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Adventures in Chilean PatagoniaCoyhaique River Lodge

STORy by MATT ShiNDeRMAN PhOTOS cOURTeSy Of RUMbO PATAgON

Rich with wide-open spaces, blue lakes and snow-capped peaks, chilean Patagonia is a place to experience the real outdoors.

Travelers seeking a new destination offering adventure, scenic beauty and gracious

hospitality should consider Chilean Patagonia. On a recent fishing expedition my

friend Damien Nurre and I experienced the quieter side of this mountain region.

From the moment we arrived in Balmaceda, a small mountain town that serves as the air

travel hub for destinations in the Aisen region, we bore witness to unspoiled landscapes

and jaw-dropping scenery.

The landscape of Chilean Patagonia is a collision between two vast geographies: the

Pampas grasslands of Argentina and snow-capped Patagonian Andes to the west. The

scale of the place is so vast it is difficult to assimilate. In a lot of ways it reminded me of

Alaska, where wide-open spaces and tremendous mountains dominate the view in every

direction. Chilean Patagonia is a place where untouched wilderness abounds.

Gaston and Claudio Urreloja, owner-operators of Rumbo Patagon, one of the region’s

premier outfitters and lodging services, were our hosts for the trip. Gaston and his brother

Claudio have been rambling around the Aisen region of Patagonia for over a decade, and

they know the area exceptionally well. This part of Chile offers a dizzying array of fishing

opportunities, offering an experience of a lifetime.

Patagonia is justly renowned for high-quality fly-fishing (among other things). Within

an hour’s drive of Rumbo’s lodge in Coyhaique there are literally hundreds of fishing

options, from brawling glacial fed rivers to unspoiled and seldom visited high country

lakes. We spent five days with Gaston and Claudio fishing different waters, and although

many of the rivers were still receding from spring run-off during our visit, we got a small

taste of what fishing can be like here.

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visitors to the area enjoy fishing, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, sightseeing and great food.

TRAvel

W patagonia

Within 30 minutes of arriving

at the lodge I was standing on

a gravel bar looking upstream

at improbable stands of purple

lupine crowding the banks of the

Coyhaique River. The river is

literally steps from the expansive

back deck of the lodge, and the

temptation to fish there right away

will be more than most anglers can

bear. That evening we plied the

waters of the Coyhaique, catching

a few fish here and there and

trying to wrap our heads around

the fact that we were catching

trout in Patagonia.

Over the next several days

Damien and I fished small,

gin-clear mountain streams and

jet-boated up raging rivers to

private mountain lakes in search

of trophy brown trout. We battled

mammoth rainbow trout under the

shadow of Andean Condors soaring

overhead and generally fished our

tails off. A dedicated fisherman

could spend a solid month in this

tiny corner of Chilean Patagonia

and not fish it all.

Our adventures were not

confined to fishing. The daily

routine in Chile is a little different

than back in the states, the

primary differences being the

dinner hour (around 9 or 10 pm)

and typical nightlife (after dinner

until however-long-you-can-take-

it a.m.). Nearly every evening

we spent in Coyhaique involved

drinking liberal amounts of pisco

sour (a famous national drink

similar to a margarita) and wine.

This schedule began immediately

upon our arrival at the lodge, and when combined with our relatively

hectic fishing program and jet lag it produced some interesting sleep

deprived morning breakfast sessions.

Speaking of breakfast, I came to the lodge totally unprepared for the

dining experience that awaited us. I’m a bit of a food snob, and I can

say without hesitation that the food served at the lodge rivaled some

of Oregon’s best restaurants. I was completely helpless in the hands of

the cooking staff. One of my personal favorites was a small plate called

Chupe, a popular South American stew with many regional varieties.

The version we enjoyed included jumbo shrimp and crab served with

bruschetta. I want to be buried with a small flask of this when I die.

To say that we were pampered would be an understatement, and

although Damien and I protested the royal treatment, Gaston and

Claudio brushed it off as business-as-usual. In retrospect I’m sure our

appeals weren’t very convincing. After all, it’s pretty difficult to effectively

complain with your feet propped up and a glass of wine in your hand.

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Getting to Coyhaique, Chile,

and the lodge itself is fairly easy,

although you should be prepared

to spend some time in the air.

From Atlanta it’s a 10-hour flight

to Santiago and another three to

Balmaceda, your ultimate flight

destination. Several carriers offer

flights to Santiago, but once in

country you will fly LAN airlines,

a very modern and well-

equipped national carrier. If you

plan to stay at the lodge you can

make arrangements to have the

staff of Rumbo Patagon pick you

up at the airport in Balmaceda,

a 45-minute drive from the lodge.

Alternatively, if you think you

might like to do a little exploring

on your own, car rentals are

available. See the resources

section below for more details.

Rumbo Patagon and Coyhaique River Lodgewww.coyhaiqueriverlodge.comInternational Travel Office: 866-242-7541info@rumbopatagon.com

Car Rentals in Balmacedawww.eztrip.comwww.chilediscover.com

In the end, our trip to Chilean Patagonia had

the perfect balance of comfort zone and pleasant

surprises. Our stay, while brief, left us both with an

undeniable sense of possibility and “what’s around

the next bend” curiosity. Although our agenda

focused on fishing, visitors to the Aisen region will

find a myriad of recreational opportunities, from

whitewater rafting to hiking and horseback riding

in untrailed and unspoiled mountain wilderness.

If standing atop rugged cliffs to observe nesting

condors or walking high mountain trails bordered by

wild fuchsia and an amazing diversity of birds sounds

good, Chilean Patagonia is for you.

To travel here is to take a step back in time and

experience a place where the land is fresh and the

people are friendly. I hope it always remains so. CO