RINCON BONITO (5 DAYS)

In the morning, around 9AM – your private transfer will pick you up from your hotel or accommodation in Puerto Varas. By 10AM, you’ll arrive at the Paloma Aerodrome Hangar to begin preparation for the private charter flight to Rincón Bonito. We’ll meet our pilot, Jorge Montero, an experienced pilot with more than 110 flights to Rincón Bonito and hundreds of flights to Llanada Grande. Our plane will be a Bimotor Islander plane for 9 passengers (1,650 lbs. or 750 kg).

As we take flight, we’ll admire the surroundings below as we slowly approach the Alerce Andino, Hornopirén, and Pumalín National Parks which offer jaw-dropping, impressive views of fjords, mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, mountain lagoons, rivers and forests below us.

Upon our landing in Rincón Bonito, we will be warmly greeted by Verónica Cuevas & Juan Cortes – a young couple of locals who work with the Rincón Bonito project. Juan & Veronica will be our hosts during our stay to assist with any needs while we stay in our cozy secluded casa de montaña (mountain home) for the next 3 nights.

A delicious lunch will be prepared for us upon our arrival as we settle in to our quaint and quiet accommodation – a private, self-sufficient lodge style home with private & shared rooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, and breathtaking views of the Ventisquero Valley and its surrounding landscapes.

Following our lunch, we’ll enjoy a gentle 3-hour circuit hike of the Ventisquero River which offers beautiful views of the mountains and forests of the Pumalín and Hornopirén National Parks. This trail cuts through the lush forest filled with native species and an abundance of local history. Our guide will tell us of the importance of this precious and pristine place, as we prepare for a more challenging hike the following day.

Once we are back to the mountain house, we’ll enjoy an exquisite dinner as we watch the sun set behind the valley and tuck in for a good night’s rest in preparation for tomorrow.

We awake early in the morning for a delicious and nourishing breakfast before we head out on today’s round-trip hike to the Valley Ventisquero Lookout. The trail follows an old path of muleteers that will take us along the tree lines and ridge which opens to wonderful views of the distant glaciers and immense valley. We continue through ancient forests of Lenga, which grow in the high parts of the mountain range in this area of Northern Patagonia. The path has several viewpoints at different heights which offers spectualar views from the birth of the Ventisquero River to the west, and the confluence of the Puelo River to the east. If we are lucky, we can see the condor’s flight soaring above us as we admire their elegance.

We’ll stop to enjoy our box lunch at a quiet lookout point before returning back along the same path.

Tonight we celebrate a long and rewarding ride with a traditional Patagonian lamb asado (BBQ) prepared just for us to share together.

This morning we begin with an early hot breakfast to prepare us for today’s adventure – a 22 km (13.6 mi) round trip horseback ride into the Ventisquero Valley. This gentle ride is suitable for beginner riders as we walk and trot slowly following the river through the bottom of the valley.

On the way, we’ll cross the Universe River, Ventisquero River, and Raquelita River on several occasions. We will visit ancient muleteers, walk to a spectacular waterfall, and visit ancient surroundings of alerces as we enjoy the spectacular views of the glaciers that surround us. After lunch and a good break, we will begin our return ride back to Rincón Bonito.

We are welcomed back at our mountain house with a generous dinner where we share great company together before enjoying a wonderful night’s rest.

Today we take part in a very unique adventure! After breakfast and our final goodbyes to our hosts and to Rincón Bonito, we’ll leave our luggage and personal belongings with the pilcheros – the horses who will carry our luggage to our final end point of the day. Once we are ready, we’ll take a short walk down to the river bank where we’ll participate in a short safety briefing with our rafting guide before getting onto our pack rafts.

We begin by paddling along the Ventisquero River enjoying the views, the crystal clear water, and diverse birdlife and waterfowl that accompany us along our rafting. We take our time paddling to enjoy this steady river with breathtaking views.

In the afternoon, we’ll stop at a bend in the river to enjoy our packed lunch that our guide will carry for us in a waterproof dry bag. If the conditions are right, we’ll continue all the way to the to the Puelo Libre Hostal & Pizzeria in the small, remote town of Puerto Urrutia, where we will spend the night at this cozy and eclectic hostal.

Once ashore at our accommodation, we’ll change into dry clothes and celebrate in the lounge area reminiscing on today’s adventure. In the evening, our delicious dinner is served as we sit together to enjoy out last dinner together as a group.

Following dinner, we can enjoy the communal area of the hostal which offers a quiet lounge, outdoor patio with riverside views and a peaceful, quiet forest setting.

Today begins with a freshly prepared breakfast at 8:00AM in our hostal. By 9:00AM well be ready for our private transfer which will take us 1 hour to Lake Tagua Tagua where we will cross 20 minutes by boat to Puerto Canelo. Here another private transfer awaits to take us to the Termas del Sol where we relax in this incredible natural setting enjoying the various thermal pools and awe inspiring natural views of this Pristina location.

An onsite cafe is available for us to have our last day lunch. By 3PM we will depart in our private transfer back to the Tepual Airport for any scheduled flights out of Puerto Montt. If you are continuing your stay in Puerto Varas, you will be dropped off at your hotel or accommodation. Estimated arrival time to Puerto Varas is 18:30hrs & estimated arrival time to Tepual Airport is at 19:00hrs.