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Route
Route Profile: Hard. You are active on your days off, and recreational biking may even be your weekend sport of choice. You love to ride, and it shows in your endurance and strength. Our intermediate bike tours offer steady but active pace (between 3 and 5 hours), with opportunities to push yourself. Expect some challenging climbs, with great descents over rolling terrain. Average distance per day is 30-50 km.
Distance: Hiking: 81 km
Biking: 164 km
Kayaking: 19 km
Travel Season: Departures: February 25 and March 11, 2023
Individual departures on request
*A minimum of 4 participants is required for this tour.
*Group rates available for this tour. As this is a guided tour, the pricing improves with more people participating. Please ask us for details
A lifetime experience exploring on foot, bike, and kayak the most spectacular landscapes of northern and southern Patagonia. This exclusive program covers and connects the wild and diverse landscapes of two Scenic Routes: The Lake and Volcano Route and Route of Parks of Patagonia. In this tour you will discover Torres del Paine National Park, the lush and exuberant temperate rainforest of the Pumalin Park, and a stunning starting at the foot of active volcanoes covered by unique forests of giant Araucaria trees in Conguillío National Park. Nature, diversity, local communities and interaction with the culture of Patagonia, while giving back and supporting rewilding experiences leaded by our local experts. This is a featured program in some of the best parks that make up the Route of Parks of Patagonia and The Lake and Volcano District. An unforgettable multisport adventure where you can be sure to discover new paths in Patagonia!
Itineraries
Day 1
Temuco Airport - Conguillío National Park Hike Truful Truful Canyon 1.25 km Hike Mirador Escorial at La Baita 2 km or Lago Verde 4 km
Upon your arrival at Temuco airport, or at your hotel, our local team will pick you up to start our adventure. We'll drive passing through old-fashioned little towns like Cunco and Melipeuco until we get to Conguillio National Park, one of the most outstanding parks of the Lake and Volcano District in Chile. This wilderness protected area is also part of Kütralkura, the first UNESCO Geopark in Chile. During the visit, you will witness how the Llaima volcano has permanently shaped the landscape of the area with its eruptions, and you'll have the fantastic opportunity to walk on the lava flows and later we’ll visit the Truful-Truful Canyon and its waterfalls. This is the most important geosite of all the geopark, where you can see 13,000 years of eruptive activity of Llaima volcano. After our first stop, we continue driving another 20 minutes to La Baita Lodge, the first eco-friendly accommodation in Chile. We’ll check-in, relax and eat lunch together. After a good coffee or the locals’ favorite “yerba mate”, we’ll get ready for our afternoon hike towards a viewpoint that faces the Llaima volcano and a huge valley completely covered in lava flows. The locals call this valley the “devil’s field”. Finally, we hike back to our lodge, take a shower and relax by the fireplace with a good book. In the evening, a nice Pisco Sour (traditional Chilean drink) will be served and our local guide will introduce you to the following days.
Day 2
Hike Sierra Nevada Trail at Conguillío National Park 14 km
After breakfast at La Baita Lodge, we will have a short drive passing by two lakes: Verde (green) and Arco Iris (rainbow) and with us immersed in a jaw-opening landscape (the same landscape that inspired the awarded BBC documentary “Walking with Dinosaurs”). We’ll begin hiking along the Sierra Nevada trail surrounded by native trees, including ancient monkey puzzle trees or araucarias. We will hear and spot many endemic birds such as the chucao tapaculo, the Magellan woodpecker and the noisy slender-billed parakeet. The trail is equipped with three viewpoints and we’ll use them all. Each one of them with different angles to take in the views of the Conguillío Lake and the Llaima and Sierra Nevada volcanoes. After spending some time eating our packed lunch, taking pictures and enjoying the amazing view, we'll hike back to the bottom of the trail and visit Playa Linda (Pretty Beach). Later we will take ourvan and drive for about two hours until we get to the city of Villarrica. This lakeside city is flanked by a smoking active volcano and a big glacial lake, both named Villarrica. Your hotel is located right next to the lake and a pedestrian area with a bike lane. We’ll check-in and then start our bike fitting. Our guides will adjust the bikes to your satisfaction, so you can enjoy the next three bike rides across Chile’s first Scenic Route. Tonight dinner is on your own. There are plenty of good restaurants and bars within a 5-10 minutes’ walk, just ask our guides for recommendations.
Day 3
Bike Ride the Lake and Volcano Scenic Route - The 7 Lakes Circuit 62 km
Each day brings new beauty on this tour, and today is no exception. Good news, no shuttle today! Before we start pedaling, our guides will check your bike again and conduct a short briefing session with a safety talk. This is a very well-supported bike ride, with a “sag-wagon” following the group for assistance all the time. Today we will ride one of Chile's most scenic roads: The 7 Lake Circuit. We'll pedal alongside the shores of two beautiful lakes, Calafquén and Panguipulli, and cover three quarters of the way around Villarrica, a majestic, snow-capped active volcano. This road is smooth and with little traffic, with one climb at the beginning of the route. At one point we should be able to see five volcanoes: Villarrica, Quetrupillan, Lanin, Mocho and Choshuenco. Our first stop is at Lican Ray (km 28), a summer beach town located next to Calafquen Lake. Here we can eat some snacks and refill our water bottles. We resume cycling and the road passes through green prairies, fruit farms and native forests. The lakeside road presents gentle rolling hills and is quiet as almost no vehicles drive on it. As we ride this scenic route, we make the lunch stop at a very special place called Foye Mapu (km 51). Here a Mapuche family will welcome us in their home and feed us traditional food. They will share some of their ancestral culture and we can learn how to make “merkén”, a smoked chili powder that is super tasty. Followed by lunch there are 11 km to cover in our saddles and arrive at the city of Panguipulli. Then, a short ride to the beach of Lake Panguipulli - meaning “land of lions” - while enjoying the views of Chile's southern volcanoes. From there we pedal a few more blocks and arrive by bike to our next boutique hotel where we’ll eat dinner and stay overnight.
Day 4
Bike Ride the Lake and Volcano Scenic Route - The German Settlers’ Circuit 67 km
Today we start early and drive in our van 162 km from our hotel in Panguipulli, covering part of the Panamerican Highway, until we arrive at Cancura village to begin cycling. From this point we’ll start our ride towards quaint little villages with a strong German heritage, such as Puerto Octay and Puerto Clocker. The route consists of rolling hills with long flat stretches until we end the ride by the beach of Lake Llanquihue, where a unique landscape is waiting for us, the Osorno Volcano with its perfect cone. In Puerto Octay we'll try local beers, eat lunch in a German style restaurant (km 27), and then explore the village on our bikes. The last section of 40 km is dominated by the Osorno Volcano and very green fields with grazing cows roaming freely. We can opt between a fully paved road and a gravel road that goes next to the lake. We’ll arrive by bike to our lakefront lodge called Las Cascadas and if you are brave you can go in the cold waters of Chile’s second largest lake, The Llanquihue (or you can take a plunge in the outdoor hot tub or the indoor swimming pool).
Day 5
Bike Ride the Lake and Volcano Scenic Route - Llanquihue Lake Circuit 35 km
The first leg of this amazing multisport trip is about to end. In the morning, we leave our lodge on our bicycles, riding alongside Lake Llanquihue and across Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. The unique landscape is stunning, with Calbuco, Puntiagudo and Osorno Volcanoes in sight. The road is very quiet and fully equipped with a bike lane and several side road viewpoints. Literally, the foot of the Osorno Volcano reaches the shore of the lake and we’ll pass through the middle of this astounding landscape as we travel to the villages of Ensenada and Petrohue. This 35 km northeast section of the Llanquihue Lake Route is one of the most beautiful routes of the tour. Finally, we will end our last ride arriving at Todos Los Santos in Petrohue, a turquoise lake located in the National Park Vicente Perez Rosales. We’ll eat lunch together and return the bikes for transportation and storage. You will have to say goodbye to your first crew of local guides and meet the next amazing crew for the second leg of the trip. The best way to start the second leg of this adventure will be refreshing ourselves in the class 4 rapids of the River Petrohué. We will spend the next two hours in the water, through one of the most scenic and pristine rivers of north Patagonia. After the exciting time in the white water we will drive to the charming town of Puerto Varas for a well-deserved dinner and a one night stay at the hotel Mero Gaucho, a small family place with a homestay touch where a local dinner will be ready in a private dining room for our group.
Day 6
Rewilding and exploring the Lake Llanquihue
Today is the trip where we give back to the planet and to the local communities of the destination that we visit. Rewilding means restore nature to the original state how it was before the perturbation made by humans. In our volunteer work today we will combine this regeneration effort to work with local communities, creating a virtuous circle where nature gets back and communities get benefits from that action. We will meet the team of Fundación Legado Chile and join them in the restoration work at the wetlands of Llanquihue. We will follow their daily schedule that could include restoration of aquatic flora, census of amphibians or birds, collection of water samples or other activities from a scientific perspective. After that we will have the chance to visit local communities that work around the wetlands area and make our own wool crafted bird with a local artisan. We will then move to the north part of the Lake to visit a brewery founded by a Canadian-American couple of friends and enjoy a barbecue with an open bar of different types of beer.
Day 7
Route of the Parks of Patagonia: Pumalín Park 18 km
We leave from Puerto Varas early in the morning in direction to the local airport to board a charter flight of 45 minutes to Chaitén where our vehicle will be waiting for us to start the exploration of El Amarillo area of Park Pumalín with a hike of 6 hours to the Glacier El Amarillo. In the evening we drive to Caleta Gonzalo enjoying spectacular views of rivers, glacier valleys and the exuberant temperate rainforest. With a little luck we will be able to spot the smallest deer on earth, the Pudu. This elusive and tame small mammal inhabits only these latitudes and feeds on the tender leaves of different plants with a favorite one: the Magellanic fuchsia. After the check in at the comfortable and carefully decorated cabins with a view to the fjord and the mountains, we will enjoy our dinner prepared with the ingredients cultivated and produced by local farmers of the Chaiten area.
Day 8
Route of the Parks of Patagonia: Pumalín Park Volcan Chaitén (3.5 hours – 5km – medium-high difficulty) and an interpretative hike to Cascadas Escondidas (Hidden Waterfalls, 3 hours, 2 km – low - medium difficulty)
After breakfast we will explore different sections of the park learning about the fantastic work of conservation, recovery and rewilding of this area run by Tompkins Conservation. The story of Douglas Tompkins is intimated related to this park that became part of the largest donation of private lands ever made and the first step for the creation of the Route of the Parks of Patagonia. Get into the story of this land is a trip itself and will give you a completely different perspective of your trip. The day starts with a hike to Volcan Chaitén and an interpretative hike to Cascadas Escondidas (Hidden Waterfalls). Have you ever hiked through the slopes of an active volcano? The Volcán Chaitén is still active and a really amazing sample of the power of nature in these lands. The hike will be a great chance to know more about the temperate rainforest and its wildlife with a great variety of flora, interesting and elusive amphibians and with a little luck some mammals and birds as the Magellanic Woodpecker and the Chucao tapaculo, among others.
Day 9
Route of the Parks of Patagonia: Park Pumalín and the Northern Fjords of Patagonia
Departure from Caleta Gonzalo to Puerto Varas toward the north driving through the Carretera Austral (Road 7). The first ferry will take us from Caleta Gonzalo through the Fiordo Largo (45 minutes) and then after a short drive we will board the ferry for a four hour navigation of the Fiordo Comau and then a last ferry from Caleta Puelche to Caleta La Arena. The ferry navigation is one of the highlights of this itinerary with spectacular views of the mountains, volcanoes and the picturesque fishermen villages along the shore.
Day 10
The Gate to South Patagonia: Puerto Natales 7.5 km & Optional ancestral weaving classes with Native Kaweskar people
Morning departure for an early flight to South Patagonia and the moment to say goodbye to the team of guides of Pumalin Park & Puerto Varas. Relax in a private transfer taking you along the far reaching pampas of Punta Arenas en route to Puerto Natales. Admire the changing Patagonia sky that stretches out into the horizon and herds of iconic Patagonian sheep grazing on grand estancias. Soon we arrive in the colorful coastal town of Puerto Natales where our multisport adventure begins with a hike of Cerro Dorotea (Dorotea Hill). Our 800 meter ascent to the summit allows for a gentle and inviting hike where we will be rewarded with mesmerizing views of the city of Puerto Natales, the Ultima Esperanza Fjord, and the Admiral Montt Gulf. After our descent, our private transfer takes us into the heart of Puerto Natales where we will see iconic monuments along the coast and surely be blessed with an enchanting evening´s view of the fjords and mountain peaks silhouetted against the colorful sky. Tonight we will share a private dinner at a local restaurant as we finish our first day with a comfortable night's rest in our local hotel accommodation. *As an optional activity if you are not up to a hike, we will enjoy an afternoon of basket weaving with local Kawesqar women. Basket weaving in the Kawesqar culture represents a traditional ancestral spiritual connection, using the hands as dialogue which weaves stories and connects people. The basketry of junquillo (type of reed) is taught from generation to generation and reaches us today through its artisans who preserve their legacy and brings us closer to this experience with the Kawesqar people.
Day 11
Route of the Parks of Patagonia: Trekking off the beaten path in Torres del Paine National Park 15 km
Our second day begins from our hotel in Puerto Natales as we travel two hours to Estancia Lazo, a 13,000 hectare cattle ranch founded over a century ago which still operates today beneath striking views of the Paine Massif on the shores of Laguna Verde. From here we’ll hike into Torres del Paine National Park along a generally flat trail through peaceful stretches of native beech and coihue forests teeming with wildlife. As you walk, watch for condors and caranchos circling the skies; guanacos grazing on the hills; and woodpeckers, owls, and lesser-known species such as the cachaña (Austral parakeet), peeking out from the leafy trees. We’ll reach Honda Lagoon and continue on to the Toro Lake lookout (559 m), where 360 degree views of mountains, rivers, lakes and glaciers await. Take a moment to identify the Grey, Serrano and Paine Rivers, Serrano Valley, Mount Balmaceda and the Geike and Tyndall Glaciers before we make our descent to the Weber Bridge, where our private transfer will take us to our campsite for the evening greeted with a freshly prepared welcome dinner.
Day 12
Route of the Parks of Patagonia: Kayaking in between Blue Icebergs in Torres del Paine National Park 19 km
After an early breakfast, your private transfer takes you to the Grey Lake to meet your kayaking guide. Here, with views of Paine Grande and Grey Glacier as our morning backdrop, you’ll hear about kayaking safety and paddling techniques. You’ll paddle Grey Lake for approximately two hours, weaving amongst the floating icebergs that have calved from the glacier and been whittled into natural ice sculptures by the wind and sun. While paddling, take time to look around you: the granite peaks of Paine Grande, Cordon Olguín and Los Cuernos interplay beautifully with the water’s multiple shades of turquoise. Leaving Grey Lake we’ll begin our descent of Grey River, which snakes through canyons bubbling with rapids and framed by steep rock faces. Accompanied by views of the imposing Paine Massif, we’ll paddle down Grey River until it joins the Serrano River.
Day 13
Route of the parks of Patagonia: Off the beaten path hike to the base of Las Torres 16 km
We indulge in an energy packed breakfast before taking our private transfer to the Hotel Las Torres sector of the park. Today´s hike will offer one of the most incredible viewpoints of the National Park as we hike to the summit of Cerro Paine along a hidden, off the beaten trail. We begin winding through the forest of the Ascencio Valley, following the same path as one of Patagonia´s first and most famous explorers, Alberto Agostini. We will continue to the top where we are blessed with truly mesmerizing views: the three towers poised in the west, and views of the Paine River Valley, Laguna Azul, and the Nordenskjöld & Sarmiento Lakes. A picture perfect panorama that seems too good to be true! Taking in the enormous granite peaks, glaciers, lakes, forest and pampas - you will feel the full Patagonia essence of your adventure. We will take our time returning along the same path where our private transfer awaits, guiding us back to Natales along endless breathtaking pampas, valleys, and the coast. We arrive at our accommodation and after, enjoy our final departure dinner together as a group.
Day 14
Punta Arenas - Santiago de Chile
After a restful night's rest and a hearty breakfast, your private transfer will take you back to Punta Arenas for your connecting flight or onward travels.
Prices
Included:
- Professional tour guide (7:1 guest-to-guide ratio, 2 guides for 8+ guests)
- Private transportation with trailer & bicycle rack (up to 9 guests per van in a 15 seat vehicle)
- 1 night accommodation at La Baita Lodge, Conguillío National Park
- 1 night accommodation at Terraza Suite Hotel, Villarrica City
- 1 night accommodation at 381 Boutique Hotel, Panguipulli City
- 1 night accommodation at Las Cascadas Lodge, Lake Llanquihue
- 3 nights’ accommodation at Mero Gaucho Hotel, Puerto Varas City
- 2 nights’ accommodation at Caleta Gonzalo Cabins, Pumalín Park
- 2 nights’ accommodation at Vendaval Hotel, Puerto Natales City
- 2 nights’ accommodation at Chile Nativo Riverside Camp, Torres del Paine National Park (comfortable double deluxe tents with 2 inflatable mattresses, shared men/women bathrooms, all bedding, fresh linens, and personal towels)
- Meals as per itinerary (13 breakfasts, 13 lunches and 12 dinners)
- Zero waste on-route snacks including: drinking water, local beer, isotonic drinks, trail mix, fresh fruit and home-made energy bars
- Gratuities at restaurants and hotels
- Bike rental: road bike or hybrid bike choice
- Hiking poles, biking helmet, pedals and water bottles
- Basic bicycle parts (cable housing, spare tubes and tires)
- All kayaking equipment (double kayaks, neoprene gloves, paddling jackets, life jackets, skirts, and neoprene boots)
- Certified Kayaking Guide
- Entrance fees to national parks
- Medical and accident insurance with MetLife Seguros
Not Included:
- International and local flights
- Extra Drinks
- Laundry and SPA services
- Gratuity for local team. At the end of the trip, gratuity for the crew for a job well done is highly appreciated. We encourage you to use your discretion and tip according to the caliber of service you receive. As a guideline, the industry standard is $80 dollars per person, per guide
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