Day by Day:

Day 1 Tuesday: Depart your home town
Fly to Miami and connect on an over night flight to Buenos Aires Argentina. Welcome to the warmth of the southern Hemisphere in summer.

Day 2 Wednsday: Travel to Trevelin, Patagonia Argentina
Early morning arrival in Buenos Aires. Change airports and catch another flight to Bariloche, or Esquel Argentina. From Bariloche, a luxury bus will take you on a beautiful drive along the Patagonian lakes and mountains to Esquel. IF you fly direct to Esquel you can arrive in Trevelin with some time to enjoy the area. Trevelin, Argentina is a charming mountain village gateway just 45 minutes from Futaleufu River in Chile. Trevelin is serviced by ground transport (Bus or private taxi) from the Jet ports in Bariloche (4 hrs) or Esquel (40 min). Check into a hotel in this charming village and walk to one of several superb restaurants. Unwind, relax, and get a good nights sleep before the start of you trip 9:00 am the next morning.

Day 3 Thursday: Arrival and Introductions
Awake to a breakfast at your hotel and prepare for the 9 am pick up. Organize the clothes that you will need for your first day of our water route through the Andes. As we drive to the border (45 minutes) we see the National Park Los Alerces, whose virgin forests are the headwaters of the Futaleufu. We cross over the Futaleufu river and in several hundred yards cross into Chile. We drive direct into the charming village of Futaleufu and start packing and fitting the kayaks for our trip. Once we have packed up we start in the afternoon to put in at Lago Lonconao to test our systems and for sea kayak safety 101. We take out on the other side of the lake and drive to eco camp Campo Tres Monjas. Sauna, outdoor hot showers and a beutiful sand beach on the river.

Day 4 Friday: Introduction to Moving Water Sea Kayaking
You will gear up in your sea kayaks to tour the Class II Espolon and enjoy its crystal clear waters. It is the perfect way to introduce the basic strokes and control of a sea kayak in moving water. The day of learning and fun will add to the experience we need to paddle across the entire country of Chile on the Rio Palena. In the evening we will study the map and chart our course through the Andes. You'll help plan our menu and select your sea kayaks. After a hearty meal with organically grown vegetables from our ranch, we will go to sleep under the stars of the Southern Cross.

Day 5 Saturday: Sea Kayaking - Start of our Trans-Patagonia Odyssey
We will drive 2.5 hours to the border of Argentina and get our first peak at the emerald Rio Palena, where an oxcart will take our sea kayaks to the put-in. We will wait to load them up until after our portage of a Class III rapid, keeping our sea kayaks maneuverable and light. After the run we load our sea kayaks for this weeklong adventure. We kayak downstream and enter a canyon that looks intimidating but is a Class II run and very fun. After a three-hour paddle, we set into our camp, located below the Rio Tigre.

Day 6 Sunday: Sea Kayaking - Paddling through the Canyon
As we sea kayak through the Canyon, waterfalls fall off the rim and the forest encroaches on the river. We need to keep alert because the banks of the turns are filled with hazardous trees. The Class II rapids have gravel bars, which also present a possible obstacles. After several hours we come to a ferry crossing that the locals use to traverse the river. Here the valley opens up and we get an idea of how people live in this remote area. Soon we are at the confluence of the Rio Frio with the Palena, adding volume to the river. We camp here for the night, surrounded by the beauty of the mountains and the virgin wildlife. The unknown treats of the river are replacing our normal life with their secrets. Sea kayaking in Patagonia doesn't get much better than this!!!

Day 7 Monday: Sea Kayaking - Paddle to La Junta
Our first two hours of sea kayaking this morning takes us deeper into the Canyon. We see our first sign of civilization as the “Road to the End of the World” (the Careterra Austral) crosses the river. When we come out from underneath the bridge, it is as if we were coming out of a tunnel. The river valley now opens up, the rapids become calmer, and we see a few farms dotting the wild. The volume of the river increases once the Palena is joined by the Rio Figueroa drainage. It’s three more hours of paddling to get near to the town of La Junta. Although still far from the main town, some signs of civilization will start coming into view. Here we have a chance to get some fresh bread from a nearby farm, interact with some true frontiersmen that have little interaction with the outside world, and share some stories of our Chile sea kayak vacation with a captivated audience.

Day 8 Tuesday: Sea Kayaking - Hot Springs and White Sand
After we break camp today, we will enter the strong current of the lower Palena River. This day’s paddle is a short one, marked by a towering glaciated peak called Volcan Melimoyu. Just past mid-day we will camp on a white sand beach across from a pristine hot spring, giving us the opportunity to relax our sore muscles and enjoy the scenery of this spectacular site. This is one of the most idyllic camps you probably will ever experience. This is sea kayaking Chile at its best!.

Day 9 Wed: Sea Kayaking - Nearing the Pacific Ocean
Departing our sandy campsite, we will sea kayak through huge bends in the river as it starts to slow in its journey towards the Pacific. Here the water really rises, with the high tide backing the river up. The forest is nearly impenetrable and we understand why Darwin called this the "Green Desert". We will find a nice little place to camp on river right, with a little shelter to cook under. Here we will set up our tents, as the enormous peaks rising straight up from the water's edge look over our shoulders.

Day 10 Thursday: Sea Kayaking - Raul Marín Balmaceda
In the morning we sea kayak for twenty minutes where we'll find a narrow channel overhung by dense vegetation, which will lead us to the Pitipalena estuary. If you were not in Patagonia Chile, you would think there would be crocodiles in this jungle channel. We will continue paddling to the isolated village of Raul Marín Balmaceda. Accessible only by boat, this storybook village is unplugged from the “real” world. It is built on a broad sand spit between Palena and the Pitipalena estuary. Porpoise's may play with us as we approach the town beach. The tides will determine if we are sea kayak against the current or if we get a free ride into town. We will get pampered with a stay in the village's comfortable cabins, and enjoy fresh seafood and Chilean wines.

Day 11 Friday: Sea Kayaking around Raul Marin Balmaceda
To day we'll explore the stunning marine environments of the estuary and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Weather permitting, we'll sea kayak to the offshore islands to visit sea lion colonies and kelp goose rookeries, or head up the estuary to visit more hot springs near the base of another glaciated volcano; otherwise, we'll explore the area in day trips, returning to our cozy cabins and feasting on fresh seafood every night. This is Chile sea kayaking at its best! Sometimes in extreme tide conditions we will rent a boat to accompany us for safety. We return to our Bed and Breakfast where our sea kayaking Chile celebration dinner awaits, along with out comfortable beds, enjoying a good nights sleep to be ready for tomorrows trip back home.

Day 12 Saturday: Depart Raul Marin Balmaceda
After breakfast. We depart at 10:00 pm from Marin, taking a 1-hour boat ride, with sea kayaks on board, to where the road and our Expediciones Chile vehicle is waiting. We drive the five hours to Futaleufu, take abreak and cross into Trevelin Argentina to your hotel and trip drop off point.

Day 13 Sunday: Wake up in Trevelin, call a cab to take the Luxury bus from Esquel back to Bariloche. Connect with a flight back to Buenos Aire and back to home.

Day 14 Monday: Return home

Accomodations:

Remote Ranch
Eco Camp Campo Tres Monjas:
Condornest:
Town Lodge:
Town Bed and Breakfast:
Wilderness Camping

PRICE PER PERSON: $2695.00 USD

Special Flexibilities: Exchile will be flexible to make your trip a total success. The actual program for your custom trip will vary according to the desires and skill level of your group, weather, or other factors. Patagonia has constantly changing weather patterns that might affect what day is best for a certain activity. If a certain part of your trip is not possible due to danger risks and weather extremes, our experienced guide staff will work with you to figure out the best possible option to substitute for the weather complications. If you have any concerns, please feel free to ask us more about the situations and what is guaranteed on the trip.

Included: Your described trip, guiding, instruction, activity equipment, local transportation, shuttles, all meals, wine with dinner, acomodations at our eco-camps, cabins, ranches or lodges, while on your trip. We offer a free pick up on Sunday mornings and drop off to your hotel in Trevelin, Argentina on Fridays.

Not Included: Transportation to and from your home town, and your accommodations in Trevelin Argentina. We can reserve and prepay your round trip transport from your final air destination, and your hotel in Trevelin, before and after your trip. If you direct us to charge your visa card. (recommended for the hotel as room capacity in this small village is limited). Expediciones Chile is not financially responsible for your travel complications getting to your trip pick up point and from the drop off point, HOWEVER, we will be relentless allies in offering our services to help solve any issues that you may encounter.

	Experience Needed: Some kayak experience or whitewater necessary Physical Challenge: Moderate Cultural Experience: Maximum Nature Experience: Maximum Comfort Rating: Medium to rought Accomodations: Wilderness Camp Tents, Cabanas, Tres Monjas Eco camp Max Trip Size: 8 Min Trip Size: 2 Season: December through March Regio Visited: Complete human powered crossing of Chile. Patagonia Argentina and Chile, Futaleufu river valley, Palena river valley, Pacific Ocean Lakes, rivers and sites: Lago Lonconao, Rio Futaleufu, Rio Rosselot, Rio Palena and the Pacific ocean

Downloadable pdf: Chile Sea Kayaking

Last Update: June 23 2009