An article in National Geographic Adventure put Patagonia on the map for me. It sounded so intriguing, so remote, so unspoiled. At the time, I never would have guessed that it was going to be my next destination.
My pattern for the past 4 years has been to take a big trip once a year in our summertime, lasting anywhere between 4 and 6 weeks. The first year it was backpacking thru' Europe, then came a camping roadtrip in the National Parks out West, followed by a safari in Southern Africa, and most recently a solo jaunt in Southeast Asia. This time, I didn't let my back account catch back up before I took off again!
I spent New Years 2008 on the Futaleufu in Patagonia. Looking for a week-long yoga retreat over the holidays, I stumbled upon this particular trip. Yoga, white water rafting, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, camping- it couldn't get more appealing. It wasn't long before I was booked.
I've often found that the harder it is to get to a place, the better the reward. Patagonia was no different. Snow-capped mountains, sweeping valleys, serpentine rivers. Farms dotting the sheep filled fields. Oxen traveling the graveled roads. Gauchos rounding their herds. Tranquillo. Muy tranquillo.
Until of course we hit the water. The Fu has some of the best whitewater in the world. We spent 6 full days on the river between large rafts, hard shell kayaks and personal inflatable kayaks (duckies). It was a non-stop, action packed trip. When we weren't on the river we took a hike, went mountain biking, soaked in the hot tub, practiced yoga, indulged in delicious meals, participated in a wine tasting, went horseback riding, and even managed to dance to the wee hours of the morning.
The trip was phenomenal. The people, the place, the experience. I would certainly recommend the outfitter I went with (as would National Geographic Adventure)- BioBio Adventures. Their signature trip is this one, but they do trips all over the world. Feet itchy yet? http://bbxrafting.com/
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