Program · January 2027
12 days, day by day
The framework itinerary, four expedition phases, the route and a sample day. Everything that until now lived only in a PDF - out in the open. And one extra coincidence: the town turns 99.
“This is the whole playing field. Twelve days among mountains that have no road.”
Twelve days at a glance
20 to 31 January 2027. Everyone has their own cabin on the boat; on land you sleep in cabins. A tent only in the extreme version, if the group chooses it: two nights in the rainforest by the hot springs. The programme follows the weather. The detailed day-by-day programme is available on request.
Puerto Aysén and the San Rafael glacier
Arrival in Balmaceda and the first days in Puerto Aysén, the town at the end of the fjord. A full day by catamaran to the face of the San Rafael glacier.
Four days by boat through the fjord
The Patagonia I with a local captain. Valdivian rainforest, hot springs and a voyage out to Kent Island, the last island before the Pacific.
Town, rivers and horses
Puerto Aysén's 99th anniversary among the locals. A day on the river, an evening by the fire and an afternoon in the saddle.
Coyhaique and farewell
A last day in the regional capital and a farewell dinner close to the airport. Departure on 1 February.
The program remains flexible based on weather and regional conditions - hence a framework, not a minute-by-minute schedule. What does not change: 12 days, a small group, the inner fjord.
By arrangement with a local fisherman, there is the option of salmon fishing on the Río Blanco river. An optional activity outside the main program - just mention your interest in the application or on the introductory call and we will set it up in advance.
Program in four phases
Each phase covers a different landscape type and movement dynamic. The program remains flexible based on weather and regional conditions.
Ice & region
Laguna San Rafael
Glacier lagoon, northern glacier field, boat transfer.
Mountains & fjord
Mountains & Aysen Fjord
Temperate rainforest, waterfalls, fjord navigation.
Thermal zone
Remote thermal springs
5 km forest approach to thermal sites off standard routes.
River & steppe
Interior of Aysen Region
Move to open landscape, Patagonian steppe, rivers.
12 days across the fjord
Patagonia I. Four days, one crew, no signal. All the way to Kent Island, in waters mapped by Darwin's Beagle.
One day on the fjord
You're on holiday - no alarm clock. You're woken by silence so deep you can hear your own breath. Outside, mist rises from the fjord and the rainforest walls dissolve into white.
Breakfast on the boat. Fresh bread, coffee, fruit. The captain points at the map - today we're heading to a bay you can't reach by land. Not from anywhere.
The boat stops beneath a waterfall that plunges straight from the rock face into the sea, where the boat refills its drinking water supply. You step ashore and enter the rainforest. The trees are a thousand years old. The air smells of wet bark and moss. Light filters through the canopy and you suddenly feel your breathing slow and your thoughts quiet down. Science calls it "shinrin-yoku" - within twenty minutes a forest can lower cortisol levels, slow your heart rate, and shift your nervous system into a mode most people never experience. Here it is not theory - here you feel it in your bones.
Lunch in the bay. Roast lamb or grilled fish. Prepared right on the shore.
Trek to thermal springs hidden in the jungle, far from any mass tourism. Five kilometres through forest on a trail that appears on no map. At the end, hot water in the middle of the rainforest. You sit neck-deep in the water, absolute silence around you, looking up at the Andean peaks above.
Back on the boat. The sun is still high - in January it sets after ten. Dinner, conversation, wine. No Wi-Fi, no notifications. Just the fjord, people, and fire. You sleep in cabins on the boat and on land, a tent only in the extreme version - don't look for five-star hotels with a spa out here. This is Patagonia, not a resort. And that's exactly why it works.
Ice centuries old. And a bird that flies past it every day.
The town turns 99. You'll be there.
Puerto Aysen was officially founded on January 28, 1928. The founder edition of the expedition falls in the month the town celebrates its ninety-ninth birthday - and the whole region pours into the streets. It is not a tourist attraction. It is a celebration the locals throw for themselves.
Coronation of the Queen of Puerto Aysen. Eight women from the commune - competing not in beauty, but in what they have done for the town. It opens the whole month of celebrations.
Fiesta de la Cerveza. A two-day gathering of regional breweries in the Parque Municipal, with local bands from noon till night.
Feria de Emprendedores and Feria Tradiciones. Craftspeople, food and folklore ensembles from across the commune right on the main square. Here you buy from people, not from a souvenir shop.
Carros Alegóricos - January 28 at 9:30 PM. Allegorical floats on the Plaza de Armas on the exact anniversary day. The high point of the entire celebrations.
Expo Aniversario. Closing concerts by Chilean and international artists - the last weekend of January.
Why it is worth it
You will see the region in the one week when it is not hiding. And above all: the captain, the fishermen and other locals who then run your expedition for twelve days - you will first meet them among their own people, not in the role of a service provider. A year later, Puerto Aysen will celebrate its hundredth. Whoever is there for the ninety-ninth was there first.
This overview is based on last year's celebration program; the exact 2027 lineup is published by the Aysén municipality at the beginning of January. Attendance at individual events is fitted around the expedition program.
How physically demanding is it, and how is safety handled? In detail on the For Whom page.
January 2027 is full. We’re taking a waitlist. The second departure, in February 2027, opens depending on the number of applications, with exact dates to follow. Applications for the 2028 season are open.
Non-binding application · full refund up to 90 days before departure
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From the blog
San Rafael Glacier: The Day the Glacier Spoke 2 min listen → Chile's Marble Caves: How to Get There 5 min listen → Cerro Castillo: The Trek They Call the New Torres del Paine 7 min listen → Carretera Austral: What Driving It Actually Takes 7 min listen → All articles →