The Ultimate Route of Parks in Patagonia, Chile

The IGO team will greet you at El Tepual International Airport in Puerto Montt and take you to the charming town of Puerto Varas. After a quick check-in at the hotel, we will head to the headquarters of Tompkins Conservation to have a briefing about the trip, find out more about the Route of Parks and the efforts to preserve the natural wonders of these lands for future generations.

Lunch will be at a local restaurant before we take to rafting the Petrohué River with stunning views of volcanoes.

Accommodation: Hotel Mero Gaucho

Activities: White water rafting (2hrs)

After breakfast, we will board a 45-minute flight to the Patagonian Fjord region where we will be exploring the two different sections of the Pumalín Park. This park was the first to be open by the environmental philanthropist Douglas Tompkins and preserve a large area of primary forest of Nothofagus and South American conifers.

Upon arrival, our team will have mountain bikes prepared to start peddling to Chaiten, passing evergreen forests and mountains along the way. After Chaiten, we will begin the hike to El Amarillo Glacier and end the day at the comfortable and cosy cabins of Caleta Gonzalo at the fjord Reñihue.

Activities: Mountain bike (20km, 2hrs), Hike (20km, 6hrs)

Accommodation: Caleta Gonzalo

A day of spectacular hikes in the park, first ascending more than 600 meters to reach the summit of the active volcano Chaiten. The landscape along the hike changes while we advance to the highest point where the volcanic dome was formed. We will be advancing on a graveled and hard terrain that will be physically demanding. 

After a picnic lunch near the base of the mountain we drive a few minutes to the shore of the fjord of Reñihue to start another hike through the dense rainforest to reach a spectacular waterfall. In the evening we will return to our cabins and enjoy a well-deserved dinner made of local products cultivated and produced at the farm of the Park Pumalín.

Activities: Hiking 11km, difficulty low to medium.

Accommodation:  Caleta Gonzalo

Early morning departure to cover 250 kilometers of the scenic Carretera Austral and reach the Puyuhuapi fjord. The driving along this portion of this southern road is an experience itself with panoramic views on the turquoise waters of the Lake Yelcho, the snowy sharp peaks of the Corcovado Volcano.

On arrival we will start one of the most spectacular hikes of the area to the suspended glacier at the National Park Queulat. We will finish the day enjoying the hot springs at the shore of the fjord Puyuhuapi, part of the more than 84,000 kms of coastal areas of the spectacular fjords region.

Activities: Hiking 6km, difficulty medium

Accommodation:  Rustic and cosy luxury cabins

After breakfast we will start the journey of 160 kilometers to Coyhaique with a section of this road that we will cover pedaling (E-Bike available) for 30 kilometers. We will start to ride our bikes at Villa Los Torreones, only a few kilometers from the intersection between the Route 7 and the Route 240. The road is all paved and surrounded by vegetation and crystalline waterfalls, a great way to arrive to our nicely located lodge La Pasarela at the shore of the River Coyahique. 

Tonight we will have a Lamb Barbecue: cooked for three hours in true Patagonian style. The dinner will be assorted with organic vegetables of the area & red wine.

Activities: Cycling 30km, difficulty medium

Accommodation:  Hotel Pasarela Lodge

We continue south along the Carretera Austral to reach the natural reserve Cerro Castillo with stunning views to this spectacular range of sharpie peaks that dominated the valley. As all Gauchos in Patagonia we will continue to our lodging on horses enjoying a spectacular ride through a trail along a private reserve located at the area known as “Las Ardillas” horses enjoying a spectacular ride along the edge of the hills that surrounds the Andean range of Cerro Castillo.

Activities: Horseback riding 20km / 6 hours

Accommodation:  Cerro Castillo Cabins

One of the mosts spectacular hikes of this region is the one that take us from Cerro Castillo to Laguna Duff. This full day trail will take us through stunning remote lagoons and valleys along the peaks of Cerro Castillo.

We will end the day at our base camp 2 kilometers north from Laguna Duff.

Activities: Hike Laguna Duff 2okm / 8 hours

Accommodation:  Camping dome tents

We head south to Park Patagonia with a stop to visit the stunning marble caves at Lago General Carrera, the second largest lake of South America.

This lake has an extension of 1.850 km2 of which 50% is in Chilean territory and it is famous for its cold waters of an average of temperature of 8 celsius.The lake is 850 meters deep and it was formed by the massive ice blocks that used to cover the area until the last glaciation that had its peak 15.000 thousand of years ago. We will explore these formations on our sea kayaks. After enjoying our boxed lunch at the village of Bahia Mansa we will continue our route to Park, Patagonia for arrival in the evening.

Activities: Kayak the marble caves ( 3 hours )

Accommodation:  Exquisite homestead - Lodge Valle Chacabuco

We will dedicate the morning with the staff of Patagonia National Park to learn about their conservation efforts, especially focusing on the mammals and birds. We will visit the rewilding station located at the border with Argentina where there is a scientific program developed to reintroduce populations of Darwin’s rheas to the region. In the afternoon we will visit the Park Ranger's station, spending the rest of the day following their daily work and sharing a mate tea while we learn about the work and challenges this area faces. If any rewilding tasks are going on our travellers will be able to get hands-on.

As the Puma is most active at dusk, following dinner we'll explore the park at last light. The Puma Concolor is the largest mammal of the Andes, a secretive species that was hunted for years. Once the area was taken over by the Foundation, Pumas arrived back to the area and it will be great to go out and look for this elusive and spectacular animal.

Activities: Supporting the local rewinding and conservation efforts.

Today we will explore the area at the base of Mountain San Lorenzo, the highest peak of Patagonia. This snowy peak of over 3,500m is the home of the Calluqueo Glacier. The hike will take us to the ice mass where we will also enjoy a glacier hike with stunning views of the San Lorenzo Mountain and the glacier valley below. 

Due to the high difficulty level there is also a second option: Early morning departure to enjoy a spectacular hike known as “Lagunas Altas”. This trail of 21,6km goes around high Andean lakes that offer spectacular views over the Northern Ice-Fields (together with the Southern Ice -fields, the second largest reservoir of fresh water in the world), Jeinimeni mountain range and the valley of Chacabuco.

Activities: Glacier Hike (6 Hours)

Accommodation: Exquisite homestead - Lodge Valle Chacabuco

Early breakfast at sunrise and then transfer to the local airport of Balmaceda for your flight.

Transfer is 400 km, approx 6 hours