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The paddle on Rio Cisnes and through the fjord to Puerto Cisnes is easy as long not facing heavy head wind.
===Season 2019/2020===
* Alternative route going from North to South, from the crossing “Picaflor” on the Carratera Austral down to Puerto Aysen.
January 28-29.
From the crossing “Picaflor” on the Carratera Austral, follow the dirt road and Rio Picaflor for roughly 11km until you meet Rio Mañihuales.
I wanted to put in further upstream on Rio Picaflor, which is a pretty-looking small river, but there are too many fallen trees accross the water and it didn't seem to be worth the effort.
The Upper Mañihuales, then, is a narrow, shallow, slow-moving river. Some parts are already so shallow in January that you'll touch bottom regardless of your skills at reading rivers. It's a nice little stroll for about 10km. While the scenery is not impressive at the start it improves dramatically as you progress.
After paddling for about 12km, you hit a first, fun rapid. Quickly, a second rapid that you should scout first (impressive drop). Then quickly a third, scary-looking one. It might not be very technical but it sure looks like the kind of rapid you don't wanna go into solo. It marks the start of a long, Class-IV section. Fortunately, you can easily take out and reach the Carretera Austral nearby. You have about 6km left to reach Villa Mañihuales.
I would strongly advise against going solo from there on.
This first section takes about 3 hours.
You can of course easily resupply and camp in Villa Mañihuales, which is a pretty little town.
You can then get back into Rio Mañihuales from Puente Mañihuales II, roughly 22km south of Villa Mañihuales on the Carretera Austral.
The road from Villa Mañihuales to the bridge is stunning and so is the Rio, with crystal clear water. Experienced paddlers should not have any problems. Others should proceed with caution in the first few rapids (one that you should scouted first, I think it was the third one). Quite a few dead trees and branches are stuck in the rapids. Again, proceed with caution.
No hazard once you've paddled accross the first couple km.
On the day of that trip, head winds were getting quite strong while approaching the valley where Puerto Aysen lies. Taking out at Puente Mañihuales I, I covered the 20km in roughly 3,5 hours.
[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]