EXPEDITION  9

PATAGONIA DISCOVERY EXPEDITION - 9 DAYS - 8 NIGHTS

• FREQUENCY : Daily PERSONS  : Minimum 4 persons. DURATION   : 9 days - 8 nights
• INCLUDED  : STANDARD PACKAGE
• GUEST PROVIDES:
• Trekking: comfortable clothes, trekking shoes, backpack, water bottle with water, jockstrap, sunglasses, sunscreen, Horseback riding: comfortable clothes, trekking shoes, sunscreen, and jockstrap. Rafting/Floating: Able to swim, older than 12 years, good physical condition according to activity, towel and shoes can get wet. Mountain Bike: comfortable clothes, backpack, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Canyoning: Sporting shoes that will get wet, extra pair of shoes for after the activity, warm clothes, rain/wind jacket, bathing suit and towel.  We recommend that you wear long underwear tops and bottoms
• Photographic Expedition: comfortable clothes, camera.
• REQUEST EXPEDITION #9

You will be greeted in the Puerto Montt airport.  Transfer to Yan Kee Way Lodge, accommodation in Bungalows - Chalets, welcome cocktail and dinner in our Latitude 42° Restaurant.  Retire for the night.

Day 2 - Yan Kee Way Lodge & Horseback Riding Expedition

Breakfast at the Lodge.  At 09:45 a.m., we'll departe Yan Kee Way for "The Volcanoes Park".  Here we'll start our horseback ride for approxamately 4.5 hours.  We'll walk through a native forest where you may see the contrast between the red Notros and the white Ulmos flower.  At a height of 328 feet above the White River, at the lookout "Salto de Piedras" we will be surrounded by pristine landscapes like the turquoise colored waterfalls coming from the Andes Mountains.  We will have views of the volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco.  If you're feeling brave, you can take a bath in the "Angel Waterfalls" with its cold and fresh water, loaded with healthy minerals.  From here we return to our starting point and then to Yan Kee Way Lodge.  Lunch and Free time to rest, read by the fireplace or take advantage of our spa facilities.  Dinner and retire for the night.

Day 3 - Yan Kee Way Lodge & Rafting Expedition

Following breakfast, we will leave Yan Kee Way Lodge for our departure point on the River Petrohué, following the south shore of Lake Llanquihue. The Petrohue River was the venue for the 1999 Chilean National Rafting Championship and our destination for the white water rafting expedition.  We have spectacular view of Lake Llanquihue and the volcanoes Osorno, Puntiagudo, Tranador and Calbuco.  Passing through the small town of Ensenada, we quickly arrive at the river and the section of rapids we will challenge.  We suit up for our expedition in the provided clothing and equipment appropriate for white water rafting including wet suits, spray jackets, life-vest, helmets and paddles. Our expert-guides give us a brief introduction about the section of the river we will run and the necessary instructions in safe practices for our expedition. Following our instruction session, we begin the white-water rafting expedition. The section of the river that we will run is class 3 to 4. Our expedition will take us approximately 10.5 miles down river and approximately one and 1/2 hours to complete. Our adrenaline levels surge as we pass through the breath-taking beauty of the valley through which the Petrohué River flows.  Volcanoes and temperate rain forest surround us as we are thrust along by the white foaming power of the rapids.  Many remark on the visual setting and compare it to the jungle-like landscapes of Southeast Asia. It is no wonder that some call this area the cool jungle. During our ride we will encounter native birds such as Cormoranes, Kingfishers, Golondrinas and tiuques; if we are lucky we will catch a glimpse of Huillín (small otters).  Return to Yan Kee Way Lodge, lunch in our Latitude 42° Restaurant. Free time to rest, read by the fireplace or take advantage of our spa facilities.  Dinner and retire for the night.

Day 4 - Yan Kee Way Lodge & Trekking Expedition

We'll have breakfast at the lodge and at 09:00 a.m. we'll depart for Volcano Osorno,  and the Refuge "La Burbuja".  We'll enjoy the fresh mountain air atop the volcano.  We'll walk up the hills and, given the altitude, experience exquisite vistas of Llanquihue Lake, the winding course of the Petrohué River, the Pacific Ocean, the rain forest covered mountains and discover one of Osorno's Craters in a relaxing and casual atmosphere. This special activity is perfect for anyone who wishes to savor the beautiful landscapes of our area.  Return to Yan Kee Way Lodge for lunch.  Free time for enjoying the surroundings, dinner and retire for the night.

Breakfast is at 8:00 a.m. Departure from Yan Kee Way Lodge to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park.  In the park, we will travel on trails and routes of medium difficulty.  We will visit the outflow from the glaciers on Osorno Volcano that runs off into the Petrohué River. Our expedition will take us to various points of interest along the Petrohue River.  We will travel to the Petrohué water falls.  A part of our expedition will take us along a beautiful trail named ¨Los Enamorados. " When we arrive at "Carilemu," we will enjoy the beauty of the temperate rain forest and specimens of local trees including Coigues, Mañios, Arrayanes and a variety of mosses. Our expedition is interspersed with waterfalls, rapids, small lagoons and the flora and fauna of the area.  Our expedition continues along the shore of the Petrohué River until we arrive at Todos Los Santos or Emerald Lake, whose named is derived from the deep green color of its waters. You'll enjoy your picnic lunch on the lakeshore.  Return  to Yan Kee Way Lodge, lunch and free time.  Free time to rest, read by the fireplace or take advantage of our spa facilities.  Dinner and retire for the night.

We depart Yan Kee Way Lodge to our launch site on the slower stretches of the Petrohué River.  We drive to our departure point on the River Petrohué, following the south shore of Lake Llanquihue.  We have spectacular views of Lake Llanquihue and the volcanoes Osorno, Puntiagudo, Tranador and Calbuco.  Passing through the small town of Ensenada, we head southward.  We are but 30 minutes travel time, by road, from the Pacific Ocean into which the Petrohué flows.  The meandering course of the Petrohué covers much more territory and affords a more leisurely passage through the valley.  Our drive to the river l takes us through the Petrohué valley where we see the European style farmlands planted among the jungle like forests of Ulmo Trees.  During some seasons, these trees are laden with fragrant white flours -- the source of this regions' famous Ulmo honey.  Upon arrival at our point of departure we are provided with safety instructions for our floating expedition.  We raft or ca ta-raft the Petrohué River for approx. 6 hours until we reach Ralún where the Petrohué joins the Pac ific Ocean in the estuary of the fiord Reloncaví.  During our trip, we will enjoy impressive views of the volcanoes and the flora and fauna of this region.  In Ralún we will visit the thermal waters located along side the river.  Picnic lunch.  Return to Yan Kee Way Lodge.  This is a trip for the entire family.

We'll have an energy-laden breakfast and at 7:45 a.m. we'll depart Yan Kee Way Lodge for a 15-minute trip to Petrohué.  Petrohué was established as small port by the early pioneers of this region, on the shores of Todo Los Santos Lake.  Upon arrival, we assemble on the shoreline and receive a briefing on our expedition and collect our equipment for the Canyoning expedition.  We then board our boat and cruise along the shoreline of the lake for approximately 15-min. until we arrive at the beach along side of the River León.  Here we will make a final security check of our equipment and receive the technical and safety instructions.  Our expedition really gets underway with the ascent of this steep and exciting canyon and river as we make our way through its' amazingly crystal clear waters.  The destination and goal of the 1^st half of our expedition is the "Pozon", with its' grand waterfall which cascades down from an altitude of more than 131 feet.  To attain our goal, we have manage a number of different obstacles including waterfalls, climbs, swimming against the current in several parts of the river, and a variety of jumps into the river to make our way upward.  Once we reach the Pozon, we'll relax to gather our strength and appreciate the special beauty of this temperate rainforest and its expression in this collection of a part of its waters.  The excitement that was building in our ascent will soon be on the rise, as the descent is even more adventurous.  We will be jumping into numerous pools as we make our way back down the river canyon, rappelling across a waterfalls, and floating down many sections of the river, until we arrive at the mouth of the Leon River on the beach of Todo Los Santos Lake. This adventure provides you with an intimate experience with nature in the midst of the flora and fauna of a vast temperate rainforest—a cool Jungle.  After drying off and warming up, we will enjoy our well-earned picnic lunch until the time arrives to take our boat back to Petrohué. Back to Yan Kee Way Lodge. Free time to rest, read by the fireplace or take advantage of our spa facilities.  Dinner and retire for the night.

Leave Yan Kee Way headed to the "Casa de la Oma."  On the way, will pass through small towns that are of interest to those who wish to see the settlements of the early residents of Southern Chile.  Surprising to some, the early inhabitants in this region were from Germany and not Spain as is the case with many other Latin American countries.  The small towns of Puerto Varas, Llanquihue and Frutillar are the birthplaces of early German colonization

 When we reach our destination, we will find ourselves on the grounds of a functioning small German style farm, typical of the region's early inhabitants.  We will be greeted by descendents of the colonists who will tell us about the lifestyles, traditions and history.  For guests who speak German, it will be possible to converse in that language with our hosts, as many in the region maintain and preserve the language of their original ethnic roots. We understand that, by way of the accents and dialects, the locations from which these settlers originated in Germany may be discerned. &n bsp; We'll visit the main farmhouse that serves as a museum and is furnished in the manner typical of the early colonial days. We will also have our country style lunch on the grounds.

After lunch, we'll visit the dairy, milking barn and stables.  We'll also have the opportunity be take a ride in a horse drawn carriage, typically used in the early colonial days.  You'll have time to walk around on the grounds and let your imagination wander back to the mid -1800's when the first settlers of Southern Chile took their broad axes to the dense forests to make way for the settlements that you have seen on our expedition.  Return to Yan Kee Way.  This expedition is a special opportunity to familiarize yourself with the culture, working environment and traditions of the early German settlers of the Patagonia. Transfer to Yan Kee Way Lodge.  Free time to rest, read by the fireplace or take advantage of our spa facilities.  Dinner and retire for the night.

After our breakfast we depart Yan Kee Way Lodge and travel through Villa Ensenada to the skirts of Volcano Osorno, to the entrance of Vincente Perez Rosales National Park and the Laguna Verde area.  Our expedition takes us along the skirt of the volcano, where we will enjoy the native plant and animal life until we arrive at a location known as "Los Pilleyos".  We continue into Vincente Perez Rosales National Park to visit an area where we may see the glacial run-off from the volcanoes' slopes and glaciers, together with other points of interest.  We will then proceed to the famous Petrohué waterfalls or "Los Saltos". The falls were created, first by the enormous lava flows of Osorno Volcano, which cut-off the flow of water between Lake Todo Los Santos and Lago Llanquihue and formed a new outflow from Todo Los Santos, now known as the Petrohué River.  The volcanic flows created a rise in the land that immediately came under attack by the power of the river.  The lava was, and is being sculpted into unusual forms by the power of river.  The flora and fauna of the temperate rainforest abound in this area.  We will take short hikes to "Los enamorados" and "Carrilemu" where we will learn about the different types of rock s, vegetation, and animals that live in this temperate rainforest.  We will complete our expedition with a to visit Todos Los Santos Lake or as it is also known--"Emerald Lake,"--so named for the deep emerald color of its waters. You will want to take photos from the beach while enjoying picnic lunch.  Return to Yan Kee Way Lodge. This is special expedition for the family and for those who love the outdoors and wish to see and photograph the flora and fauna of this area.  Return to Yan Kee Way Lodge, lunch and transfer to "El Tepual" airport