Through Chile:

Participants take an evening flight (On their own) from the U.S. to Santiago, Chile. Note: For information on joining the trip through Argentina, please see the "Getting there" section of the site. If you have any questions about the differences between the two options contact our office.

Arriving in Santiago this morning, we pass through customs and transfer (on our own) upstairs (in the same airport) to out hour and a half flight sough to Puerto Montt. We arrive in Puerto Montt in the late morning, walk outside and (on our own) take a taxi to the Cumbres Puerto Varas Hotel in the gorgeous Chilean town of Puerto Varas where a room will be waiting in your name. Situated on a spectacular lake, with a Mount Fuji like, snow-capped volcanoe rising directly out of it, Puerto Varas is one of the most beautiful towns in Chile. The afternoon is free to explore the town. In the early evening we meet the Earth River guide, Maria, in the hotel lobby and go out for a welcome dinner.

Note: It is simpler, faster and less expensive to meet the trip through Chile but if you are already planning to be in Buenos Aires then meeting us through Argentina probably makes the most sense.

Argentina option:

Evening flight from the United States to Buenos Aires, Argentina

This Morning you arrive in Buenos Aires and tranfer by taxi ($40) to the national airport. (A minimum of two hours should be left for this transfer). A late morning flight from Buenos Aires gets you into Bariloche in the early afternoon. A short taxi ride (on your own) takes you to the Bariloche Bus station where you board a comfortable coach bus to ther town of Esquel (5 hours). In Esquel, you hire a taxi for the 1 hour drive to the border. taxi from Bariloche to the border costs $250 - $300 and makes economic sense for two or three people traveling together. The first hour of the ride takes you past a series of beautiful mountain lakes. Leaving the mountains, you enter the wild and desolate Patagonian Steppe, a dry landscape made famous by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who fled to this region in the 1800’s. With the Andes off in the distance to the west, you reach the border in the late afternoon. After passing through the Argentina and Chile borders, you are met by an Earth River representative and vehicle. Crossing into Chile, the landscape dramatically changes from the barren Argentina pampas to the lush mountains of the Futaleufu Valley. We reach the Terminador Camp trailhead in the afternoon and meet the rest of the group who have come in through Chile. (See Futaleufu Itinerary)

Note: The logistics for meeting the trip via Argentina can be explained in better detail by the Earth River office. Earth River will also credit you a $200 per person refund to help offset the hotels, buses and food for your arrival and departure.

Travel Times Bariloche to Futaleufu River: 9 hours, Taxi Buenos Aires international airport to National airport: (leave 3 hrs.) Buenos Aires to Bariloche (flight): 2 hours Bariloche to Esquel (bus): 5 hours Esquel to border (taxi): 1 hour2 Border crossings: (taxi)1 hour Border to Futaleufu River (Earth River Van): 1 hour

Cost:

Reciprocity tax: $160 (note: must be payed on line before arriving in Argentina.),Taxi between International & National Airports in Buenos Aires: $80. R/T Flight from Buenos Aires to Bariloche: $675. Taxi from Bariloche to border: $500 or bus from Bariloche to Esquel & taxi Esquel to border $75. (Minus $200 Earth River stipend)