Parque Pumalín

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After resting up in Chaitén and eating amazing seafood like the local marisco stew called "paila marina", David and I headed into Pumalín, the world´s largest a private nature park open to the public. The park was founded Douglas Thompkins (who also started Esprit and North Face) to protect the temperate patagonian rainforest and it´s enormous alerce trees. It is open to the public, who only must pay a nominal fee for staying in beautiful campgrounds, most of which have covered sites for tent camping. This is because the key to healthy alerce trees is rain, and lots of it--about 4 meters a year.

In all my travels up to now, I think Pumalín is one of the most beautiful places I´ve ever witnessed. Thompkins has gotten a lot of press by Chileans paranoid that he plans on dividing the country in two, but he really deserves credit for protecting this special place from the hands of loggers.

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Photos

sunset
our first campsite was on the edge of a beautiful inland lake looking out toward the sea through a narrow fjord.

farm flowers
The park´s mission is to provide a sustainable income to locals, which includes farms for growing vegetables, making honey, and jams for the local cafe and export.

local ferry
David and I caught the last ferry of the season from Caleta Gonzalo to Hornopirén.