Rivers and Lakes Backcountry Wilderness Lodge

Day 1: Transfer to Barraco Lodge

You’ll begin your adventure with a transfer by 4x4 vehicle from Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas, to the luxury, all-inclusive Barraco Lodge. The journey is via dirt roads for 150km/95 miles, and will take about 3hrs. Say goodbye to civilisation and hello to the beautiful wilderness of Tagua Tagua Park. 

Your luxury lodge has a rustic, homely feel and leaves no detail unattended. You'll love your stay here, with as much intimacy or privacy as you wish in your comfortable room with bespoke decor. Upon arrival you might like to enjoy the sauna or hot-tub, or take a short stroll through the ancient forests that surround the property.

Each evening enjoy exquisite meals, prepared at the lodge from local ingredients and eaten at communal tables.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Barraco Lodge

Days 2-3/4/5: Choice of excursions

Choose from the following excursions, or see the full list of excursions on our excursions page:

Barraco Waterfall hike – Starting from the Lodge, we’ll follow a path along the Barraco River through rainforest with myrtles, ulmo and hazelnut trees, tineo and laurel bushes. We’ll cross two streams on this relaxed 15min trek to the Barraco waterfall. To reach the very base of the waterfall, we’ll cross the river on a ropeway.

Tagua Tagua Park trek – We’ll reach the park entrance by crossing Lake Tagua Tagua by jetboat. From there our adventure in this unique reserve of ancient rainforest, streams and waterfalls begins. We’ll trek for 2hrs to the Alerce Cabin, followed by 4hrs hiking to the Quetros Cabin. In the afternoon our helicopter will arrive to pick us up from the Quetros heliport (2 passengers, 1 guide). If we only trek to the Alerce Cabin, we’ll hike back to the park entrance and return by jetboat.

Caribbean beach ‘asado’ (BBQ) – Take a 45min ride on our Viper jetboat along the Puelo River, navigating occasional rapids to arrive at Playa Caribe, a beautiful white sand beach with tranquil turquoise waters, surrounded by lush vegetation. Here our chef will cooks a sumptuous Patagonian asado right on the beach.

On 4- and 5-night stays: Horseback ride to Traidor River – We’ll head across Tagua Tagua Lake on our jetboat to Jabali Island where we’ll pick up our horses for the ride south along the Puelo River. We’ll ride for about 3hrs, with a guide, toward the Junta and eventually to the mouth of the Traidor River where we’ll relax and feast on a Patagonian asado. We’ll then return along the Puelo River in our jet boat, back to the lodge.

On 5-night stays: Paddleboard or kayak in high altitude lakes – We'll take a helicopter, following the Puelo River, El Salto grade-3 rapids and along the Reloncavi Estuary. Along the trip we’ll have stunning views of the Yates Volcano to the south, and the Tronador, Calbuco, and Osorno Volcanoes to the north.  We’ll then head to Alerce Andino National Park 1,800m/5,400ft above sea level and stop at Gaviota Lake, surrounded by ancient larch forests and named after the seagulls that nest here in the spring. You can choose to paddleboard or kayak on the crystal clear waters of this tranquil lake.

Note: Depending on the length of your stay some activities may or may not be available. Please contact us for more details.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Barraco Lodge

Final day

On your final day, you will be transferred by 4x4 vehicle back to Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas for your onward travel.

Meals: Breakfast