Who we are
We met through mutual climbing friend as we independently followed our love for exploring the world in 1998. Britt was building a 50 ft wooden boat called “Cahuella" and starting Austral Adventures to explore the Chilean Patagonia by sea when Sandra joined him in the project.. Since then our life has been filled with adventures, ventures and amazing opportunities to explore, attempt, sometimes fail, create, share, discover and even re-discover.
On this 25 + year journey together we have built a boat, a home and a family and a life. We have created endless amazing adventures for numerous clients, guests and friends who have come to Chile, Chiloé and Chil-hue. which is our home surrounded by units for nature-loving guests. The most important journey has been and still is that of having three daughters and the experiences of the family unit, which has been a main focus of our energy and time. Life has been and is the search for balance.
Over the more than two decades, countless clients have come to be & travel with us. We have dedicated time and care to them all prior to and at the end of their journeys. Often, when in Chile we have been able to share meals, a glass of wine, stories and local knowledge. They have given us a connection with the world “outside” the island of Chiloé while we took them to discover amazing places and people in this world.
Our clients have nurtured our lives in endless ways, mostly inspiring us and “opening” the eyes of our daughters who are now young adults living and studying in different parts of the world.
How Did We Get Here
A journey together is a product of fulfilling our individual paths that led to our meeting each other and then continuing to build a life together.
Although we do a lot of things (like our businesses and our family) together, we feel is essential to be truthful to our own essence and continue being fulfilled as individuals.
Britt Lewis
My Journey
My first memory as a young child was riding on the batiked shoulders of our guide in Jamaica as he walked through knee deep water up a river to pristine pools to swim in. The sense of wonder and excitement I felt as we made our way up the sun splashed river has been present in my life since that moment, possibly even before. It was certainly fed by my French-teacher mother’s love for different cultures and travel as well as a childhood of exploring during camping and canoe trips in the Adirondack Mountains. The love of experiencing the Truly New led me to strap on my backpack at age 19 and spend a year hitching and bussing across Africa. My awe at humanity’s diversity and nature’s grandeur then got me itching to see what things were like in Central and South America. From working in a Scuba diving school in Honduras to teaching Wilderness Medicine in the Andes to leading groups from the Adirondack Mountain Klub to hike the 9 day Torres del Paine Circuit, I had decided that the experience of Nature made me feel more alive, and I wanted to help others feel that spark. Austral Adventures was born in 1998 to safely take people where travel wasn’t possible- into the remote fjords of Chilean Patagonia on week long nature expeditions. During the following 25 years we worked by land and sea with diverse groups, from The Nature Conservancy, The Discovery Channel and Stanford University to countless couples and families from all over the world, creating tailor made experiences that immerse people in South America’s astounding natural world and warm local communities.
My Journey
Sandra Echegaray
I went to various expeditions with “Raleigh International” in Africa and Chile as an interpreter, worked as a tour leader for “Journey Latin America. I then went back to live in Cusco and the rainforest of Peru and worked with “Rainforest Expeditions”, and was a research pre-production/photographer for a “Von Matthey GMBH” a German independent documentary production company working in Peru. When I met Britt, life took another sudden turn as love makes changes in plans as only it can do! I went to join him in his adventure on the Island of Chiloé, where he was building a boat and starting Austral Adventures, over 25 years ago.
While living on the island of Chiloé I have owned a restaurant and a vegetarian cafe, started a yoga studio (since I practice and study yoga for over 20 years now) and now I run Yoga Retreats and Holistic Yoga Journeys. I design programs and accompany programs that I run once a year in Chile, Peru and Italy and give yoga classes to small groups and individuals. I now accompany my love for internal journeys with for my passion for travel.
While I was in my second year of university, my life changed completely due to a dinner conversation I had with family friends. I didn’t know it at the time, but a single eye-opening chat around the table would change the course of my life.
Being born and raised in a small farming community of the central highlands of Peru, I went to Lima at fourteen years old since studying opportunities were scarce in my hometown. An opportunity to live with my cousin and her family came up, so I went to finish school and prepare myself for higher education. At seventeen I earned a spot in the prestigious Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima and life seemed to chart a path to hopefully become a successful architect. However, that dinner where I heard about young people going to “Adventures in the Rainforest” changed everything: I couldn’t quite believe that such a thing existed!!… I asked If I could join the group and everyone was surprised but said “let’s see if you could, this program is usually for British young people!”
A few sleepless nights later and I received the answer as a "YES", so as soon as my third university semester was over I began my first “Adventure in the Rainforest” for three weeks. I never stopped after that, and took every single possibility that presented itself to go for adventures. I felt alive when I travelled, the world became more and more colorful every time. I finished my architecture degree and went to work in Bath, UK with the help of the connections I had made during my travels. However, as soon as the reality of working in architecture office 9-5 sunk in, I realized that that lifestyle wasn’t for me and pivoted to study a passion: photography. Of course I was also waitressing to pay my living.
Opportunities of adventure started to become a reality as I made my path through life following my heart.
I went to various expeditions with “Raleigh International” in Africa and Chile as an interpreter, worked as a tour leader for “Journey Latin America” went back to live in Cusco and the rainforest of Peru and worked with “Rainforest Expeditions” , and was a research pre-production/photographer for a “Von Matthey GMBH” a German independent documentary production company. When I met Britt, life give another sudden turn as love makes changes in such a unique way! I went to join him in his adventure on the Island of Chiloé, where he was building a boat and starting Austral Adventures, over 25 years ago.
While living on the island of Chiloe I have owned a restaurant and a vegetarian cafe, started a yoga studio (since I practice and study yoga for over 20 years now) and now I run Yoga Retreats and Holistic Yoga Journeys which is what I would like to share with you when you join me. I design programs and company programs that I run once a year in Chile, Peru and Italy and give yoga classes to small groups and individuals.