Evening flight from the United States to Santiago, Chile.
Arriving in Santiago this morning, you transfer (in the same airport) to your flight south to Puerto Montt. Reaching Puerto Montt in the late morning we are met by an Earth River representative who escorts you to the commuter flight to Chaiten. The half hour flight is spectacular. Following the rugged coastline of Pumalin Park, wild rivers flow into deep fiords framed by verdant rain forest wilds that stretch upwards into the rugged snow-capped Patagonia Andes. Just before landing, we get a bird's eye view of the still smoldering Chaiten Volcanoe which three years ago buried 90% of the town. The cement like ash, deposited by swollen rivers, froze time, cars, houses and shops in pompaiiesque fashion. Amazingly there wasn't a single fatality. Since the initial eruption, a number of the residents have came back to salvage what was left of their homes and lives despite repeated government safety warnings. We arriving in Chaiten at mid day and board the bus for the one hour drive to the glacier hike trailhead. The entire drive is gorgeous as the road passes beneath giant snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers in a deep galciated valley. Upon reaching the trailhead, we embark on a stunning 2 hour (R/T) hike through rain forest wiilds and beneath towering waterfalls to the unique sight of a wall of blue ice spilling into a lush green rain forest. After the hike, we board the bus and drive another hour and a half passing roaring rivers and deep lakes to the Terminator Camp trailhead. (See Futaleufu itinerary for camp description and the rest of the intinerary)
