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GPT27P (Alto Rio Palena)

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=Overview=

* General Recommendations: The section is best paddled between January and May. The primary danger would be a high and fast river, typically most common early in the season, or after heavy rain. The river can only be paddled westwards.

Section 27P is 103.5km and takes 2-2.5 days to complete. Together with Section 28P, the two sections are a total of 180km and take around 4 days.

The section is stunning, interesting, unpopulated and fun. Although, in reality, much of 27P is not too far from a road or occasional buildings, these are rarely visible and the river feels remote. Even more so for the continuation onto Section 28P. Alto Río Palena passes through farmland with a mountainous backdrop. It is very scenic. The many rapids and constantly changing features of the river make it stimulating. Combined with 28P, paddling on one river from the mountains to the Pacific is a wonderful experience. A very attractive section.

Río Palena may not be suitable for beginners. There are many rapids, countless tree and rock obstacles, and occasional strong currents and whirlpools. At times of high river levels, the river will not only be faster, but there will be fewer places to get out or scout. There are many more rapids than indicated in the track file. That said, the rapids are generally not above Class 2, and some of the earliest and most challenging ones, can be portered around. Plus, the many obstacles in the river are avoidable.

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2024/25==

'''2025-02-11 to 2025-02-12 / 1day / Packrafting / SOBO / regular (partly) / Thijmen Scholten'''

* Water level was low at least 1m under the algae line on the rocks

* Due to low waterlevel Rapid 7.9/168 was dangerous because all of the current went underneath strainers. So I walked.

* Read river early and go were most water goes, to avoid hitting rocks.

* It's beautiful!! Alot of small little rapids.

* Many campspots next to river and good fishing.

* After rapid 23.4/135 There is a split in the river take left even though it's shallow! I got suck into strainers and had to jump and abandon my packraft that was sucked under. I think with high water levels you can easily avoid the trees but now with low water levels it's impossible.

* '''2025-02-11 to 2025-02-13 / 3 days / Packrafting/ SOBO/ RP / Tomáš&Natalie'''

BUS INFO: From Futaleufu, we tried to take the 10am bus to Chaiten with the plan to get off at Puerto Ramírez, but it was full. Apparently the 6am bus was full too (Buses every day @ 6am & 10am). You need to reserve at least a day in advance. The ticket office opens at 10am and is closed Sundays, expect a queue in the morning. They said this does not apply for the bus to Palena (Tuesdays 9am & 430pm, Thursdays 430pm)- for that you just show up at the terminal. We did not want to wait, so we hitched: it took us 4 cars and 5 hours. We arrived in Palena 18:00, so we slept in a hospidaje here: -43.61753, -71.79944. 40 thousand for two with an early breakfast.

Buses from Chaiten to Palena go daily at 12 and 16:30. From Palena to Chaiten they go at 6 and 11. To Valle California (27H Option 1) Monday and Thursday at 8 and 16, going back an hour later. Buses that go along the Palena river to El Tranquilo (-43.73151, -72.16549) leave Monday at 8:30, Wednesday and Friday at 11 (going back at 11 and 14 respectively). This bus could be used to shorten the Palena or used for the first 5 km of 27H.

ROUTE:

Walking from Palena, you do not need to cross the bridge, there is a staircase to a beach on the left just before the bridge. What others said about the river largely holds, we had even lower water than most reports. The river was probably half a meter under its maximum (in narrower places more in wider less). At the beggining ground contact was a concern, but could mostly be avoided. In the second section, there are indeed trees, but largely easy to avoid and there is not that many of them compared to 17P. The first section goes through a beautiful gorge. In the second, there are magnificent pointy mountains on the left. We wondered if they have ever been climbed, given their relative remoteness, namelessness and moderate prominence and altitude (~2000m). Side streams for drinking were pretty regular until km 85.5, after that until the sea you can easily got 10–15 km between drinkable accessible streams.

Entel internet good in Palena and La Junta, also about 20 km downstream from Palena, there must be a tower as our e-mails got randomly downloaded. In La Junta, we spent too much time shopping, so ended up camping 50 m downstream from the takeout, where there is a table, but it probably belongs to someone.

As for the rapids:

- In 4.2, there is a tree trunk in the middle, complicating it, but one can go left of it. More complicated in shallow water as your line gets narrower.

- We walked 7.9 as the main current runs you into willows.

- 23.4 was easy on the left, it is a rock garden (two, actually, with a break in the middle). Class II at this river level, it could be harder with more water.

- 47.0, where mad nomad capsized, is an uncomplicated class II rapid with high (~1m) waves if you manage to hit the V between the trunks. However, it then pushes you against a head wall with some speed, so remember to exit it in time. We did not and hit the wall at a slow speed (via backpaddling), regained strength in an eddy along the wall, and then exited- but it wasn't easy.

Overall we took our time with this section, late mornings and early evenings but it was very nice and the landscape was surprisingly beautiful - try to get a weather window!

Nat's Notes:

-Jen Ni's 5 part Wiki post is a great general overview, a must read.

-At this point in time I would not say post Rio Frio was "fast flowing", maybe only moderately fast in the bits with rapids. There was a lot more padding than expected, I think we averaged only 6kph.

-Loved the mountain scenery!

* '''2025-Jan-15 to 2025-Jan-17 / 3 days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Davide Materia'''

I started the palena bridge the morning of 15th of January. Right from the beginning I realized the water level was unusually low, in the first 200m I already had to get out of the packraft to walk on the riverbed. It got better afterwards and along the river I never had to portage anymore for the next five days. The first day there was not much of a log problem, this deteriorated the next days with always more and more logs present in the river bed. The low water level allowed to see most of them but also made so that some branches of passages were completely blocked by logs. In some section you might have a window as tight as 2m to pass, with the rest of the width being blocked. Still, I would consider the river viable and safe enough to be packrafted for the whole duration, but I don't know for how much longer of the dry season this will be valid.

As for the days in details:

15th-palena to S 43,670578° O 72,094896°, camped on the eroding cliff of the riverbed a bit further from the erosion border. The whole day was characterized by strong headwinds which made packrafting the ~0-gradient sections of the river quite unpleasant, East-bound wind of up to 25kph, this was definitely the worst day wind wise

16th-Nothing to mention here in particular. Camped again on the erosion cliff at S 43,729461° O 72,342124°on a grazing property after asking to the owner. Wind had picken up against me a bit later than the prior day and we're much calmer, still I didn't feel like forcing my way through them to la Junta and so I camped a bit after the union of Rio palena with Rio frio.

17th- easy day with almost no wind since the river goes SOBO. Pleasant and quick packrafting, I only did half the day to stop at camping agua vida in La Junta, which replenished my strengths and allowed to clean up clothes and body. Furthermore, it has easy access to the river so that I didn't have to pack everything and unpack, I just carried the packraft to the river with all the gear already in the cargo.

I continue with the rest of the report in the 28P page

* '''2024-Dec-08 to 2024-Dec-09 / 2 days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Roman'''

Route: Did the normal RP route

Took a bus from Puerto Montt to Chaitén at 07:00 AM and there is a connecting Bus to Panela where you arrive at 20:00 PM.

Camped at the opposite site of the Bridge, Camp, River In {27P} [2.3/194] as there was a car and the Camp spot was semi nice. You can access the other side via a small path directly after the bridge towards palenda on the right here: -43.608988, -71.817478. The water level I wild say high. As this is very subjective find here a picture for reference: https://imgur.com/a/cli2uGn

I would consider myself a beginner - this is my 2nd season on the GPT with a open packraft (Amfibio Delta MX).

I was very cautious but all rapids were doable and I only scouted Rapid {27P} [4.2/178] and Rapid {27P} [23.4/135]. The previous descriptions regarding "take them left right etc. are all valid and i followed them.

Camp after day 1 here: -43.745365, -72.270947 which was a perfect nice flat grass spot.

Day 2 no special remarks - camped in La Junta at Camping and Cabañas Vientos del Sur can reccomend.

Overall the river was easy, really nice, beautiful and fast flowing. Had a average of 5.4 km/h and 6.6 km/h.

Contact: https://linktr.ee/RundW

==Season 2023/24==

*~~2023~~'''2024-04 Jan-24 to 2024-Jan-29/ ~~Approx 4~~ 5.5 days easy / Packrafting / GPT 27P+28P SOBO / RR / ~~Tom Pieper~~Lauren & Seb'''

~~==Season 2022/23==~~We hitchhiked from Villa Futalaufquen to Trevelin and caught another ride from there all the way to Futaleufú, Chile (border control closes at 7pm). The tourist info in Trevelin (at the town square) told us that there is a bus from Trevelin to the border, and then a connecting bus at the other side, but it doesn’t run every day. We forgot to note down the schedule, but it might work out for you. We had no issue bringing oats and spices through customs after checking “yes” in the self-declaration form. Buses from Futaleufu-Palena run only Tuesdays 0900, 1630 and Thursdays 1330. As schedules are subject to changes it’s best to check timings at the bus terminal.

* General Recommendations: The section is best paddled between January and May. The primary danger would be a high and fast riverTogether with GPT packrafter Daniel, ~~typically most common early~~ we rivered in at Rio Palena Bridge {27P} [2.3/194]. Water level looked lower compared to the ~~season, or after heavy rain. The river can only be paddled westwards~~previous water line so we expected more visible rapids and occasional ground contact but generally no problem if you follow the main current.

~~Section 27P is 103.5km and takes 2~~We enjoyed upper Rio Palena’s numerous Class 1-2rapids which kept the journey interesting.~~5 days to complete~~The first Rapid {27P} [4. ~~Together with Section 28P~~2/178] requires scouting- at the bend, we took the ~~two sections are a total~~ line on the left which will keep you out of ~~180km and take around 4 days~~the stronger whitewater on the right. After that the other rapids were relatively easier in our opinion but reading the best line to avoid being sucked into swirls or going over inconspicuous trees underwater still demands your constant attention.

~~The section~~ If you have registered for the Chilean fishing license, you will be delighted to catch many fresh trouts in Rio Palena. We took some easy days, camped early and fished when headwind picked up around 3-4pm. One highlight for us was the Hot Spring {28P-G} [1.3/40] Termas Puerto Bonito where we enjoyed a soak in the mystical mossy forest. Just across that is ~~stunning~~a beautiful beach where we made camp (it comes with a view of the glaciar Cerro Melimoyu). On Day 5, ~~interesting~~we camped at -43.89304, ~~unpopulated~~ -72.87743 and ~~fun~~set off at 6. ~~Although~~30am on Day 6. High tide was around 4.30am and the outgoing low tide was favourable for us by the time we were heading towards Canal Garrao which was a peaceful channel. Estero Piti Palena was another highlight as we spotted the residential dolphins, penguins and sea lions. Wind and wave conditions were good all morning but expect headwind to pick up from noon when you paddle towards the beach. The minibus schedule from RMB to Coyhaique is Wednesdays 0800 and Sundays 1000. We initially opted for the bus due to incoming rainy weather and the ferry only runs on Thursdays 0430 and Sundays 0900. However we did not manage to get onto the minibus as seats were full and apparently you require a whatsapp reservation (Alicia Rosas +56966092922 / Hugo Jara +56999351839). We ended up staying at hostel El Viajero (15K per person) which is a fantastic find. We sat out the rain next to a lovely wood-fired stove and took the ferry the next morning at 0430. Note that internet connection is slow in ~~reality~~town but we found out that the Almacen Isla Del Palena (which also sells the ferry tickets) has Starlink and they were happy to host us for the duration of our video calls. * '''2024-Jan-21 to 2024-Jan-23 / mad nomad / SOBO / Regular Packrafting Route from Palena to La Junta / 2.5 days''' I was prepared for all the difficult rapids up to the ferry-boat and I first scouted the Rapid {27P} [4.2/178] and the Rapid {27P} [23.4/135], ~~much~~ which I had read are the most tricky ones. In the end, I passed all of those paddling but the next day, I was surprised by Rapid {27P ~~is not too far from~~ } [47.0/104]. I tried to avoid the shallow water on the right and I went to the center but I soon realized that was the worst possible line I could choose! I paddled over a ~~road or occasional buildings~~huge tree trunk perpendicular to the flow but the huge wave formed right after the trunk, ~~these~~ capsized me! It seems the left side of the river would be the best choice. Anyway, better scout this one first because there are ~~rarely visible and~~ trees everywhere. There were a lot of other wild rapids all over the river ~~feels remote~~, where I had to focus to keep the raft perpendicular to the waves but I achieved that and I had no other problems. ~~Even more~~ I could usually identify submerged trees from the little wave formed around them, so ~~for~~ I was able to avoid them. It was only a couple of times that the ~~continuation onto Section 28P~~water was too shallow, so I had to disembark and lift the bow of the raft to carry it over the little water that was flowing over the rocks. ~~Alto Río~~ * '''2024 Jan-19 to 2024 Jan-23 / txrx / Palena ~~passes through farmland~~ to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda (27P & 28P) / 5 Days / Party of 4'''I want to thank everyone who contributed to this article. All the information provided here was very useful to plan and prepare for the trip. As a packrafting beginner I absolutely loved this route. Here's a list of comments that might be useful to use as reference: - We had 5 sunny and hot days with many moments of strong headwinds. Never underestimate how taxing is to paddle against the wind on a ~~mountainous backdrop~~packraft, optimize your itinerary to paddle in the calmest moments of the day. - It is took us about 32 paddling hours for Palena to Port RMB. - At the water level we had it was very ~~scenic~~easy to find a suitable camping spot along the whole river. - Checking the tide charts was very useful to paddle with less effort on the last 25km to the sea. - At the end, the normal route takes you through the Garrao Canal into the Pitipalena Estuary. We had a calm morning so we decided to continue on the Palena River, access a small canal east of the Isla de Boca and end up landing near "Mirador 2". From there we walked a trail that took us to the town in a little bit less than an hour. * '''GPT 27 and 28P/ Alto y Bajo Río Palena/ Packrafting Route / 2024 Jan-02 / 4 days / Jordan Jennings'''The ~~many~~ descriptions in the writings below are very accurate in describing Rio Palena. My only comment is to describe the rapids a little more - all but one rapid are class II wave trains - not complicated. The rapid shortly after the ferry at c 22km has more obstacles and ~~constantly changing features~~ requires the choosing of a “line”. Was not difficult. * '''2023-Dec-04 / 2.5 days / Packrafting / SOBO / RR / Tom Pieper''' I guess the ~~river make it stimulating~~River was quite close to its maximum according to the shoreline. ~~Combined with 28P~~Nevertheless, I found it not special challenging. I found it useful to scout the first Rapid {27P} [4.2/178] just after the bridge as its pretty fast. Same is true for Rapid {27P} [23.4/135] which has some boulders and some counter currents. Highest speed was 23 km/h. In general you can circumvent the stronger currents in this upper part by paddling close to the shoreline. This changes after the joining of Rio Frio. The river is now pretty powerful and its better to go for the center of the currents as sometimes whirlpools can form on ~~one~~ the sides. Saying that its technical not challenging and fun to ride these big waves. Watch out for sunken trees even in the ‘calmer’ parts as river ~~from~~ is still fast. There is a nice camp spot between the ~~mountains~~ trees just before Bridge {27P-L} [18.5/65] at S 43° 48.426’ W 072° 21.151’. After the bridge to La Junta all rapids were easy or even disappeared in the ~~Pacific~~ high waters. ==Season 2022/23== * '''January 16-21 2023/ Zach / Packrafting / Palena to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda (27P & 28P) + Rio Frío (75P) / 6 Days easy''' As Shaun mentioned, Kara Davis and Jen Ni described this section quite well. I combined 27P, 28P, and the Rio Frío which was totally worth the added transport effort. If you enjoy the rapids of the upper Palena, you’ll love the Rio Frío. La Junta was a nice lunch stop and upon meeting some familiar cycle tourists, turned into an afternoon off. Note that the take out/camp here is a ~~wonderful experience~~popular swimming spot, so take care of your belongings when going to town. A I left my headphones in the sun to dry and they were gone when I returned. Despite that and rain the final day, I have nothing but good things to say about Rio Palena. The termas are aptly named. The surrounding moss and tannin in the water make you feel like a gingerbread man soaking in a forest gnome’s tea kettle. After seeing no one on the river except 1 fishing tour, I was very ~~attractive section~~surprised to encounter a group of 50 paddlers as part of the Decenso Colectivo Ruta de Palena. This is an organized group that paddles from Palena to Puerto Raul Marin in 4 days this time each year. The ferry still runs Thursdays and Sundays, although it left around 11:30, not 9:40 as the website states. No problem to buy a ticket upon boarding.

==Season 2021/22==

*'''GPT 27 and 28P/ Alto y Bajo Río Palena/ Packrafting Route / 2022 Jan-24 / 5 days / Tobias Schorcht'''

The Palena River is a juvel for all Packrafters with some experience. It was a pleasure to paddle down all the way from Palena to Rául Marín Balmaceda and see the changes of the river day by day. I started right under the brigde 2km beside Palena. There was not that much water in the upper part, I had to carry the Packraft 4 times during the first 20 Kilometers. Since it is an unregulated stream, the riverbelt and the rapids are changing constantly. I observed some of the rapids before I started kayaking, which was absolutly necessary. The confluencia with Río Frío is spectacular, because the colores of the 2 rivers starts to mix. The river speeds up in the lower parts, gets wider and more effected by the wind, who appears usually from the seaside. Be aware of the tides which influences the level of the River after -43.88645/ -72.83230 up to 3m. After reaching the fjord I saw penguins and hundrets of seawolves (Punta islote) which came veeery close to my boat 😅. Enjoy!

==Season 2020/21==

*January 16-21/ Zach / Palena to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda (27P & 28P) + Rio Frío (75P) / 6 Days easy

As Shaun mentioned, Kara Davis and Jen Ni described this section quite well. I combined 27P, 28P, and the Rio Frío which was totally worth the added transport effort. If you enjoy the rapids of the upper Palena, you’ll love the Rio Frío. La Junta was a nice lunch stop and upon meeting some familiar cycle tourists, turned into an afternoon off. Note that the take out/camp here is a popular swimming spot, so take care of your belongings when going to town. I left my headphones in the sun to dry and they were gone when I returned. Despite that and rain the final day, I have nothing but good things to say about Rio Palena. The termas are aptly named. The surrounding moss and tannin in the water make you feel like a gingerbread man soaking in a forest gnome’s tea kettle. After seeing no one on the river except 1 fishing tour, I was very surprised to encounter a group of 50 paddlers as part of the Decenso Colectivo Ruta de Palena. This is an organized group that paddles from Palena to Puerto Raul Marin in 4 days this time each year. The ferry still runs Thursdays and Sundays, although it left around 11:30, not 9:40 as the website states. No problem to buy a ticket upon boarding.

==Season 2019/20==

*'''2020-Jan-22 / Shaun / Regular Packrafting route'''

I combined this section with GPT28P. These two sections are spectacular, varied, fun and challenging. I barely saw another person the entire time, and there’s something very satisfying about following a single river all the way out to the ocean. Very enjoyable and memorable.

==Season 2018/19==

*~~Comments posted on Facebook by Jen Ni January 5 2019~~ '''GPT27P and 28P (Alto and Bajo Rio Palena) Packrafting Westbound (😉): Palena to Raul Marin Balmaceda 2019-Jan-01 to 2019-Jan-04'''[*Comments posted on Facebook by Jen Ni January 5 2019]

Our impression was that the river can be separated into 5 subsections, each with different character. All parts are attractive and felt quite remote. For camping you generally have the choice between sandy/rocky river banks and farm land.

==Season 2017/18==

*'''Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:

Notes to consider before beginning: Be aware that the Chilean border control outside of Carrenleufú requires you to declare items in your possession, so keep this in mind when resupplying. They will confiscate certain foods, including produce and honey brought from Argentina.

==Season 2016/17==

=Resupply and Accommodation=

*Franco, the owner of Los Rosadita hotel in Palena, can share expert knowledge of Rio Palena. The hotel is also a nice play to stay and makes good pizzas.

~~==Resupply~~ * Palena: Hostal Alto Patagonia has very tidy rooms and ~~Accommodation along the Route==~~bathroom. Its 25.000 Peso per person including breakfast. Yolanda is a very kind host!

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

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