Highlights of Pumalín National Park

Day 1: Fly from Puerto Montt to Chaitén; Hike to El Amarillo Glacier; Caleta Gonzalo 

Early in the morning, you'll leave Puerto Varas for the local airport at Puerto Montt for a 45-minute flight to Chaitén where a vehicle will be waiting to take you to the trailhead. Here you'll start your exploration of the El Amarillo area of Pumalín National Park with a hike to El Amarillo Glacier.

There is an option of hiking the Darwin's Frog Trail, instead of hiking to El Amarillo Glacier. This is a gentle 3-km hike, named after the small and endangered amphibian of the southern forests, which you are likely to see along the way.

In the evening you'll be driven to Caleta Gonzalo for dinner. You can enjoy the sunset and the view of the fjord from the charming cabin in which you'll spend the night.

Length of El Amarillo hike: 6hrs, 18km, low difficulty
Length of Darwin's Frog Trail hike: 3km, low difficulty
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Cabins at Caleta Gonzalo, Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park

Day 2: Cascadas Escondidas hike; Alerces hike; Caleta Gonzalo

Today you'll enjoy two hikes. The first is the Cascadas Escondidas hike. You'll hike through luscious, thick forest along walkways, across roots and up and down ladders. There are some very impressive waterfalls and plunge pools along the hike, though the route does involve some steep climbs and crossing lots of slippery roots.

Next up is the Alerces hike. This is a fairly short, muddy trail, but really is a must for anyone who is visiting this area. You'll be in awe of the Alerce trees surrounding you, some of which are 2,000-3,000 years old.

Length of Cascadas Escondidas hike: 2hrs, 3.6km, low difficulty
Length of Alerces hike: 2hrs, 1.4km, low difficulty
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Cabins at Caleta Gonzalo, Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park

Day 3: Hike up Chaitén Volcano; flight to Puerto Montt

This is your chance to hike up an active volcano which is still smoking! It's a short but steep and challenging route on a good path - walking poles would be a good idea. 

On the route you'll walk across pumice and obsidian rocks that have been spewed from the volcano and you'll be able to stop at the caldera and watch the smoking volcanic cone ahead of you.

This hike will be a great chance to learn more from your guide about the temperate rainforest and its wildlife with a great variety of flora. There are some interesting and elusive amphibians and, with a little luck, some mammals and birds too.

Hopefully you'll spot pudu (smallest deer on Earth), the Magellanic woodpecker and the Chucao tapaculo, among others.

Later in the day you'll take a transfer to Chaitén Airport for your flight back to Puerto Montt.

Length of Chaitén Volcano hike: 4hrs, 4.4km, low difficulty
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch