Summer Trip South: Queulat National Park

After leaving Futaleufu, we drove back down the long dirt road, back to the Carretera Austral. We stopped again on our drive at Yelcho Lake, as it was a lovely sunny day, and the water was lovely and clear. 

Our next stop on the journey is Queulat National Park, but we stopped one night at a river on the way. We're learning we like the cadence of driving a couple of hours each day, as opposed to a long drive every couple of days, as a lot of hours on gravel roads is jarring to all involved. And it's so easy to pack up and go in the vans, it's not a huge inconvenience to move along a night or two at a time. So this campsite was just a dirt road next to a river. There were several local families that showed up to enjoy the little beach with their kids, so the boys got to play with them, which is always fun to see.

On the road again! The drive to Queulat was really lovely. Lots of snow capped peaks.

Our next camping stop was actually within the National park itself, which is a tad expensive because you have to pay the National Park fees on top of the campsite fees. But it was a very nice campsite. You're right next to the famous hanging glacier, which is the whole point of being there in the first place, and the campsites themselves are nice and spread out with pavilions and a water source for each one.

This is the actual Queulat hanging glacier. Unfortunately the longer, harder hike that gets you right next to the glacier was closed for maintenance, but you can still do a short nature walk and see it really well. The glacier used to extend all the way down into the valley, but due to global warming, it has retreated to its current location and now there is a waterfall that drops into the valley where the glacier once was.

The runoff from that waterfall makes this huge, roaring river that is aqua teal blue and super fast. We got to walk over that on a fun cable bridge. 

In the previous town, I had found a bottle of Sav. Blanc made from this exact area with a perfect drawing of the glacier, so I had to try it here! It was delicious.

After Queulat, we were heading to Coyhaique for our next Airbnb to cook and restock. Right after we left Queulat Campground, there is a spot along Highway 7 where there is a natural hot spring, but only at low tide. We timed it just right and found the spot using iOverlander. There it was, tucked amongst the rocks next to an inlet. It's a nice setup because when you get too hot, you can hop out and go into the inlet water to cool off. We even saw an otter swimming over there! 

After the hot springs, we continued on our drive for the day. That included going over the substantial Queulat mountain pass. The side we were going up was entirely gravel with lots of switch backs, and it was very dusty, so it wasn't the easiest bit of driving. Going down the other side was paved. I believe they had plans to pave the other side of the pass, but it will be years and years before it's done. The views though, coming down the pass, were incredible, some of the best we've seen so far. None of these car pics do it justice. 

We weren't due into Coyhaique until the following day, so we wild camped one night in a valley on the other side of the pass. It turned out to be the perfect little spot. It was a hot day, so luckily we found some nice big trees that offered shade. And it had a little creek running by it that the boys played in for hours. Another local family with kids showed up there too, so they worked together to build a dam across the entire creek. They actually designed it like a spa almost, with walking sections and cold plunge sections for Drew jajaja. We nicknamed the mountain in the background the Matterhorn.

Last sightseeing spot on the drive into Coyhaique was a lovely waterfall. There have been so many waterfalls along our journey, that at some point we stopped calling them out to the boys while we drove, because they'd likely see the next one. But this one was particularly impressive. And you could theoretically get in at the bottom and swim, so it would be a nice spot for a day trip, but we needed to continue on. 

Summer Trip South: Futaleufu

After leaving Chaiten, we drove south along Highway 7 which was paved. We saw our first real glacier of the trip, which totally blew us away. It was stunning. 

We then headed west on our way to the adventure town of Futaleufu on highway 235, which was 75% gravel, and 25% paved. We had to go very slow along the gravel, as most of it was washboard, and our heavy vans don't handle the bumps well. We saw lots of people fly past us in their SUVs, but it was a long trip for us. Needless to say, it was totally worth it. You pass by Lake Yelcho, which is crystal clear blue and lots of snow topped peaks surrounding it.

We were staying a full 5 nights in Futaleufu, so we chose to stay at a campground. This one was perfect for us. It was a 15 minute walk into town, and the River Espolón skirted the campground. One section in particular was nice and calm, so the boys had a great time playing in it, and Brian enjoyed some fishing.

On Monday, we went for a Family Float trip on the upper section of the River Futaleufu. This section of river is very calm and flat, so it was perfect to the whole family. This was Nana's Christmas present to the boys, and they had a great time. The whole adventure was an hour rafting, then an hour hike to a lookout over the river we were just on, then back in the boats for 30 more min of rafting, then we got out and had snacks. All in all a lovely adventure. 

Tuesday was Drew and my 14th wedding anniversary. Grandma, Grandpa, and the boys treated us to steak and potatoes with a full waitstaff. The boys were at our beck and call, and they took their roles very seriously. It was great.  

After our dinner, Drew and I stayed the night at the Uman Lodge, actually just across the valley from our campground! But it was a bit higher up, so it had gorgeous views. It was a beautiful lodge, a very luxurious reprieve from our camper. We also had the place to ourselves for most of the evening, which was a nice surprise. 

The view from our room.

View from the upper deck after some relaxation in the hot tub.

Our final anniversary treat was a rafting adventure, this time just for Drew and I. The boys were not allowed on this one, as the rapids were too big. We had a great time. Futaleufu is known for its rafting, and if you are in the area, definitely do it. So fun, and well worth the money. We paid $90/person for 6 hours (that time includes transportation, snack, etc.) with a company called Patagonia Elements, which was very professional and safe. The company gave us both wetsuits and splash guards, which I was all about, I didn't feel cold at all, even though the water was very chilly. 

After rafting on Wednesday, we met the boys and G&G in town at a pizza place called La Fábrica. As soon as we walk in, we see a Kiwi couple that we met at the campsite we stayed at just off the Ferry by Lago Rio Negro. We only hung out with them for maybe an hour before dinner, just talking because it was raining and there wasn't much else to do. So very small world to see them again here at this restaurant. But then, when we were almost done with dinner, in walks the British couple with the Land Rover that we met in Chaiten! I couldn't believe we saw both of these couples in the same restaurant on the same night (What are the odds, what are the odds!), but apparently this happens all the time on the Carretera Austral. But I thought it was hilarious. 

After Drew and my backpacking stint in Cochamo, Avery wanted to experience his own backpacking adventure 1-1 with Dada. So on Thursday evening, they went for a wee hike to a nice meadow and camped out for the night. Needless to say, Avery was super thrilled. Emerson will get a chance to do the same later on in the trip. 

Futaleufu really is a beautiful place. If you can make your way here, visit! So worth it!

Summer Trip South: Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park and Chaiten

After we got off the ferry, we drove a ways down Highway 7, the Carretera Austral until we got to a small campground called Lago Rio Negro. It had a nice 30 min walk through the woods down to a lovely lake, which we did before our dinner of Choripan and BLTs. It was still a rainy evening, but luckily we had a little covered pavilion at this campsite. 

The next morning, we drove on to reach our activity for the day, hiking up to see the Chaiten Volcano. On the way, we passed lots of pretty river crossings. 

While the morning was overcast, in the afternoon it cleared up, and the hike turned out to be a major success. We had a great view back across the valley we just drove down. 

The boys made it all the way to the top, which included 2,000 ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles, mostly through through these giant steps that the boys had to scramble up. They did so well; I was really proud of them. Behind us, you can see the side of the volcano cone. The crater itself is on the other side of that cone. 

This is an arial view of the volcano and the town itself alongside the inlet. This volcano erupted in 2008, after being dormant for more than 9,000 years. This lead to the town of Chaiten being completely destroyed. 

It actually wasn't destroyed because of lava, but from ash blocking the following rainfall from seeping into the ground, and instead immediately overwhelming the Chaiten River which then flooded the town. Before the eruption, the river flowed along the backside of town and then flowed into the inlet on the southern edge. But after, the river even changed its course and flowed right through the middle of town, cutting it in half. This is a picture of the town of Chaiten after the eruption, flooded, with the water a grey color from all of the ash. We actually camped a night in Chaiten alongside a park next to the inlet, and it was really nice. The entire town has been rebuilt at this point, so you'd never know what happened. We met some fellow travelers camping there as well, a lovely British couple with a sweet Land Rover named Gwenda. Hopefully we'll run into them again on our journeys!