Return to Chili

It has been 8 years since my last trip to Chili and 13 years since my first trip, so time to return. American Airlines was our host to bring us from Brussel, over New York to Buenos Aires. By bus we travelled to Mendoza, and by taxi we travelled the last part to the Chilean border. On the Chilean side of the border our friends waited for us and the journey realy started.
The first river we tackled was the upper Mapocho, next to Santiago, in the mountains. After this warming-up we headed a little south to a place called Coya. There are several rivers in the Coya-region that apparently had never been paddled before. We descided to do a stretch of the Pangal, an affluent of the Cipresses. The start was at the police-checkpoint, where the super-friendly officers had the time of their life following us with their patrol-car and filming us. Steep and fast, but fair, that is how this 4 km WW4-section can be described. In the afternoon Danny offered us a (short) horse-riding tour for his birthday. 6 Hours later, and a sour but, we finished this tour through the mountains.
Next day was time to paddle the lower section of the Tinguiririca. The river was running high (and brown) water and it took us only little over 1,5 hour to cover 18 km. After paddling it was time to drive in the direction of Pucon.
Yesterday we arrived in Pucon and late afternoon we paddled the Palguin. The Palguin is always worth a paddle: the water-level was perfect and the drops are still high enough to experience the "wow"-feeling.

And today was time for the upper- and lower Trancura, our was it the Rio Pucon? Anyway, from above the Salto de Mariman till the airport of Pucon.
A lot of things changed in Chili in 13 years, but the nice experience to paddle and travel in Chili is still the same. And now...I go out to drink a cold Cerveza. More in a couple of days...













Steven Van den heuvel