 Karina Jozami  Jorge González (1) y Karina Jozami (2)
Very much relaxed, after submerging in the warm waters of the Hotel Puyehue hot springs, we headed for the Aguas Calientes Resort.
In this hot springs area, located four kilometers away form the hotel in core of the Puyehue National Park, Sebastián Fornaguera and Germán Casella have designed and built a zip-lining circuit: an option that enables tourists to explore the high ecosystems of the natural reserve, from the tops of its trees. |
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After one year of experimenting in Costa Rica, one of the countries that has developed this activity to its farthest extent, Sebastián returned with the idea of installing a zip-lining circuit in this area of Chile, an ideal spot because of the height of the coihues, tepas and ulmos that grow in the park and the view of the Valdivian forest observed from the tree canopies. The protected area is made up by 107 hectares, out of which only 17 are exploited by tourism. Once the low environmental impact was evaluated by biologists and botanists, the area was selected to plot the circuit, which allows visitors to slide around wooden platforms located at different heights and distances among the tree canopies, through suspended cables and with climbing harnesses. |
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Before jumping down along the zip-line, Sebastián gave an instructive lecture standing opposite a cable installed two meters away in order to show the basic sliding and safety techniques. Puyehue Canopy is not a tour searching for vertigo or speed, but to enjoy the thrill of an excellent panoramic sight of the park, from the air. And Sebastián made it clear that this is not a sport but an adventure activity, because it does not require any kind of physical aptitude and anybody, from four-year-olds to ninety-year-olds, may enjoy it. |
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We just had to lose our fear for height and, in order to do so, a qualified guide team trained in zip-lining and safety techniques was escorting us. Therefore, once our harnesses, our helmets and our gloves were on, we got into the forest in search for the first platform.
From Liana to Liana
Just like Tarzan, the king of the apes, we were already on top of the trees, ready to slide along the first cable. In the same way birds nest in the forest, the sight of the park's leafy vegetation was now level with our eyes. |
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Claudia, one of the guides, was in charge of inspecting our equipment carefully and of reminding us of the steps we should follow. After attaching the harness to the cable and securing it, I dared to start the journey. “I’m coming”– I said to myself as I jumped into the void. The first tract was short, so that we would get used to it and get to the second station, located in the depths of the Puyehue native forest. The next three platforms were located at a higher spot each and the distance between them was getting longer and longer. The third cable was the fastest and it led us to the fourth station, located approximately 22 meters away. We had already gained confidence and we let ourselves be carried away by the feeling of being suspended from tree to tree, appreciating everything from above. |
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Once on the fifth platform, we were getting near the most intense part of the circuit: thirty meters above the Chanleufu River, which descends from the high summits of the mountain range. Along the next cable, we crossed right through the water course and continued towards the sixth and seventh stops on the to go on the other side. That is the beginning of the 120-meter-long cable that crosses above the Chanleufu River again, but this time slanting above the river, towards the last platform. The attention and care provided by the guides guaranteed a singular and pleasant air excursion. At the end of the zip-lining experience we felt like children wanting another ride. |
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