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SPRING 2011 centraloregonmagazine.com 43
AROUND TOWN
TRAveldDePARTMeNT
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.
centraloregonmagazine.com SPRING 201144
AROUND TOWN
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.
SPRING 2011 centraloregonmagazine.com 45
AROUND TOWNTRAvel
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: [email protected]
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