PATAGONIA
shape breaks the water just a few metres from us. “Dolphins,” says Dani. A pod of Chilean dolphins — one of the smallest
dolphin species in the world — surfaces briefly with a soft blow, circles back to inspect our boat, then vanishes beneath the glassy water. Soon after, a sleek black snout and two inky eyes blink right at me, before disappearing again: a South American sea lion searching for breakfast. “The animals are different here,” says Dani. “They
come close. Sometimes birds will land on your hand — it’s like they’re trying to tell you something.” Ahead, Dani points out a glacier hanging
between the mountains, its ice-blue tongue appearing to spill directly into the ford. The only sign of human life is a thin curl of smoke rising from a wooden house perched high above the shoreline. A reclusive farmer lives there, Dani tells me. A ramshackle wooden boat moored below the house is his transport to the mainland, but it looks like it hasn’t left the jetty in years. “People say there’s a secret here,” Dani states as
we make our way back to the lodge. She moved here from central Chile a year ago, drawn by something she still struggles to explain. “But it’s something only people who come can understand. And even when they leave, they still can’t describe it.” Back on land that afternoon, I sink into one of
the lodge’s natural hot springs. The stone pool sits wedged between ford and forest, where giant ferns
and branches spill over the water. Floating on my back, I watch wisps of steam curl upwards through the trees, leaves and moss hanging so close to my face I can feel cool droplets of moisture on my skin. As I think about a cold plunge in the ford, a
ringed kingfisher — one of the largest kingfisher species in the world — lands right on the edge of the pool, less than a metre from me. Standing tall, with a shaggy crest and chestnut-coloured belly, it fixes me with an unwavering stare. For a moment, neither of us moves. I can hear water trickling through the forest behind me and the distant lap of the ford below. Seconds stretch into what feels like minutes before the bird cocks its head strangely to one side and disappears between the trees. In the days that follow, I travel deeper into
Patagonia Verde’s fords and valleys to watch chunks of ice thunder from the face of San Rafael Glacier and raft the Futaleufú, one of the greatest whitewater rivers in the world. Yet when I think back to this wild, beautiful corner of southern Chile, it’s not just the roar of falling ice or whitewater that I remember. It’s the mist drifting through the forest canopy and rainwater pattering on the giant nalca leaves. It’s the blow of a dolphin breaking the silence of the ford and a kingfisher staring back at me from the edge of a jungle hot spring. Perhaps that’s what my guide Dani meant when she spoke of a “secret” in these parts — those rare moments when you truly feel connected to the natural world.
GETTING THERE & AROUND Fly to Balmaceda via Santiago and hire a car for the journey north along the Carretera Austral. Once there, Queulat National Park can be explored independently via well- marked hiking trails. Entry tickets should be booked in advance via the official Pases Parques website.
pasesparques.cl
WHEN TO GO The best time to visit northern Patagonia is between November and March, when temperatures are milder and daylight hours are longer, although rain is possible year-round.
WHERE TO STAY Puyuhuapi Lodge offers accommodation, guided wildlife excursions and access to natural hot springs on Puyuhuapi Fjord.
puyuhuapilodge.com
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – LATIN AMERICA COLLECTION 13
IMAGES: TEAL HERTZ/EARTH RIVER EXPEDITIONS; GETTY
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