Early flight from Puerto Montt to Chaiten, then drive north to arrive at Pumalín National Park. Around midday, we will begin our hike to Laguna Tronador, where we have the opportunity to wander through a forest of majestic, towering alerce trees, some of which are nearly 3,000 years old. A second option is a 2-hour hike on the Las Cascades Trail to visit waterfalls, followed by a 40-minute hike to the alerce forest. 

Today we take a short but steep hike up the flank of the Volcano Chaitén to a viewpoint affording a look at the volcano’s recent 2008 eruption, which caused significant damage to the surrounding forest and can be fully appreciated from this point. As a bonus, the views from the summit are electrifying, stretching out to the Pacific Ocean and with vistas of the surrounding fumaroles. 

The Michimahuida trail is one of the least transited in the country, and it is a primordial, almost impenetrable forest and wetland of beech, twisted arrayán, and cypress dripping in moss, lichens, and billowy ferns. We’ll keep an eye out for hard-to-see wildlife such as the Magellanic woodpecker or the pudú, the smallest deer in the world. The trail ends with a lovely view of the Michimahuida Volcano’s west face, before returning on the same trail. 

We’ll spend half the day hiking the Las Cascadas trail, followed by a 3-hour van ride south to the Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa for the evening. “The Waterfalls” trail is very scenic as it winds through an exceptionally dense, mossy rainforest, crossing rivers, climbing over rocks, and ending at a crashing waterfall. Once back at camp, we’ll jump in the van for the stunning drive south along the narrow, winding Southern Highway, until it unfolds into a grand ocean sound at Puyuhaupi, where we’ll board a boat for a quick ride to the lodge, well-known for its collection of hot springs overlooking the sound. 

Today we’ll visit a little-known national park, Queulat, for a short, leisurely hike along a river and through temperate rainforest until reaching a lookout platform with picture-perfect views of a hanging glacier and its cascading rivers. After lunch, we’ll continue to south through changing Patagonian scenery to Coyhaique, the region’s largest city in the Aysén region, where we’ll spend the night and get a taste of local culture and cuisine.

We’ll hop in the van early and drive to Patagonia National Park, with views along the way of Cerro Castillo National Park and the emerald Lake General Carrera, the second largest in South America. Before arriving to Chacabuco Valley, we will stop at the roaring confluence of the electric blue waters of the mighty Baker River and the milkier, glacier-fed Neff River. We’ll enjoy an early night at the cozy, attractive Lodge Chacabuco, in preparation for tomorrow’s hike. 

Notes: ✓ Lunch not included. ✓ On-site services: The Moreno Glacier area offers a restaurant, a snack bar, and restrooms. ✓ It is essential to remember the importance of respecting the signage in this part of the Park and to walk on the walkways at all times without deviating from them.

Today’s day hike is a long one at 23 miles, but it will take us to the top of a mountain range that offers dramatic views of the Chacabuco Valley and the Jeinimeni Range and the northern Patagonia ice field. As the trail zigzags across the hillside to gain elevation, we will cross numerous small streams and then enter a thick beech forest. Here, the trek grows challenging for 4 miles, looping around gemstone lakes until descending back to the park’s administration center.

Notes: ✓ Lunch not included. ✓ On-site services: The Moreno Glacier area offers a restaurant, a snack bar, and restrooms. ✓ It is essential to remember the importance of respecting the signage in this part of the Park and to walk on the walkways at all times without deviating from them.

Notas: ✓ Almuerzo no incluido. ✓ Servicios en el lugar: El área del Glaciar Moreno ofrece un restaurante, un snack-bar y sanitarios. ✓ Es necesario recordar la importancia en el respeto que debemos tener por la señalización que posee esta parte del Parque, y recorrer en todo momento las pasarelas sin salirse de las mismas.

Today we will drive east on a bumpy road towards the border with Argentina to reach the Lago Chico Trail. The trail is lightly transited, and will take about half a day, looping around the eastern section of the park through a section of once-burned forest, then through grasslands and beech forest. The trail borders part of Chico and Cochrane lakes, and the reward is a stunning view of Mt. San Lorenzo, the second highest in Patagonia, and the Cochrane Range in the distance. 

We’ll spend the day in Valle Chacabuco, on a more leisurely walk/hike around lagoons and grassland ecosystems looking for wildlife and enjoying scenic views of the park. We will have opportunities to see guanacos, flamingos, black-necked swans, and perhaps the elusive austral pigmy owl or puma. 

oday’s trek will take us to one of the park’s most remote and dramatic trails, the Aviles Valley Loop. The hike covers grassland, groves, and rivers, and offers beautiful views of the valley with mountains as a backdrop.  Halfway through the hike we will cross a hanging footbridge that swings 100 feet above the Aviles River, continuing the hike and looping back to our point of origination.

After breakfast, we return to the Balmaceda Airport and bid farewell. End of Services.