Paddling near Chile Chico, Aysén

Chile Chico sits on the southern shore of Lago General Carrera, the second-largest lake in South America, in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo region. The lake's clear, cold waters and the nearby Laguna Silvia give paddlers a range of flatwater experiences, from open-lake kayaking to sheltered SUP on a small Patagonian lagoon. The area's famously dry microclimate — rare for this part of Patagonia — means calmer, sunnier days than much of the region, though the lake can generate strong winds and chop without warning.