Hidden deep within a forest in southern Chile is the unique and stunning Montaña Mágica Lodge. The hotel is shaped like a mountain and covered in rainforest moss and vines. Every day, water gushes from the top of the man-made volcano and cascades down the side like a waterfall.
The hotel is set in a magical location, in a 300,000 acre UNESCO biological reserve. Although it looks like something from the film set of The Hobbit or Avatar, the idea of the project is to show the purity of the water in the area, and to embody the life and magic of the forest. It was built by craftsman from small local mountain villages and is part of the wider Huilo Huilo Project to promote ecotourism in Chile.
The hotel is only accessible by foot, and by walking along a swinging rope bridge. Once inside, the lodge has 13 rooms, all fitted with unique furniture.
Although secluded in a rainforest, there are many things for guests to do. There are exhilarating canopy tours with the longest zip wire in South America to try (which is 1,500 ft above ground level). There is a wild mini-golf course, where the holes are part of the natural terrain. Guests can hike to a nearby thermal lake, or go horse-riding, fishing, cycling or kayaking through the lush forest. The wildlife is also amazing to see, the rainforest is home to miniature deer and wild boars. And in the evenings, guests can eat at the hotel restaurant, where Chilean specialities such as pastel de papas (potato tarts) are delicately presented.
They can also relax in one of the outdoor hot tubs which are carved from giant tree trunks. At night, guests fall asleep to the sound of the waterfall flowing down outside their window.
The Montaña Mágica Lodge is a wonderful, exotic and magical place to stay. It captures the essence of the Chilean rainforest it attempts to protect and is a fascinatingly wild and unique place to visit in South America.
Photo credits: http://www.huilohuilo.com