Day 3 · Saturday

14:13 waiting for pickup for horse riding

My alarm went off at 05:51 this morning. Early rise for kayaking Mármol. Totally worth it though. There were even fewer boats out at that hour. We had a bit of trouble getting going either our double kayak. Perhaps inexperience makes double kayaking more difficult. There were even rudder setup definitely had its challenges. After a few minutes, though, we were off in singles headed back across the lake towards the Tranquillo Mármol: Capilla, Cathedral, and the tunnel.

I’m glad we did the boat trip yesterday. I have plenty of pictures. I didn’t want to think about a camera today. Just paddling around and enjoying the amazing view just after sunrise.

Riding through the tunnel from the kayak was fantastic. Really cool to get so much time practically alone inside the caves. Just beautiful.

After kayaking and some breakfast, we have been strolling through town. Got some souvenirs, coffee, and beers, walked to a different part of the lake for a new view.

Tomorrow we’ll be off for a new place. Think we have done Puerto Río Tranquillo to the fullest. Hoping to see the sunlight completely disappear tonight. Until then, we are waiting for our horse riding guides.

Horseback riding was amazing. Our guide Tomas works in Chilean rodeo and trains horses. We made a long path around the property, of course covered in those yellow flowers, and up to about 1500 feet over the lake.

Riding a horse for the first time was both thrilling and humbling. Going downhill was a little scary—like stepping into the unknown on legs that weren’t my own. But what surprised me most was the connection. I expected to feel like I was just perched on top of him, but instead, it felt like we were working together.

I’ve been looking at the virw of this lake for a few days now, and I didn’t think it would get any better. Standing so far up, however, gave the lake an even bluer depth. It’s shocking how the color changes at different elevations.

Back in Río Tranquillo, we had dinner and drinks and soaked in the town one last time. We’ll be off on a new adventure tomorrow.

Hasta luego!