An Austral Adventure in Aysen

Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.

Day 1 : Santiago de Chile

You will be met at the Santiago de Chile Airport and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight Cumbres Lastarria, daily breakfast included – 2 nights.

Located in the Lastarria district – a slightly eclectic district known for its bohemian vibe and superlative cultural attractions – the Hotel Cumbres Lastarria is a boutique hotel that offers visitors comfort, style, and service.

The hotel has 70 modern designed rooms and suites, and other amenities including a fully-equipped fitness center and a seasonal outdoor pool, and an eighth-floor restaurant, Punto Ocho, where you can gaze out at the Santiago skyline.

Day 2 : Santiago de Chile

A day at leisure to explore the city and neighborhoods on your own or on one of our tours:

Santiago city tours

Viña del Mar, Valparaíso and Isla Negra excursion

Winery tours in the outlying central valleys – Colchagua, Maipo, Casablanca and San Antonio

Hiking and horseback riding in the surrounding mountain ranges.

Day 3 : Santiago de Chile – Balmaceda – Kayaking the Marble Caves – Mallin Colorado Ecolodge

You will be picked-up at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Balmaceda.

The variety of landscapes you will find driving south of the Balmaceda Airport along the Carretera Austral, in Chilean Patagonia, is one of the surprises you will find during your stay in Aysen.

Kayaking inside the Marble Caves, walking over the ice of the Glacier Exploradores, rafting on the River Baker, plus a boat navigation to the San Rafael Glacier will be an amazing experience.  During the whole trip, far behind, the huge Northern Ice Fields form a spectacular white backdrop as part of the most beautiful landscape in Patagonia.

The 5-day program include all ground transportation, 4 nights lodging at Mallin Colorado Ecolodge, all meals, excursions per the itinerary, bilingual guide.

Reception at Balmaceda airport and transfer during 5 hours to the lodge. It is a 260-kilometer trip, where you will see valleys and rivers, wild forests and mountains rocks. Later you will drive along a thinner gravel road, surrounded by wild lupines in springtime (Nov/Dec) arriving to Lake General Carrera, a huge mass of calypso-colored water, the second biggest lake in South America, after Lake Titicaca.

Upon arrival in Puerto Tranquilo village set off for a kayak excursion in the marble caves. Paddling by yourself will offer a much more personal experience inside the caves. It is the perfect way for a deeper connection with nature.

After the excursion you will continue by car one hour south to Mallin Colorado Ecolodge.

Mallin Colorado accommodates up to 32 guests in cabins and rooms with excellent views of Lake General Carrera. The lodge is isolated, in a private atmosphere and harmonious with the landscape.

The rustic cabins built with native wood, very comfortable and tastefully furnished, surrounded by a park of native trees. The cabins and rooms have beds with box spring mattress, natural down, fireplaces and huge windows with views of Lake General Carrera. Dinner at the lodge.

Day 4 : Ice trek over Glacier Exploradores

After breakfast, depart for a two-hour drive along the most pristine road to the Northern Icefields. Start the walk towards Glacier Exploradores. You will see the glacier first and have the possibility to walk on the ice plateau, into several caves and along low hills of ice for approximately three hours.

It is an incredible experience in a completely different world, surrounded by the white and cold ice.  Around 5:00pm you will depart for the lodge. A box-lunch will be provided. Dinner at Mallin Colorado Ecolodge.

Day 5 : Rafting on Baker River

This is a nice day with easy rafting in a stunning landscape. You will drive further south along the Carretera Austral to the end of Lake General Carrera and the River Baker.

The rafting adventure starts on the shores of Lake Bertrand. After the excursion you will be served coffee before the return drive to Mallin Colorado Ecolodge, arriving around 2:00pm in time for lunch. You will have a free afternoon to relax around the lodge. Dinner at Mallin Colorado Ecolodge.

Day 6 : Navigation to San Rafael Glacier

Depart the lodge at 6:00 in the morning and drive three hours to La Teresa, where the navigation departs for the San Rafael Glacier. Navigate in small boats for eight to ten people through the fjords towards the San Rafael Lagoon.

You will stay here for about three hours viewing the huge wall of ice falling down into the water. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Return to La Teresa around 5:00pm and drive back to Mallin Colorado. Dinner at Mallin Colorado Ecolodge.

Day 7 : Mallin Colorado – Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa.

Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa is a beautiful ecolodge located on the edge of Dorita Bay in Chilean Patagonia. Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa is the base from which you can enjoy a variety of activities: explore the lush temperate rainforest, journey along the Carretera Austral, discover the Queulat National Park, sail between Patagonian islands and fjords, enjoy thermal waters, relax with thalassotherapy treatments or massages in the spa, and delight yourself with the delicate gastronomy and fine selection of Chilean wines.

The Capitanía Suite and 29 cozy superior rooms (1 King or 2 full beds) with a seating area and terrace facing the fjord with a stunning view to the mountains. Rooms are not equipped with televisions or Internet access.

The 3-night all-inclusive package includes: breakfast, lunch and dinner including a glass of house wine, use of spa (indoor hot spring pools) and outdoor hot spring pools, menu of excursions (see below*), open bar, airport transfers on scheduled days.

Guided excursions (operated on a small-group basis):

Tempanos Lagoon
A walk for everyone. After crossing the fjord by motorboat to the Carretera Austral (Southern Highway), the journey will continue for 15 minutes by vehicle towards the South, to the Ventisquero Colgante (Hanging Glacier) sector.

After walking approximately 600m along the path that accesses the edge of the Témpanos Lagoon, magnificent panoramas will appear from the Hanging Glacier together with its impressive ice slides.

A guide will allow you to make the most of the trip with information about the flora, fauna, and geology of the area.

Duration: Half-day (3 hours) Difficulty: Low

Hanging Glacier Trail
The trip starts by crossing the fjord by motorboat to the quay on the Carretera Austral, to then continue for 15 minutes by motor vehicle to the Ventisquero Colgante area of Queulat National Park. The River Ventisquero runs throughout the glacial moraine valley molded by the Hanging Glacier.

A short distance from the area’s authorized parking area, and after having passed the hanging bridge that crosses the river, the path that penetrates the start of the woods opens out and then goes round the valley created by the moraine.

Duration: Half-day Difficulty: Medium

Enchanted Forest on the Queulat Pass
With extraordinary botanical variation, this path is located on one of the highest points of the Carretera Austral, one hour by motor vehicle from the jetty of the Lodge. The extensive and steep snowcaps of Queulat, together with the damp vegetation that cover the lower valleys, represent the spirit of this journey.

The summits and snowdrifts are terrific on the slopes located to the south of Queulat National Park. The walk starts by penetrating through the lush forest, together with bizarre lichens, fungi, mosses, algae, ferns, and numerous flowers that accompany this route.

The path advances for almost 2km before reaching the River Cascadas. The climb continues across the valley, which upon opening offers spectacular panoramas of the area.

Then the Los Gnomos Lagoon appears, from which the river originated. The shores are approached by an impressive and steep granite structure upon which the snowdrift sits. The footprints of time can be recognized on the rocks, showing the movement of the mass. Often chunks of the millenary ice fall into the lagoon.

Duration: Half- to full-day Difficulty: Medium to High

Los Pumas Trail
In the northern area of Queulat National Park is this 5.6km path that climbs steeply through the natural woodland, and in its last stretch reaches the Los Pumas Lagoon.

The path develops through a staggered route, combining beautiful views of the Lake Risopatrón and the deep green forest, and giving way to the so-called Bosque de Transición y de Altura (Woods of Transition and Height). The journey crosses in its highest part – 1,060m – a wide plateau with spectacular panoramas of the mountain chain that wraps around the narrow Ventisquero Sound.

With a pit of approximately 70 hectares and an area of almost 2km, the lagoon accommodates clean and well-oxygenated waters, a source of life with a wide diversity of species and aquatic development.

Duration: Full-day Difficulty: High

Los Canelos Path
A walk that starts directly from the Lodge, through the Canelo Woods, passing by viewpoints that make it possible to see spectacular views over Dorita Bay and the Puyuhuapi Channel, as well as finding a variety of the area’s ferns and native trees.

Los Canelos Path is a stretch of the old path that led to the nearby Puyuhuapi settlement, a part of our local history. We have taken care to keep part of the route open, being careful not to alter our symbiosis with the area.

The route advances through the shelter of the friendly canelo woods where, according to legend, silver-colored leaves house “spirits of the past”. The return journey can be done in a kayak, in approximately 30 minutes, through the calm Dorita Bay.

Duration: 2.5 hours Difficulty: Low to Medium

South Path “En busca del Chucao”
A trip of medium difficulty by a path that advances through the Patagonian woods, between coigües, tepas, and mañíos, perfect for bird watching, due to the wide variety of birds that inhabit this area: chucao, kingfishers, black woodpeckers, huet-huets, rayaditos, hummingbirds, and many others.

Duration: 1.5 hours Difficulty: Low to Medium

Patagonian Fjords by sea kayak
Cai-Cai and Tentenvilú – mythical snakelike creatures – fought their way relentlessly through these mountain ranges and Patagonian fjords. The same ones that we now invite you to explore by sea kayak from Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa.

We sail for 1–2 hours through the calm waters of the Puyuhuapi fjord, traveling past islands, islets, and fjords, and observing a wide variety of marine birds such as herons, black-necked swans, wandering albatross, coots, steamer ducks, penguins, and many more.

Motorboat hire
The scenery offered by the Puyuhuapi Channel and the Jacaff Channel is sublime, and a visit to their islands and bays in dinghies is just exceptional, with the possibility of spotting bird colonies and, with a bit of luck, marine mammals like seals and bottlenose dolphins. Includes boatman.

Days 8, 9 : Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa

Days at leisure with activities and excursions.

Day 10 : Balmaceda – Santiago

Today you will be transferred to the Balmaceda Airport for your flight to Santiago. Connect with your international departure.