Meet Corry Jones & Paulina Peña, the duo behind Mapu Yapa Adventures.

Our editorial team had the opportunity to chat with these founders and eco-tourism guides. We got to learn more about Patagonia, locally led approaches to exploration, and what the future of eco-tourism might look like. This conversation went as follows:

What would you like readers to know about Mapu Yapa Adventures?

PP: Mapu Yapa Adventures, also known as MY Adventures, is an adventure tourism company created to help people experience southern Chile in a way that feels personal, immersive, and deeply connected to place.

At the heart of every trip is our family ranch, a place that has shaped our connection to this region and serves as a home base for our guests. It is where travelers can slow down, share meals, spend time on the land, and experience a more intimate side of southern Chile beyond the typical tourist route.

From there, we create fully personalized itineraries that allow guests to choose their own adventure while feeling supported every step of the way. Whether that means rafting the turquoise waters of the Petrohué River, horseback riding through the countryside, trekking through the legendary Cochamó Valley, fly fishing clear Patagonian rivers, hiking volcanic landscapes, or gathering back at the farm after a day outside, each experience is designed to feel authentic and rooted in the region.

At its heart, Mapu Yapa Adventures is about connection: to nature, to local culture, to community, to our family’s land, and to the landscapes that make southern Chile so extraordinary. Our goal is simple: to help people experience this part of the world in a way that feels adventurous, meaningful, and truly their own.

How did Mapu Yapa Adventures come into existence? Why did you two want to found it?

CJ: Mapu Yapa Adventures came into existence from our desire to create a sustainable future — one that allows us to foster a love for the land in the next generation while sharing its beauty with our guests. This vision is rooted in generations of connection to the Peña family ranch in Chile’s stunning Los Lagos Region.

Over the decades, the land evolved from growing wheat and raising cattle to welcoming global travelers through farm stays. Paulina and I saw an opportunity to build on this rich legacy by combining our professional worlds. With her background in marketing and high-level production in the outdoor industry, Paulina realized the ranch was the perfect home base for high-impact guest experiences. Coupling her vision with my decade of experience guiding river trips and managing global expedition logistics, creating Mapu Yapa Adventures was the natural next step.

How do you folks work with local communities?

PP: Working with local communities is one of the most important parts of MY Adventures. From the beginning, we wanted our work to support the local economy rather than take away from it.

Our goal is to build meaningful relationships with local businesses, guides, operators, restaurant owners, and community members so that our programs help bring business into the area while also becoming a respectful part of the community. We believe that when you work directly with locals, guests have a more authentic and connected experience, and the people who know the land, culture, and region best are the ones helping shape that experience.

We have made a point to go out into the community, experience things firsthand, and build real connections with the people we work with. We have become friends and partners with local restaurant owners, bring guests to those restaurants, purchase produce locally, work with a local whitewater company for river experiences, and any other experience that we offer. By testing these experiences ourselves and getting to know the people behind them, we are able to create trips that feel genuine, thoughtful, and rooted in place.

For us, it is not just about bringing people to a destination. It is about making sure our presence contributes positively to the place and the people who call it home.

What is/are the most memorable experience/s you’ve had at Mapu Yapa Adventures?

CJ: For me, the most memorable moments haven’t just been the final excursions, but the journey of building Mapu Yapa Adventures from the ground up. It has been incredibly rewarding to form deep partnerships with our Chilean neighbors and local experts.

We work alongside incredible teams like the whitewater rafting pros at River Friends Chile and the local fly-fishing guides from Bull Rivers Osorno. We have also built relationships with an abundance of local landowners who generously open up their properties to share hidden trails, roaring waterfalls, and authentic family restaurants. Seeing those genuine community connections shine through when our guests are on tour is the ultimate reward.

Where are some of your favorite places in the region?

PP: It is honestly hard to choose favorites because this entire region is so beautiful, but I am definitely biased toward my family’s property. The ranch is my favorite place in the region, and it is the place that made me fall in love with this part of Chile in the first place.

Outside of the ranch itself, some of my favorite places are Cochamó Valley, Puerto Varas, and Chiloé Island. Each one is special for different reasons, but together they offer some of the most unbelievable views, deep culture, and natural diversity I have experienced anywhere.

There are not many places where you can see penguins, go horseback riding through coastal valleys, and then be immersed in one of the most biodiverse and protected landscapes in the world, surrounded by temperate rainforests, glacial blue rivers, and 2,000-foot granite cliffs, all within a couple of hours of each other.

That is what makes this region so incredible. It is wild, culturally rich, and constantly surprising.

What do you wish more people understood about Patagonia? Are there any misconceptions or stereotypes you’d like to address?

CJ: The biggest myth we face is that Patagonia is one monolith of jagged peaks and freezing glaciers. In reality, the Los Lagos Region offers so much variety. Of course, the impressive Andes range often sets the background, but the landscape is also filled with gentle trails, rushing rivers, and rich farmland. 

With our location on the far reaches of the southern continent, travelers who haven’t been here also tend to worry about safety. I frequently get to reassure folks that Chile is widely recognized as one of the most stable and secure countries in South America. Our rural areas are especially safe, with zero issues regarding violent crime. When you visit us, you aren’t just discovering that Patagonia has many beautiful faces — you are experiencing a modern, safe environment where you can truly relax.

How does nature play a role in your work?

PP: Nature is the main character in our work.

We have both built careers over the last decade that keep us outside, connected to the land, and immersed in the natural world. It is deeply ingrained in everything we do and who we are, and it plays a central role in both our work and our lives.

We started MY Adventures with the goal of showing people what this part of Chile has to offer. When guests set foot on our family property, one of the biggest things they take away is how connected they feel to the land, and how disconnected they feel from the noise of everyday life, social media, and constant distractions.

Our hope is to help others reconnect with nature and experience the joy, awe, adventure, and perspective it offers. Even our company name reflects that purpose. “Mapu Yapa” means “Earth’s Gifts” in the native language of the Mapuche people of southern Chile, and that idea guides everything we do.

Do you have any reading recommendations for our readers?

CJ: I am a huge fan of non-fiction adventure stories — it is absolutely my favorite genre. If I had to pick a few favorites, I would highly recommend The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko, which captures the raw magic and adrenaline of river guiding. For thrilling stories of wilderness survival and passion for wild places, Wager with the Wind and The Last Season are brilliant. 

Finally, for anyone wanting to understand the soul of the country we call home, Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler is a great read. It beautifully captures the spirit of Chile. These books all share a deep respect for nature, which is exactly the feeling we try to bring to Mapu Yapa Adventures.

Where is a place that made you feel the closest to nature?

PP: This is a tough question for both of us, because there are so many places that have made us feel deeply connected to nature.

For me, three places immediately come to mind: Chile, New Zealand, and France. Chile and New Zealand both have this wild sense of awe to them. They make you feel small in the best way, while also making you feel like you are part of something much bigger. Both places have such dramatic and diverse landscapes, with massive mountain peaks, lush green valleys, rivers, lakes, and ocean all within reach of one another.

France has also made me feel incredibly close to nature, but in a slightly different way. There is something so beautiful about being surrounded by the rolling hills of small French villages, quiet lakes, and the scale of the Alps. It feels softer in some ways, but still completely awe-inspiring.

How does your partnership as a couple make your partnership and experiences offered at Mapu Yapa Adventures stronger?

PP: Corry and I met in New Zealand while fully immersed in some of the most remote and wild places on the South Island. From the beginning, our relationship was built around a shared love of being outside, traveling, experiencing new places, and pushing ourselves in the outdoors.

We both love adventure, but just as importantly, we love bringing other people along to experience it too. That shared passion is a big part of what makes us close, and it is also a big part of what makes Mapu Yapa Adventures feel so personal.

Working together as a couple is not for everyone, but it works for us. Back in the U.S., we are both full-time freelancers with unpredictable schedules that keep us constantly on the move, so our time together is something we value deeply and make a priority. Those careers have also given us the skills, flexibility, and experience that made starting this business possible.

In general, we work well as a team. We trust each other, balance each other, and genuinely enjoy creating and sharing experiences together. I think that is what makes the experiences we offer through MY Adventures feel more personable and thoughtfully designed. It is not just a business we are building together. It is an extension of the way we already love to move through the world.

What do you think the future of eco-tourism looks like?

CJ: True eco-tourism for us is about moving away from the “Instagram checklist” style of travel. It shouldn’t be about chasing the perfect selfie or hitting top-liked spots on a social media feed. Instead, the future of travel belongs to deep-rooted, locally led experiences.

It is about stepping away from the crowds and falling into authentic, unique adventures centered around the community you are visiting. At Mapu Yapa Adventures, we want your trip to feel like traveling with a close friend who is showing you their home country.

Paulina and I believe that is how real connections to the land — and to each other — are made.