Getting Here and Around

At least a dozen bus lines serve Temuco; it's an obligatory stop on the long haul between Santiago and Puerto Montt. The city also hosts Manquehue Airport, 6 km (4 miles) southwest of town, which has daily connections to Santiago and other Chilean cities. At the airport, in addition to taxis, there are several transfer services that can take you into town. If going to Villarrica or Pucón, you probably come through here as well. The Pan-American Highway, Ruta 5, runs through the city and is paved, but several of the outlying roads connecting Temuco to smaller, rural towns are two-lanes and unpaved. Be careful on such roads, as the Chilean auto accident rate due to passing cars is high.