located in the area of raúl marín balmaceda, at the mouth of the palena river and southeast of the gulf of corcovado, the landscapes are stunning in their incredible beauty. this area is known for its active wildlife, surrounded by large slopes covered in lush vegetation and rocky cliffs.
raúl marín is the oldest town in the aysén region; founded in 1889 under the name bajo palena, today tourism, driven by conservation efforts, is the main economic activity of its inhabitants, especially marine wildlife watching.
climate: it has a humid temperate climate with insular characteristics, characterized by high rainfall with a semi-annual pattern, ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 mm or more. depending on the geographical location, there is a water surplus throughout the year, fluctuating between 100 and 340 mm depending on the month. the area has low luminosity and is heavily influenced by the ocean, which moderates daily and annual temperature fluctuations. the average temperature in january ranges from 10º to 13ºc, while in july it ranges from 4º to 7ºc.
flora: the area features evergreen forest formations with peat bogs from los chonos, composed of: guaitecas cypress (pilgerodendron uviferum), chiloé coihue (nothofagus nitida), tepú (tepualia stipularis), tineo (weinmannia trichosperma); and evergreen oceanic scrublands, with chiloé coihue (nothofagus nitida), tepú (tepualia stipularis), and needle-leaved mañío (podocarpus nubigenus).
wildlife: as an insular unit, the area is home to seabirds such as penguins (spheniscidae), petrels (procellariidae), cormorants (phalacrocoracidae), ducks (anatidae), plovers (charadriidae), and gulls (laridae), while among the terrestrial birds, species such as the chucao (troglodytes aedon), austral thrush (turdus falcklandii), kingfisher (megaceryle torquata), blackbird (curaeus curaeus), and austral parakeet (enicognathus ferrugineus) stand out. among the mammals, both marine and terrestrial, you can find: south american sea lion (otaria flavescens), south american fur seal (arctocephalus australis), marine otter (lontra felina), coypu (myocast or coypus), kodkod (leopardus guigna), and pudú (pudu puda).
Property of 652 hectares, composed of completely virgin, impenetrable forest. It borders the Tic-Toc River to the north, Lake Escondido to the southwest, and the Pillán Arm (sea) to the southeast. The area is a habitat for several endangered species, such as the pudú, Chiloé fox, kodkod, southern river otter (huillín), monito del monte, and puma.
Access:
• The destination is Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda.
• By air: From La Paloma Aerodrome in Puerto Montt, a charter flight takes one hour to reach Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda Aerodrome.
• By land: From La Junta (a town located on the Carretera Austral) to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda, it is 74 km, which takes about 2 hours (including a river crossing by ferry).
• From Raúl Marín, it is 12 nautical miles, which can be covered in two hours by sailboat.
