Everyone comes to Chile for the landscape and it’s easy to see why. It’s a country where the land leads. Jagged peaks, vast skies, lava-scarred trails, rivers that cut through dense forest and volcanoes that remind you the Earth is still very much alive. But what stays with you is the way people live alongside all this, not in opposition to the land but in deep respect for it. That sense of connection between place, heritage and those who call it home is something AndBeyond Vira Vira invites you to be a part of.
Tucked into the wild beauty surrounding Pucón and in the heart of the Mapuche community, the five-star all-inclusive lodge somehow feels both deeply grounded and quietly extravagant. It starts from the moment you’re picked up at the airport. In the car, a goody bag awaited us with homemade cookies, a fruit-and-nut mix and an apple from the lodge’s own orchard. It’s a small detail but one that set the tone for our stay.
On arrival, we were welcomed with mugs of the lodge’s signature tea, a calming blend of local herbs and honey, and the inspiration for the name Vira Vira. Over tea we met our guide for the stay, Jorge – equal parts naturalist, storyteller and walking encyclopedia. He sat down with us to map out the days ahead. Nothing here is pre-packaged. Each guest is matched with a personal guide and every itinerary is tailored to your pace and preferences. You can hike a volcano, kayak down the river, visit local artisans or simply stay put and admire the view with a glass of wine.
The lodge, designed by Adolfo Fuhrhop Bosse, is modernist in style, finished in copper tones that glow in the soft light of evening, a subtle nod to the metal-rich mountains that surround it. Floor-to-ceiling windows turn the outdoors into a series of living paintings. The main lodge overlooks the garden’s centrepiece, a wide, glassy lake where fish leap every few seconds, keeping the mosquitoes at bay.
A river runs alongside the property, and it’s here that you’ll find Vira Vira’s river villas – our home for the stay. These private suites are set slightly apart from the main lodge and fronted by Vira Vira’s signature vast windows, opening onto the flowing river and offering glimpses of native Chilean birds. In the morning, soft light floods the room. You can lie in bed and feel like the landscape belongs only to you. And all of this sits under the Villarrica volcano, looming in the distance, quietly puffing smoke.
Vira Vira used to be a working farm, and the land still hums with that energy. The gardens have been kept up and are packed with vegetables and herbs, all of which end up on your plate at some point, whether at the breakfast buffet of dreams, or as part of the Michelin-star-worthy tasting dinners curated by the in-house chef Damián Fernández (who, fun fact, trained at London’s renowned Le Gavroche). Meals are as beautiful as they are delicious. Make sure you don’t skip the Vira Vira cheeseboard, too – the lodge has its own little cheese factory, perfected in collaboration with a master Swiss cheesemaker.
One morning we hiked up to a mirador for views of the (still very active) volcano, Villarica. Jorge unpacked a thermos of tea, homemade protein bars and those nutty snacks again, something of a ritual at this point. Along the way he pointed out monkey puzzle trees dropping their prehistoric seeds, explained the geological scars left by eruptions past, showed us how to spot woodpeckers (we found a family nesting overhead) and the flash of a wild fox disappearing into the woods.
On another day we sat down to a riverside barbecue in the style of a traditional Chilean asado, a signature Vira Vira experience and not to be missed. Kingfishers darted overhead as we tucked into empanadas, slow-cooked lamb, charred corn and desserts topped with flowers. Afterwards we drifted down the river by kayak, the current carrying us beneath overhanging trees with glimpses of the volcano framed on the horizon, before ending the day with sunset drinks by the water.
But what stayed with me most wasn’t just the food, the comfort, the adventure or even the beauty, although all exceptional. It was the way the lodge is interwoven with the land and the community. The staff spoke about their reforestation efforts and partnerships with local charities, including a programme that helps children with disabilities experience the abundant nature in the area.
One story Jorge told that stuck with me was about a guest who joined a guide hiking to the same volcano mirador we visited, when they passed a wrecked mountain refugio. Their guide stopped, picked up a piece of debris, and explained how the staff had been hauling the wreck down the mountain one trip at a time, piece by piece. When the guest heard this, they offered to fund its full removal. That, to me, is Vira Vira; a place where luxury isn’t just what you receive but how you’re invited to connect with the land, the people and a shared sense of care.
Vira Vira does not shout about what it does. It doesn’t need to. It finds that rare balance of being indulgent without excess, and adventurous without pressure. You leave rested, nourished and with the sense of having been part of something lasting.
AndBeyond Vira Vira, Parcela 19-22a, Quetroleufu, Pucón, 4920000 Araucanía, Chile
