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→Season 2023/24
Day 1: We met fellow GPT Packrafter Daniel and paddled together on this leg. Left camp Abuelo Daniel at 6:45am and it was smooth passage on Lago Rivadavia and Lago Verde. If you leave too late, head winds traveling from the Chilean coast inland start around noon. Rio Arrayanes was a relaxing float downstream. By the time we reached Lago Futalaufquen, we had good tailwind as the direction of the valley points inland so we set our sails. We camped just before turning eastwards around the first corner but were visited by rangers at around 9pm. They were very clear that wild camping is not allowed in Argentinian National Parks. As it was late and the next camp site quite a distance away, they only took photos of our passports. They were very strict and even though they may have made an exception- be more responsible than we were.
Day 2: We waited until around 11am for the head winds to slow down and then set off paddling towards Villa Futalaufquen. After turning onto the southwards stretch, winds slowly started to shift and we got some tailwind. We set the sails on both boats and continued along the western shore southwards, only to be stopped half way down by officials, who told us that we cannot paddle on the western side of the lake. They mentioned that as the beach at the southwestern end of the lake is used as a private landing point for motor boats. They asked us to cross the lake to the eastern side.
Overall: An enjoyable and chill section! Expect lots of tourist traffic on the lakes, but we still recommend it for the seamless connection of pristine water bodies.
