Parque Pumalín: El Volcán

Our last stop in the park was at Camping El Volcán. Again we had a cute little campsite just to ourselves and we had a great view of Volcán Michinmahuida, which has a sprawling glacier on top. We walked along a short interpretative trail and learnt about indigenous Chilean trees and plants, and later on we were treated to a gorgeous little humming bird who came to hum outside our tent, and even perched on top of it for a while!

Our private 'fogon'

Stunning glacier on Volcán Michinmahuida

The volcano and glacier in the soft evening light: a perfect backdrop for our last night in the park

Parque Pumalín: Cascadas Escondidas

We headed further into Parque Pumalín to the Hidden Falls campground. We set up our tent in a private 'fogon' (individual campsite) and set off along another forest trail to some more pretty waterfalls. While very beautiful, this trail was not as overwhelming as the last one and allowed us some time to catch our breath and stop for a picnic along the way.

Swing bridge over the river to start the trail

Beautiful forest trails

Cascadas Bajas - the first falls on the trail

Cascadas Altas - the falls at the top of the trail

Parque Pumalín: Río Gonzalo

Our first stop in Parque Pumalín was at Camping Río Gonzalo. We were immediately struck at how welcoming the park was for campers; the facilities are top class and the attention to detail is excellent. The path from the car park to the campground was lined with fairy lights, for example. Our high expectations were certainly exceeded.

The bridge linking the parking to the campsite

Beautiful soft grassy areas to set up camp

One of the more impressive hiking trails in the park leaves from this camping spot. It is a walk through a forest to a waterfall. Sounds sweet, right? To be honest, it was the best hike of my life! The forest we walked through was vibrant and alive and everything in it was straight out of a storybook. The trees were massive, with gnarled roots covered in moss; there were boardwalks and wooden bridges and step ladders and stepping stones; we saw birds and toadstools and ferns lining the trail; we walked past pools with crystal clear water and little streams trickling along beside us. And this continued for a good five hours!

Little bridge and steps next to a little waterfall

Boardwalks in the "fairy forest"

Stepping stones! (made from tree trunks)

Moss-covered steps through the forest

More dinky little steps

We had to climb up this ladder (using a rope), and then scramble across the boulder using ropes and chains to hang on

Then we had go down this ladder and slide along the log in the foreground

And then scramble over these slippery rocks

To see this spectacular waterfall!

What an incredible adventure! We spent most of the time with our mouths open, marvelling that the forest was actually real; it was almost too perfect to be true. This was definitely one of the top highlights of all our travels so far.

Parque Pumalín

Parque Pumalín is the world's largest, privately-owned nature reserve. It covers over 3000 square kilometres of temperate rain forest in an area of rugged mountains rising out of deep fjords. The park is notoriously difficult to get to as it requires driving on gravel roads, including the Caraterra Austral, and three ferry crossings. It is well off the beaten track, but that adds to its attraction.

Our second ferry: a four-hour journey

Ferry crossings: on our trips across the seas, we encountered several strange cargos on board, including a 'Rotel Tours' bus -  gigantic hotel on wheels - and lorries transporting cows

The challenging journey, however, is well worth it. Parque Pumalín has many beautiful trails that wind through its lush landscapes of alerce forests, cascading waterfalls and pristine fjords.