Puchuncaví boasts significant environmental features, and every summer, thousands of visitors flock to the town to enjoy its diverse offerings. Quirilluca Park, located about five kilometers from the town center, is a favorite among vacationers and is already gearing up for the upcoming summer season.
The park, developed by the Maratué project, is open year-round and features trails, information panels, and viewpoints, accessible on foot, by bicycle, or from the parking area. The parking area also provides access to Luna and Quirilluca beaches, the latter considered “the beach of the people of Puchuncaví.”
The park administration organizes various activities to bring together the residents of Puchuncaví throughout the year. Visits from student groups from the town and other regions are common, as are outings by organizations such as neighborhood associations, senior citizen clubs, and athletes interested in outdoor activities, learning about the area’s environmental features, and discovering the conservation efforts underway.
Quirilluca Park can be visited year-round. An increase in the number of tourists is expected during the warmer months and school holidays. In the previous season, from December 15, 2023, to March 15, 2024, more than 20,000 visitors were recorded, almost 70% of whom came from other municipalities and regions, making it a significant tourist attraction in the Puchuncaví district.
Environment and Conservation
Quirilluca Park covers an area of more than 125 hectares, located on the coastal area of the former Quirilluca estate, in the Puchuncaví district, between the towns of Campiche to the south and Maitencillo to the north, across from the town of Puchuncaví.
Among the natural attractions to visit are the Quirilluca cliffs, a geosite that is home to the main nesting area for boobies in the central region, and the “Belloto Forest,” a sclerophyllous forest that shelters specimens of the northern belloto tree, a species declared a National Monument. If you’re lucky, from the viewpoints that have been set up, you can observe marine otters swimming among the rocky outcrops.
Currently, the park is a conservation and public access initiative of the Maratué Project, which works to conserve the environment and seeks to establish the park as a Nature Sanctuary.
For this reason, the project has been studying and monitoring the environmental attributes of the area for more than five years. One of the most important measures they have implemented is an annual census of boobies, migratory birds that nest on the northern part of the cliffs, and marine otters. In addition to protecting the sclerophyllous forest and its northern belloto trees, which are periodically analyzed for their health, the park also features signage and infographics. Visitors can find information about the northern belloto tree, the boobies, the Quirilluca Cliffs geosites, and the ravine where a spring flows into Quirilluca Beach.
Pedestrian access to the park is always open, while vehicle access is permitted between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. During the summer season, vehicle access is extended until 8:00 PM.