NAVIGATING & KAYAKING SAN RAFAEL NATIONAL PARK (8 DAYS)

The crew welcomes guests upon arrival at the Balmaceda Airport before setting off in a private transfer to Puerto Tranquilo with a stop along the way in Cerro Castillo for lunch in the town.

Upon arriving to Puerto Tranquilo, the group enjoys a welcome dinner and briefing session together, preparing for the upcoming 7 days of pure adventure.

Our day begins at 7AM with a private transfer along a road traveling through a valley towards the sea, presenting a variety of landscapes that speak of the social and natural history of the Aysén region.

Hanging glaciers, forests, rivers and lakes can be seen along the route until reaching Bahía Exploradores.

Upon arrival, we board a boat where our guide will give a brief safety talk and general description of our trip. After boarding our boat “La Certeza” or “La Resistencia”, a smooth 2 hour navigation begins while we will enjoy our breakfast.

After arriving to our destination we disembark in the Ofqui beach sector. Here we have lunch before walking along a historic path, where you can see the vestiges of what was the attempt to build a canal between the years 1838 -1840 0 in order to join Laguna San Rafael with the Gulf of Penas.

Our walk advances through a swampy sector and although it is a 2 km walk, the duration is approximately 2 hours, until we reach the Negro River, where we will embark on a 1-hour zodiac boat to start the descent down the river where we arrive to San Quintin beach, which offers a view of the imposing glacier of the same name.

Here we set up our camp and prepare dinner. Throughout this journey, you will be able to learn the history of Ofqui and enjoy the beautiful beach at the end of the road, eternal and long where the waves that come from the Gulf of Penas crash.

After our breakfast we will start a walk that we will combine with navigating the zodiac boat, depending on the preference of the group.

The tour will follow the bank of the San Tadeo river to Isla del Diablo, approximately 15 kilometers round trip.

Along the way we can observe various birds, whale bones, recognize flora and fauna, trace animal tracks and imagine the history of the sector.

It must be considered that this extreme and distant landscape was traveled for centuries by canoe groups and later by missionaries and navigators who recorded their passage from the year 1,500 onwards.

To date it is a sector little investigated and in each of our trips we seek to contribute with different elements that allow us to know more about the life that passes in this place.

Thus, the invitation to our passengers is to feel part of exploration; to search, associate, investigate and enjoy.

We will return back to our camp in the evening where we will prepare dinner and enjoy another nights’ rest along the beach.

Following breakfast, we will begin our return to Laguna San Rafael following the same 2 km (1.2 mi) path where we will board our boat or zodiac, crossing towards the north shore of Laguna San Rafael towards Laguna Caiquenes.

Depending on the tidal conditions, we will disembark at the pier or directly at the refugio. If it at the pier, a 40-minute walk to the refuge should be considered.

Today is a relaxed day and the afternoon will be spent settling in the refugio, recovering from the previous expedition and enjoy the calm of the sector.

A visit to the beach to watch the sunset is recommended this evening following a warm dinner together as a group.

After breakfast we will start our hike along the Viewpoint Trail, a medium intensity trail of about 1.5 hours.

Here it is possible to observe and listen to the thunderous ice falls, tangible proof of the rapid retreat of the ice.

We will observe species of flora such as coigue de chiloe and magallanes, canelos, nalcas, nirre, ciruelillo, tepa, cipres de las guaitecas, tenio mañio and the endemic

Hebe salicifolia that only grows in the San Rafael lagoon park. Characteristic birds of the evergreen forest and marine ecosystems will also accompany our journey and if we are lucky, we will be able to see the shy pudú and the guiñas.

After our short hike we will have the option to develop various activities based on the interest of the group.

We will enjoy lunch at the refugio and later we will complete a kayak clinic to prepare us for our kayak excursion tomorrow.

We spent the night again in the refugio after enjoying another delicious dinner together.

An early breakfast will be enjoyed to ensure we have plenty of nourishment for our kayaking journey today.

The route today will depend on the current weather conditions and the guide’s recommendation, but either way, a full-day kayak excursion in San Rafael National Park will take us to some amazing sights along calm, glacial waters. During our excursion we can spot several marine life, native bird species, wildlife, flora & fauna.

In the evening we return to spend the evening at our refugio and enjoy dinner as we relax and share about our day.

Following breakfast we will make our way to the CONAF pier, about a 40 minute walk where we will board our boat for our navigation to the glacial wall of the San Rafael Glacier.

We will take time to observe the massive ice wall while enjoying lunch inside the boat with incredible views.

After lunch the boat will navigate to Bahía Exploradores where we will disembark and take a private transfer to Puerto Tranquilo where we will spend the evening and dine together as a group.

Following breakfast we will have the wonderful opportunity to kayak to the iconic Marble Caves.

Once finished, a private transfer will take guests to the Balmaceda Airport for their departing flight in the afternoon or Coyhaique if guests will be continuing their travels onward from here.