The famous Carretera Austral – otherwise known at Chile’s Route 7 which runs 1,240km/770mi from Puerto Montt in the North to Villa O’Higgins in the South. This mostly unpaved road is the jumping off point for some of the most of the beautiful parts of Patagonia.
This road trip is easiest to see with your own car, but (infrequent) public transportation (bus), hitchhiking, and biking are also options. I didn’t manage to see the entire route, only about half, but it marks some of the best times in South America (but also, some of the hardest travel wise!).
Beautiful scenery, rugged nature, wild camping, endless trekking opportunities – this Patagonia road trip is 100% full of adventure.
puerto rio tranquilo
Puerto Rio Tranquilo is really known for one thing – the marble caves or Capillas de Mármol. Located on the gorgeous turquoise Lago General Carrera (the second largest lake in South America) and formed by thousands of years of erosion, these natural caves are best seen at sunrise. This means you’ll need to spend the night in the small town. Heads up – the village experiences A LOT of rain year round… so you may need to wait a day or two if you want to see it with sun! The price for about an hour and a half boat ride is $10,000 CLP ($16 USD) or $35,000 CLP ($58 USD) for a three hour kayak tour. There is no ATM in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, so make sure you have enough cash on you!
The Exploradores glacier is a few hours drive away from Puerto Rio Tranquilo and said to be the cheapest place to do a glacier tour in Patagonia.
how to get there: from Los Antiguos (I caught a bus here from El Chalten), you’ll need to cross the border to Chile. To get to immigration on the Argentinian side, you’ll need to either walk or try and hitch a ride with a local. To Chile’s immigration, it’s 6km, so unless you’re traveling super light, again, you’ll want to hitch a ride… and again to Chile Chico. There is one bus a day that leaves at 10am that is booked from Martin Pescador (supermarket) in town
villa cerro castillo
Cerro Castillo is a Natural Reserve located about 80km from Coyhaique (largest town along the Carretera). There are options for one, three, and four day hikes depending on what you’re looking for (and really, depending on the weather forecast too!) The 45km multi day hike is compared to Torres del Paine due to the glaciers, glacier lakes, and forests… only with less tourists. I had wanted to do this, but when the weather showed only one day of sun for a week, well I decided the one day was smarter (especially with the crazy weather in Patagonia). However, the one day is absolutely worth it! I recommend getting an early start (think 7am) in order to get the top entirely to yourself. The one day hike starts from the village of Villa Cerro Castillo, however the start is on private property and you’ll need to pay $5,000 CLP ($8 USD) – even if you think you dodged paying by starting early… you’ll need to pay when you leave.
how to get there: from Puerto Rio Tranquilo, buses leave Monday to Saturday at 9am and 11:30am. It can’t be booked in advance, so be prepared it may be full as even in the shoulder season, someone told me they had to wait a day (it starts further south)
coyhaique
Coyhaique is the capital of the Aysen region. There is a National Reserve which I heard is worth visiting (hitchhiking is your best bet), however I used the city to relax and shop! And by shop, I mean buy food as there is a Unimarc aka actual grocery store! This is also the place to get cash, buy an outdoor clothing or gear needed, have a nice coffee or meal, AND enjoy actual wireless (so stock up downloaded Netflix or Spotify). Heads up – these luxuries come at a cost… all lodging is pretty expensive!
how to get there: from Villa Cerro Castillo, buses leaving from Puerto Rio Tranquilo should pass by between 12-1pm and 2-3pm
puyuhuapi
Continuing north on the Carretera Austral, you’ll hit the village of Puyuhuapi, which is the gateway to Queulat National Park – famous for its Ventisquero Colgante… the hanging snowdrift. This small village was founded by German settlers in the 1930’s who opened a carpet factory (which you can still visit).
To reach Queulat National Park, 22km south, a bus MAY go to the park or it may not… it is best to check with the tourist information in town. Of course, with the rest of Patagonia, hitchhiking is a typical way to reach the park. The park (entry $5,000 CLP/$8 USD for foreigners) has numerous trails, none of them being too difficult, all doable in a one day visit to the park – however, there is also camping inside the park. The area experiences A LOT rain year round, so there is a good chance that the trails will be incredibly muddy. BUT due to all this rain, you will be walking through a cold-climate rainforest. This plus the Ventisquero Colgante made this park incredibly magical.
Puyuhuapi also has hot springs which are only accessible by a boat ride… along with the bougie Puyuhuapi Lodge and Spa if you’re interested in that (and can afford the price tag!). If you’re lucky, you may also spot dolphins from town as the water appears to be a lake, but is actually the ocean!
how to get there: from Coyhaique, buses run every day at 2pm
futaleufu
Okay, technically not on the Carretera Austral, but it is a quick hop off the route and a worthy detour. Futaleufu is known as a world class whitewater adventure destination due to its class V rapids on the Futaleufu River. If whitewater isn’t your thing (but even if you’re nervous, like me… do it!), it’s still a charming town in Patagonia with hiking and horsebacking riding opportunities. For whitewater rafting, I recommend Patagonia Elements – great guides, plus, snacks at the end! Also, don’t skimp on whitewater rafting – there is the option for “bridge to bridge,” but the full day had my favorite rapids!
The Futaleufu National Reserve is accessible from town by hitchhiking, but you can also simply walk from town for access to the northern most side and spend hours walking around taking in the gorgeous Futaleufu River.
Another hike option is the Piedra del Aguila, which is located just out of town. Most of the walk is along a road which isn’t the MOST exciting, but the view from the top of the rock is worth it (but if you can manage, try to snag a ride back to town!)
Futaleufu is a gateway to hop over to Argentina – the border is only about fifteen minutes away.
how to get there: from Puyuhuapi, it isn’t the easiest! Buses direct from Coyhaique pass by on Saturdays around noon. Otherwise, you’ll need to get to Chaiten where buses go twice a day (noon and 4pm). To get to Chaiten? Well, buses from Coyhaique go there directly on Tuesdays and pass by around noon. And if Tuesdays or Saturdays doesn’t work for you, you’ll need to get to La Junta (buses go there every day and pass by Puyuhuapi around 6/7pm) and catch a bus to Chaiten (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday at 7am). Your other option? Hitchhike! You’ll want to get to Villa Santa Lucia and then walk through the “village” to try and head to Futaleufu
So most of these pictures makes it look like I had incredible luck and had allllll the sunny days, even though I mentioned how often it rains, right?! NOPE. I just waited out the rain (as I luckily wasn’t pressed for time)!
Also you can see how transportation is 100% not easy in this area. While I was told hitchhiking is common and easy (and safe!) in this area, you do need a bit of luck! In prime summer, you’ll be fighting with lots of people, and as I experienced in shoulder season (end of March), there just isn’t a lot of traffic on the road.
There were so many more places I wanted to see along the route, but due to both the transportation and weather, it didn’t happen… so I’ll just have to come back! What other places are your must sees along the Carretera Austral?
2 Comments
Looks like you’re making the best of your time. Great pictures
Those marble caves look amazing!