Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile
Patagonia River Week
A cabin on the river, a few guided days to learn the water, then a week on your own terms. Brown trout and rainbows in Chilean Patagonia.
Overview
Picture this: you're standing in the Río Paloma at seven in the morning. The water is cold and clear enough to count the rocks at the bottom. You've spotted a brown trout holding behind a boulder a bit upstream, and you have a size 14 Parachute Adams on your tippet because you saw the mayflies on the cabin window while drinking your morning coffee. Nobody is watching. Nobody is keeping score. That's the trip. A private cabin right on the river, a couple of guided days to learn where the fish hold and what they're eating, then the rest of the week to fish on your own terms. No schedule. Nobody else. Just you and the river and whatever you make of it.
What it looks like
Included
- ✓7 nights in a private cabin on the Río Paloma
- ✓Airport transfers from Balmaceda (BBA)
- ✓Guided wade fishing day. Your guide shows the river, the best runs, what's working
- ✓Guided float trip down a river, or a day on a lake by boat
- ✓Lunch on the water on both guided days
- ✓Local knowledge from your host, and Tommi's a WhatsApp message away all week
- ✓Fishing permit sorted for you
- ✓Two grocery runs into Coyhaique; the host picks up what you need
Not included
- –Flights. Fly into Balmaceda (BBA) via Santiago (SCL); the domestic leg is a bit over two hours. See our flight cost estimates
- –Travel insurance
- –Meals. You cook your own, except lunch on the two guided days. If you would rather not cook, we can add meals for the week. Ask when you book and we will quote it
- –Drinks. Wine, beer and whatever else you want at the cabin; there's a stop in Coyhaique on the way in
- –Fly fishing gear. Bring yours: the packing list has everything, with a free printable PDF
Day by day
Land at Balmaceda. Your host will pick you up and drive the half hour to Coyhaique where you can stock up on groceries, then it's another hour to the cabin. Settle in. Walk down to the river. Get your first look at the water you'll be fishing all week.
Guided wade fishing on the Río Paloma. Your guide knows the water and what works right now, and lunch comes with you. By the end of the day you'll know where to go when you're on your own.
Your first independent day. The river is right outside. No alarm clock. No agenda. Explore on your own terms.
Guided float trip. Fish a lake or another stretch of river by boat with a guide. Lunch on the water. Your chance to see water you can't reach on foot.
Three full days on your own terms. By now you know what works. You have your spots. Second grocery run to Coyhaique available if you need it.
Transfer back to Balmaceda Airport, about an hour from the cabin.
The water
The Río Paloma runs right past the cabin. You can hear it from bed. It's your home water for the week, and it's wade fishing. There are multiple kilometers of river to explore. The float trip is the one day you'll fish from a boat. On guided days you can also reach other water, like the Mogotes River, Boca Leones, Lago Caro, Lago Desierto, and Lago Elizalde.
Best timing
Mid-December to mid-March is the best time to fish Patagonia with a dry fly. Caddis and mayfly hatches come off strong in January and February. By late February the cantaria beetles and grasshoppers show up, but big terrestrial dry flies often fish well all season. Streamers and nymphs produce all season, but if you're here for the dry fly fishing, aim for the mid-December to mid-March window.
Your cabin
A private cabin right on the Río Paloma, sleeping 2–6 people. Simple, clean, warm: everything you need and nothing you don't. Kitchen for cooking your own meals, hot water, a stove for cold evenings, and the river right outside. Your cabin is yours for the week, your own space. Coyhaique, the nearest town with shops, restaurants and a hospital, is an hour's drive away.
The fishing
The Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia is dry fly water: resident brown trout and rainbow trout eating off the surface. Big terrestrials like beetles, hoppers, and ants get violent takes. The hatches are often prolific. Caddis and mayflies blanket the water and the fish feed with confidence. Streamer fishing produces all season for anglers who want to go big, and nymphs will catch fish on those days when nothing else seems to work. Flies for Patagonia has the box we would pack. Most fish run 35 to 50 centimeters, wild and often heavy, and every season fish over 60cm hit the net. We won't promise you a trophy; nobody honest can. But we can promise the big ones are there too, and a good day here is the kind where you stop counting. Everything goes back in the river: catch and release. No wonder the fishing stays this good. This is a private week. Nobody else is in the cabin and nobody is running your day. You get just enough guiding to learn the water, and then it's time on your own terms to fish it your way. How good do you need to be? If you can put a fly on the water in a bit of wind, you'll catch fish here. And if you've fished your whole life, this might be the water you end up measuring other trips against. Tell me where you're at when you book and I'll match you with the right guide. And once you're fishing on your own, I'm a WhatsApp message away all week.
“I spent a month in Patagonia searching for the good water, the right accommodation and best guides. This is the trip I wanted to buy but it didn't exist, so I built it. If you're wondering whether it's your kind of trip, write to me and I'll tell you straight. It's not for everyone. That's sort of the point.”
Tommi · Founder, Kalakamu
Write to me →Ready to go?
Book your spot or ask us anything. We've been there, literally.
A 30% deposit secures the booking. The balance is due 21 days before departure. Cancellation terms are in the terms; the FAQ covers the rest.
Rather talk it through first? WhatsApp Tommi → Finland time, answers the same day.
Price per person / week
Five or six of you, or partners who don't fish? The cabin sleeps six, so ask. Send us a message →
Rather have a guide and a boat every day, and every meal cooked for you? Patagonia Guided Week →
Open weeks — 2026–27 season
January
February
March
April
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Stories from these waters
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