This hike is an interpretive trail showing the damage done to the temperate rain forest by farming. AND how Pumalín is allowing nature to return it to rain forest.
At the information kiosk at the park gates you can sign out waterproof cards explaining each species, guiding you through the circuit.
If you get anywhere near El Amarillo, Patagonia, be sure to do this short walk. There are other longer hikes nearby in Pumalín, as well.
Duration: 2½ hrs round trip. Distance: 4,4 km round trip. Return: Same route. Difficulty: Medium-High.
In May of 2008, Volcán Chaitén erupted after 9000 dormant years, causing tremendous damage to Chaitén and Pumalín, and even into Argentina. The park was closed for two years, during which extensive restoration work was conducted.
I cycled in to the Lake Chaiguata as part of my Patagonia bikepacking trip. Cycling is a great way to get to trailheads in this remote part of the world.
Parque Tantauco is fantastic. And fantastically well organized and funded.
The campsites are as good as I’ve seen anywhere. They put down wood chips to keep them dry.
There are a number of day hikes of various lengths, all well signed.
This is a wet, wet landscape. Thus they’ve built a LOT of boardwalk. And I love boardwalk.
Though the topography is fairly flat, trails are built to take you to overlooks.
I made coffee in the vestibule of my tent in the dark. Packed up and was on my feet by 8am. BIG day ahead. The toughest and most physically demanding of any on the Coast Path.
It was about 2 miles to town. Another 14 miles more (at least) to finish.
I finally saw rabbits on one farm. (SLUGS are much more plentiful.)
Giant mushrooms.
I detoured to Newport town to pick up provisions. There was some chance I’d need to wild camp again. I had no reservation for the hostel. And it was Saturday.
Scones and fruit cake are high calorie. Easy to eat.
For the first time in my hiking career an official trail crossed a golf course. That’s cool.
In the parking lot Duke of Edinburgh hikers were unloading. These are students who had to plan and execute an expedition of at least 2 days and 1 night. They looked woefully unprepared to me.
The steep, sheer, non-stop cliffs begin. The highest 575ft (175m). There’s only one emergency exit all day.
Narrow trails. Far less used than those in the south.
Yes. Muddy.
Most of the coves are inaccessible except from sea.
Stunning scenery. The weather improved over the day.
I was quite happy to round the corner and see that cliffs had ended. I’d been walking for nearly 8 hours.
On a weekend, I feared Poppit Sands hostel would be full. I’d need to wild camp again.
Happily there was space at the inn. I spent about 25 minutes in the hot shower! Welsh hostels are excellent.
It was a fun night chatting with an entertaining, informative Irishman. (Are there any other kind?) He was just finishing up a 3 month cycling holiday.
Before dinner I walked Poppit beach. My Coast Path would be ending first thing in the morning.
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After coffee in the morning I had 2 miles left to trail end in St Dogmaels.
I visited the ancient Abby. And church built 1847 from Abby stones.
Here’s the finish.
Over 4 days I’d walked the first 20 miles. And the last 25 miles. About a quarter of the Coast Path. It was enough.
Then I walked another 2 miles along the Wales Coast Path, an 870-mile (1,400 km) route around the whole coast of Wales, to the bus stop at Cardigan. From there I planned to catch a bus to the train station.
What! What?
In October there are no longer ANY buses to anywhere on a Sunday. Bus service has been shrinking for years for rural towns in Wales. ☹️
The closest train station was 50£ by cab. I hate taxis. So checked into a lovely hotel instead for 45£. A holiday from my hiking vacation.
The Drakensberg escarpment stretches for over 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) …
The Afrikaans name Drakensberge comes from the name the earliest Dutch settlers to the region gave it. They called them the Drakensbergen, or “Mountains of Dragons”. …
… This 40-mile loop is a fantastic way to experience the immense size and beauty of Mt. Hood.
On the Timberline you’ll encounter lush old-growth forests, pristine alpine waterfalls, wildflower-filled meadows, towering craggy glaciers, rough volcanic landscapes, and some of the finest cascade views around.
Ventisquero Colgante Falls in summer / cavertingo, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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