Feb-2014
Rafting towards volcanoes in Chile
You’re in the water, close to nature, seeing your holiday destination from a different point of perspective. It’s fun, you’re enjoying it with your friends and it still provides a kick of adrenaline to the most of us. Rafting. It is a ‘must do’ when you’re in Puerto Varas.
Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas?
A visit to Puerto Montt normally includes a longer stay in Puerto Varas and actually a short visit to the city of Puerto Montt itself. Puerto Varas has a lot to offer and especially adventurous activities which bring you closer to the local nature and culture of Chile.
I fly to Puerto Montt where my local friend picks me up and we start our search for a ‘hospedaje’ or with other words: a place to stay. Once we finally hear one of the hostel receptionists saying “Si, hay lugar” we can start organizing our rafting trip.
In the morning I have to meet the company AlSur at 09:00 in front of their office, which is located right next to my hostel. If you’re farther away they’ll come and pick you up. A group of Chilean tourists is joining the tour too and we’re getting to know each other during the bus ride to the river El Petrohue which means lost in the mist.
get comfortable
First things first, clothes! Before we arrive at the river we make a stop at a cabin where we can change our clothes. Alsur provides all you need for a comfortable rafting experience: a wetsuit, a helmet, neoprene shoes, a life vest and a waterproof jacket. It’s always good to bring an extra thermo shirt to wear underneath the wetsuit for some extra warmth. I definitely recommend you to bring an extra pair of socks to, or to just go rafting without socks so you’ll have warm feet afterwards with your dry socks. You – will – get – wet.
Teamwork
Okay, all set, now let’s go to the rafting starting point. We walk down to the river and there the El Sur team already has the rafting boats ready to go. The only thing left to do before we can start is listening to a teamwork instruction from the guide. After all, you’ll need to follow his orders during the trip, which sound like Adelante! Atras! Alto! It means that the guide of your rafting boat will tell you how to peddle. Some times everybody will have to move forward with his or her pedal or backward, or you might just have to do nothing and relax here and there, which is also quite nice and you can enjoy the amazing view.
Natural beauty
It’s raining now and then today, but that means there will be also beautiful misty clouds hanging around the volcanoes we see during the rafting trip. The scenery is absolutely stunning. Many birds pass us by as they try to catch a fish from the river and the raindrops are falling on the giant leaves on the riverside. You can hear the water of the river flowing while passing the rocks and the streams. What a beautiful experience. It was actually so nice, that I’ll definitely go rafting the Petrohue river again this week!
More information
Location: Puerto Varas, Chile
Contact: alsurexpediciones@gmail.com
transportation: Make sure you stay somewhere in Puerto Varas or Puerto Montt and discuss a pick-up with the company Alsur Expeditions.
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
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