This is the perfect project for adventurers and nature lovers! The volunteer project takes place in a 3000-hectare nature park in a fairytale-like, almost untouched landscape of jungle, lakes, clear rivers and mountains, right at the foot of the Chilean Andes.
Inside the park, there are ecosystems that are typical for southern Chile, temperate rainforests overgrown by thousand-year-old trees (such as larch, mañío, and coihue), providing a green habitat to a rich variety of wildlife. The only way to make this magical piece of land accessible to the public without causing damage is through controlled ecotourism: tourists are welcome, but nature is paramount.
Only a limited number of guests can stay there at the same time, so that capacity is never exceeded, and the natural course of things is not disturbed. Tourists are informed in an information center about the biodiversity of the park and how visitors leave as few footprints as possible.
Hikers can explore the park on a total of 18 km of hiking trails and choose between accommodation in simple mountain cabins in the middle of the park or a more comfortable lodge on the edge of the park. Another great way to explore this little paradise is by kayaking, as the area borders Tagua-Tagua Lake, which is connected to the Reloncaví Fjord by a river.
Volunteers who like to work hard can get involved in a variety of tasks: as a tour guide, in the maintenance of hiking trails and mountain huts, at the information center, forest work and much more. As is usual for work in the mountains, you cannot divide the working week into traditional working hours.
In Patagonia it is the weather that dictates the working days and schedule. When the weather is good, people tend to work more and in bad weather, the days are easier-going, and work is less. Another factor that influenced volunteering here is the workload; sometimes there are periods, with a lot of work and something less is going on.
You should be prepared for the fact that the project is so unique because it is very remote, so it can sometimes be unusually quiet and lonely. The nearest cities Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt are each about a three-hour drive away and can therefore only be visited on days off. The nearest village is 11 km away.
