I met Redd at the B&B one morning in Puerto Montt and we began talking about the possibility of a horseback ride in the Andes mountains. A phone call to Señora Blanca in Llanada Grande confirmed that she could find us a place to stay and arrange for horses and a guide to take us where we wanted. So we took the 8am bus along the Reloncaví fjord to the town of Río Puelo and up the river of the same name until the road stopped at Lake Tagua Tagua.
Next was a ferry ride across the lake to meet with another bus which took us up the Puelo River for another two hours to Llanada Grande. The road was built only in 2001 and is still under construction farther up.
I had been up this way three years ago when I visited the Gallardo family at their farm at Lago Azul.
Arriving in Llanada Grande later that afternoon, we found our lodging for the night and then visited Sra. Blanca who introduced us to Toribio who would be our guide. I had seen photos of the Ventisquiero Valley and always wanted to visit there. We agreed on a price, the Señora made some calls by radio to some farming families and all was set.
Toribio met us the next morning with horses and we set out for the adventure. For a while we followed the gravel road to its end at Puerto Urrutia. Chileans are experts at road building in Patagonia. Here we ride through the solid rock passage blasted out of the mountain.
What a lovely valley. The land was originally forest, so it has taken tremendous effort to clear it and make these pastures.
Soon we were off the gravel and on a dusty horse trail high above the Puelo River, one of the most beautiful rivers I have seen anywhere. It is a popular destination for fly fisherpeople from all over the world.
Four hours of riding brought us to our first stop, at the farm of Don Segundo and Sra. Cuco. They were expecting us and lunch was ready. We had already met their son Camilo on the bus yesterday as he was returning with the local soccer team. They played on the island of Chiloé. It was a draw. They have a beautiful farm with livestock and other farm animals. The house is simple and typical of the area. We stayed here for the night.
They have a beautiful waterfall on their property. After lunch I just laid down on the grass and took a nap in the warm sun. It was heaven.
Next: Part 2 and the Ventisquiero Valley
No comments:
Post a Comment