Destination: Chile

Adventure Gem at the End of the Earth

Few landscapes in this world rival Chilean Patagonia, a wild and challenging countryside treasured for centuries by explorers and adventurers. It is a land of young, volcanic mountains blanketed by millennial glaciers towering above deep blue lakes, ancient forests and some of the most enticing whitewater opportunities in South America.

Neatly stacked witin a country about the size of Texas, you'll find the driest desert in the world (Atacama), our hemisphere's tallest mountain (Aconcagua) and some of the world's most famous rivers (Futalefu). There's literally something for everyone in Chile. Sea kayakers can explore hidden fjords in the shadow of the Andes. Novice through Intermediate paddlers will marvel at snow-capped peaks and smoking volcanos as they paddle spectacular whitewater in the Lake District. Advanced paddlers will be left breathless as they challenge the legendary Futaleufu and the drops of the Seven Teacups.

While you're on the water, family members that don't paddle have plenty of opportunities to capture the intrepid spirit of the explorer in while hiking, horseback riding, fishing or rafting in untouched Patagonia. Lodging options are as diverse as the landscape itself. Stay in a resort with your own hot tub, relax in a bed and breakfast or simply camp alongside the turquoise waters of the Futaleufu.