Difficulty Levels Explained
When you select a vacation, it's important to know if the trip is a good match for your fitness level. You want to make sure the pace of the walking, biking, hiking, paddling or riding you'll be doing is well-suited to you and your group or family members. Our trips are rated according to a number of factors like level of required fitness, altitude, ease of terrain, level of special skills like climbing/rafting experience, etc. Except from a few trips, porters, pack animals, or support vehicles (or other conveyances such as rafts and kayaks) carry all the gear. All you ever carry is a light daypack. The scale is from an easy (1) to a strenuous (5). Every trip has an associated difficulty rating which you need to consider before booking the trip. That said, you'll get more enjoyment out of any trip if you are in good physical condition, so the best advice we can offer is to get in shape.

Easy - difficulty 1
These trips offer an easy pace and an average-to-sedentary level of fitness. Activities may be optional. You should be in good health and fit enough for full day of normal sightseeing and walking.
Easy to Moderate - difficulty 2
An average level of fitness or some experience with the featured activity is recommended. While some activities may be optional, you may still have to walk, hike, bike or paddle for two to three hours daily. Includes less demanding sea kayaking and river rafting trips (Class I-II rapids).
Moderate - difficulty 3
These active trips require you to have performed the featured activity regularly, with some periods on challenging terrain. Activities are mandatory and you may be traveling at high elevations. Includes more demanding sea kayaking trips and river rafting trips with Class III-IV rapids. Your lodging and camping accommodations may be primitive and in remote locations. You need to be in good health and physical condition to enjoy these trips, with adequate muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance.
Demanding - difficulty 4
On these trips, you must be extremely physically fit and are expected to hike or ride four to six hours over steep or more rugged terrain or in elevations exceeding 3,000 m (10,000 feet), often in remote locations far from medical facilities. Includes more demanding sea kayaking trips (5-6 hours paddling a day) and river rafting trips with Class IV+ rapids. Porter/vehicle support for difficult terrain, but may involve carrying your own gear.
Strenuous- difficulty 5
Prolonged hiking/riding on moderate to difficult terrain (five to nine hours a day). May include:
- high altitude: elevations exceeding 4,500 m (15,000 feet) that may create discomfort and symptoms of illness that you do not experience while exercising at lower elevations, such as shortness of breath, restlessness or sleeplessness at night, and headaches.
- rugged terrain: up and down mountain trails that are steep and rocky.
- carrying your own gear may be asked in some of the trips.
- sea kayaking (5-7 hours paddling a day) and river rafting trips with Class IV-V rapids, and otherwise challenging conditions.
Previous experience may be required. You should be in excellent health and top physical condition to enjoy such an experience.

CASCADA EXPEDICIONES, Don Carlos 3219, Las Condes - Santiago, CHILE. Phone: (56)(2) 2329878
Fax: (562) 2328954 email: info@cascada-expediciones.com Web: http://www.cascada-expediciones.com