San Rafael Lagoon National Park

San Rafael Lagoon National Park is located in the communes of Puerto Aisén, Tortel, Cochrane and Chile Chico, to a distance of 120 marine miles to the Southeastern of Puerto Chacabuco.

San Rafael Lagoon National Park was created in 1967 to protect an extensive, uninhabited and almost inaccessible territory of 1.742.000 hectares, destined to the protection of the wild life.It is the most extensive park of the region and more than 400,000 hectares correspond to millenarian ice concentrated in the denominated zone North Ice Field.

The climate in the San Rafael Lagoon (Laguna de San Rafael) is humid, with an annual average temperature of 46º Fahrenheit and precipitations that reach, in the high zones, 169 annual ounces.

The grounds of San Rafael Lagoon National Park are apt for the vegetation that displays a dense cover of trees, shrubs and herbs, among which stand out the cypress (Ciprés), lenga, always green (siempreverde), coigüe of Magallanes, coigüe of Chiloé, tepa, male tineo (tineo macho), cinnamon (canela), mañío and ciruelillo.

The bird fauna in San Rafael Lagoon National Park is abundant and varied, both marine and the terrestrial ones, among them stand out: ducks (patos), cormorants, swans of black neck (cisnes de cuello negro) and caiquén. It is not the same situation with the fishes, since they are limited in their development due to the low temperatures of waters. The rigors of the climate in San Rafael Lagoon National Park  also affects the mammals, that are not abundant, among which is possible to highlight foxes (zorros), pudúes, coipos or coipúes and wolves of sea (lobos de mar). The singular elements of the park are the San Rafael lagoon – a cove closed to the sea a great fishing site – and the ventisquero of the same name that descends until the lake.

San Rafael Lagoon

The San Rafael Lagoon is part of the National Park  that takes its name, and that includes an extension of 1.742.000 hectares. The San Rafael Lagoon was declared Reserve of the Biosphere (Reserva de la Biósfera) in 1979 by UNESCO.

The San Rafael Lagoon is located in the south end of the Moraleda channel, on the feet of the North Ice Field and corresponds to a small entrance of the Pacific Ocean of 9 per 6 miles approximately. The gigantic and famous Glacier San Rafael (Glaciar San Rafael) flows into this lagoon, with its more than 3 thousand years, therefore, is without a doubt, the main tourist attraction of the zone.

The San Rafael Lagoon was discovered in 1674 by Mayor Sergeant Bartolomé Diez Gallardo, when crossing the isthmus of Ofqui (Itsmo de Ofqui) from the Gulf of Pains (Golfo de Penas). Antonio Veas, continuing with the navigation initiated by Diez Gallardo, entered the lagoon in 1675 baptizing it as the Lagoon of the Candlemas (Laguna de la Candelaria).

Later on, it followed the expedition of the Jesuit José García Alsué, carried out between years 1766 and 1767 from the Nation of Calén (Nación de Calén) in Chiloé to unknown territories of the south, “for the conversion of the gentiles” that inhabited those latitudes. The expedition entered the lagoon through the Témpanos River and he baptized it with the name of San Rafael of Ofqui.

In Lagoon of San Rafael, the most equatorial glacier at level of the sea can be found and the glacier ice slide of the ice masses at certain times of the year constitutes one of the most interesting spectacles of the nature which is why is the main destiny of the marine cruises. One of these cruises is the Ferry to San Rafael Lagoon which navigate through the hundreds of icebergs, which separate of the previous edge of the glacier, sprinkled the lake surface. In the area the Glacier San Valentine stands out,, composed of enormous floating icebergs and the usual ice fall, that can be seen from the ships that arrive to the lagoon. The ships remain in the lagoon between 5 to 8 hours and use boats to cross it. A wharf is available for minor ships that allows the access to a footpath, by which you arrive at the base of the ventisquero San Rafael and at diverse intermediate viewpoints, completely equipped cabins and day-care centers.

Another great attractive of the San Rafael Lagoon National Park are the Channels (Canales), Islands (Islas) and Spas (Termas), therefore, navigation covers many roads, bays, fjords, estuaries and channels surrounded by wild hills. There are in the continental coast natural spas.

The San Rafael lagoon it is accessed from Puerto Chacabuco, it is sailed towards the south to enter the Fjord Aisén , San Rafael Lagoon National Park continues by the Costa Channel to go into through the Estuary Elefantes that will take you to the San Rafael Lagoon after a beautiful trip.

Some ships, by itinerary, sail at night and dawn next to the lagoon, losing a big part of the passage. This, although that in this zone it darkens in summer at 22:00 PM and it dawns before 06:00 AM.

Other ships leave to the dusk to advance by the Fjord Aisén and to spend the night in some bay. They continue to the dawn, taking advantage of the two big attractive of the stroll through San Rafael Lagoon National Park.

In the case of The Ferry to San Rafael Lagoon (which departs from Puerto Montt and travel through the Corcovado Golf, making a brief stop in Puerto Chacabuco) arrives in the San Rafael Lagoon in the morning for a full experience in the lagoon.

The facilities of public use of San Rafael Lagoon National Park :

In the Development Area it is possible to use the footpaths guided by park rangers, to fish in the beach, to make a stroll in boat, to make long walks through the forest, to cross the interpretative footpaths and to learn with the exhibition that exists in the  Visitors Center.

Park rangers give information about the services that the area arranges and assists the visitors within the park.

The footpaths in their majority are extensive, reason why they count on zones for the rest and for meals; they lead until the glacier. It is also possible to accede to the ventisquero by boat with motor outside of the gunwale or by boat with oars.

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