First, we took a bus to Niebla, where we crossed the bay in a ferry or lancha to the town of Corral.
From Corral (above) we took a bus to the town of Chaihuín (below).
Chaihuín does not even appear on most maps, but it is the last bus stop north of the Reserve.
From there we asked the park ranger to call someone who sould drive us into the coastal reserve. A nice fisherman named Eduardo (below on the right) gave us a ride in his truck to the north end of the beach, or as close as he could get without getting stuck in the mud. After that, it was all on foot.
Eduardo walked us down the rest of the road, then left us with this view...
This place was not real life. 10 km of empty beach, cliffs, huge sand dunes, freshwater lakes, and forest all in one spot.
The picture of the freshwater lake above was taken in a spot where, if you turned around 180 degrees, you were hit with a full view of the Pacific Ocean. How is that even possible?
Oh, and there was also a trail over the cliffs at the north end of the beach, where we saw not only sliffs but also a huge rock arch with waves breaking underneath.
Waves, sun, sand, and... cows? Inside of the reserve are two small Mapuche towns (indigenous people of Chile). We saw two poncho-clad men on horseback in the three days that we spent in the reserve, and I am assuming that the very unexpected herds of cattle belong to them.
To be continued... waterfalls
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