminals in Santiago: Terminal Sur, Terminal Alameda and Terminal San Borja. Turbus leaves from Terminal Alameda (Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 3750, next to Universidad de Santiago metro station).
• Reference fares (Kupos, October 22, 2026): semi-cama from CLP 12,900, salón cama from CLP 19,200 and premium from CLP 34,900. Fares rise in high season and on long weekends.
• No direct seat available? Travel to Temuco and continue by bus to Pucón (next section).

Buses JAC runs between Temuco and Pucón throughout the day (RELATES 2026 conference guide, Universidad de La Frontera):

• Temuco terminal: Av. Balmaceda 1005.
• Pucón terminal: Uruguay 505, with restrooms, luggage storage and information.
• Travel time: 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on traffic and stops.

According to Kupos (trip of October 21, 2026), Turbus and Transantin also run the route: the first departure was at 05:30 and the last at 21:40, with reference fares from CLP 6,500 to 9,900 depending on the seat.

Pucón has no regular commercial flights. Its airfield is not cleared by Chile's civil aviation authority (DGAC) for commercial flights (SKY Airline, January 31, 2025; The Clinic, February 12, 2025). The airport to use is Temuco's.

• La Araucanía Airport (ZCO): at km 692 of Route 5, in Freire, 24 km south of Temuco (Ministry of Public Works, June 2026 report).
• Flight from Santiago: 1 h 22 min nonstop (LATAM). LATAM and SKY fly the route, among other airlines.
• From the airport to Pucón: 90 km on Route 5 and Route 199 (OSRM on OpenStreetMap), 1 to 1.5 hours (SKY).
• How to continue: rental car, taxi, private transfer or shared transfer (SKY). A shared transfer to Pucón meets each flight; book the return trip in advance (RELATES 2026 guide). There is no confirmed direct bus from the airport: go to Temuco and take the bus.

• Lake Caburgua: about 23 km northeast; Ojos del Caburgua, 20 km along the road to Caburgua (Sernatur, chile.travel).
• Huerquehue National Park: about 35 km along the road to Caburgua.
• Curarrehue: 40 km towards the Andes (Sernatur, chile.travel).

To get around freely, see car rental in Pucón. To choose where to stay, see lodging in Pucón, and to plan your days, activities in Pucón.