Chile's Route of the Parks and Easter Island Adventure!
Chaiten Volcano Trail Hike!
Join me as I explore Conguillio National Park, bike in the Lakes district, hike Pumalin National Park in Chile, and then head to the mysterious Easter Island.
Jane Packer at Pumalin National ParkIf you’ve ever dreamed of exploring pristine wilderness where lush forests, jagged mountains, and thundering waterfalls coexist in perfect harmony, then Pumalín Park should be on your bucket list. Located in Chile’s spectacular Patagonia region, this conservation gem is not just a destination but a testament to what dedication to nature preservation can achieve.And its off the beaten tourist track!
Pumalín Park is one of Chile’s most inspiring conservation stories. It was created by the late Douglas Tompkins, founder of outdoor brands The North Face and Esprit, who dedicated much of his life to environmental activism. In the early 1990s, Tompkins began purchasing large tracts of land in Patagonia to protect them from deforestation and overdevelopment. His vision culminated in the creation of Pumalín, a privately funded nature reserve that has since been donated to the Chilean government and incorporated into Chile’s national park system. Today, it spans over 400,000 hectares of untouched landscapes and is part of the stunning Route of Parks, a 2,800-kilometer conservation route stretching through Patagonia.
Pumalín is easily accessible (although still very remote!) from the town of Chaitén in Northern Patagonia. Travelers can arrive by ferry from Puerto Montt, or by car along the iconic Carretera Austral (Southern Highway). I arrived via charter flight from Puerto Montt. Whether you’re driving, biking, or hiking, the journey to Pumalín is breathtaking in its own right, with snow-capped peaks and emerald lakes providing constant scenic beauty. Visitors play an important role by respecting the park’s rules, following Leave No Trace principles, and supporting sustainable tourism initiatives.
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!