Carretera internacional proxima a paso Pino achado - stock photo

Icalma is a small town located in the IX Araucanía Region Andean zone, inhabited mainly by Pehuenche communities. It is located 130 kilometers east of Temuco and 780 kilometers south of Santiago, on the shores of Lake Icalma, which gives the town its name, at an altitude of 1350 meters above sea level. Icalma in Mapudungun language means 'Mirror of water' due to the reflection effect of the hills in the lake. The predominant vegetation are forests of Araucarias, Coigues and Ñirres, but an important part of the area also offers typical landscapes of the Patagonian Andean steppe, so some biologists and naturalist argue that here would begin the Chilean Patagonia, several hundred kilometers more to the north that the traditional limit located in the Seno de Reloncavi. During winter it is full coverd by the snow fall offering beautiful white and shining landscapes. Alto Bio Bio river runs through the area, is the main water stream and its tributaries Rucanuco and Galletue rivers.