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==Recent Alerts and Suggestions==
==Season Section Log==
* 2020-Jan-24 / Shaun / Regular Packrafting Route
I paddled the regular routes of GPT27P and GPT28P as part of one trip, and my combined comments for both are under section GPT27P.
* GPT28P / Option 1 / Isla Magdalena via Seno Magdalena, Seno Soto, Canal Jacaf and Canal Puyuhuapi / 2020-Jan-17 / 5 days / Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck
==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
The section is best paddled between January and May. The primary danger would be a high and fast river, most common early in the season or after heavy rain.
==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
The river can only be paddled westwards.
==Section Length and Travel Duration==
The paddling portion of this section on Rio Palena is 78km and takes about 1.5-2 days to complete. Together with GPT27P, the two sections are 180km in total and take around 4 days. The ferry journey from Raul Marin Balmaceda takes an additional eleven hours, but only runs twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays).
==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
The section is stunning, interesting, unpopulated and fun. This section feels even more remote than 27P, although the river here becomes calmer. The mountains and farmland of 27P give way to hills and woodland. It is quite easy to not see another person until within a few kms of the section’s end. Combined with 27P, paddling one river down from the mountains out to the Pacific is a wonderful experience. A very attractive section.
The ferry ride from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Puerto Cisnes is spectacular. It threads along the coastline passing mountains, islands and fiords. Very beautiful indeed, and an opportunity to scout out future packrafting options.
==Section Difficulty==
Although Section 28P is easier than 27P, Bajo Río Palena may not be suitable for beginners. There are a number of 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, plus, the many obstacles in the river are avoidable.
As the river widens and calms, the challenges become occasional strong head winds and potentially adverse tides. These can slow progress significantly.
==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
Raul Marin Balmaceda has a few food shops, lodging options and bus services.
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Accommodation: Camping====
====Transport: Ground Transport====
A bus runs several times a week to La Junta from where connections to elsewhere can easily be made.
====Transport: Ferries====
A scenic ferry runs south twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays) to Puerto Cisnes (11 hours) and onto Puerto Chacabuco. There is also a service northwards to Quellon. Tickets can be bought online or at a grocery store in town.
====Transport: Shipping Services====
===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====
==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===
===Regular Hiking Route===
===Regular Packrafting Route===
Comments posted on Facebook by Jen Ni on 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
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.
1. (0-25km) Small river, many rapids:
In this subsection the river is still relatively small and often shallow, ground contact can be a serious issue. At least every kilometer there's a small rapid (usually WW-1, sometimes class 2). There are many more rapids than mapped and those are not necessarily the most difficult. Usually the rapids are only deep enough to be run in a narrow part where the main current is. We only had problems with one rapid at Lat -43.62009 Lon -71.86343 where a tree blocked the main current making it impossible to run safely.
The most difficult two rapids (class 2+) are at 22km (2km after the ferry) where many large rocks in the middle of the river make scouting and very precise maneuvering necessary. Depending on water levels they may not be runnable at all. Both rapids can be viewed and portaged (individually or together) by taking out on the beach on the left side.
The river flowed with ~5kph.
2. (25-65km) Small river, few rapids, many trees:
By now the river has grown a bit and ground contact becomes less of an issue. There are noticably fewer rapids and the largest challenge becomes maneuvering between the many trees lying in the water. The average velocity of the current was actually a bit higher than before.
3. (65-105km) Fast and medium-sized river with few obstacles:
After Río Frío has joined the river at the 180° turn the river grows significantly and ground contact is almost no more issue. In this subsection, the river flows fastest (8kph) and we had a lot of fun with the relatively easy and broad rapids here. There are fewer trees in the water that can be easily avoided in the broad river. We found a lovely campsite on grass that did not seem to be used for grazing at Lat -43.89160 Lon -72.37914.
4. (105-155km) Big river, fast current:
Close to La Junta, the river is joined by Río Rosselot and becomes huge and mostly calm. We were surprised to see that it still flows with high velocity (5-8kph) and still has a noticable gradient that makes progress fast. The few trees can be easily avoided but may be difficult to spot sometimes. The main challenge that may arise here are strong head winds that make maneuvering quite difficult.
5. (155km-sea) Big and slow river, tidal effects:
Starting at the large 270° loop, the massive river becomes noticably slower (2-3kph) and wind and tidal effects determine the speed of your progress. We found that the tides are approx. 30min after the times shown for Pto. Montt by the Android app (by 7th gear). Paddling here feels more like being on a lake and waves build up due to the wind.
Channel between Río Palena and fjord:
We explored the first channel but turned around after 200m because it is overgrown by trees and too narrow to safely pass.
We then followed the regular route and paddled through the second channel, which is much wider and still has 1-2kph current (possibly due to falling tide?), into the fjord.
Fjord:
Due to the breathtaking scenery and the remoteness of the fjord it is definitely worth paddling to the town instead of taking the road if possible. We also saw several dolphins and many birds here. The tides are very relevant here and cause currents of several kph. Make sure to not paddle this during rising tide (or very strong winds).
A few infos about Raul Marin Balmaceda:
- There is a bus to La Junta on Sun 12:00 and Tue, Wed, Fri 8:00 and to Coyhaique on Sun 8:00
- There is only Entel cell phone service and no ATM
- There are several small supermarkets as well as lodging options and 2 restaurants
- Ferry tickets can be bought online or directly at the Naviera Austral office in town
*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18: