The Carretera Austral is a largely unpaved trunk road that connects the Great SouthChile crossed. The part completed so far leads from Puerto Montt above Coyhaique to Villa O'Higgins. It has become a popular adventure tour, especially among motorcyclists and cyclists.
In Chile the street has the number CH-7.
background
Until the 1970s, the southern part of Chile was just about Argentina accessible by land. The military government under Augusto Pinochet built the road primarily for strategic reasons to secure the region against Argentina and to guarantee its sovereignty. There was a border dispute surrounding the 1960s Laguna del Desierto (Near Villa O'Higgins), which was finally settled in 1994 when the lake was awarded to Argentina.
The long-term goal is the connection between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales. So far, a stretch of around 1,200 km to Villa O'Higgins has been completed. The missing part is, however, much more difficult to build than the previous route, as the terrain is very mountainous and the route has to be led around a glacier field. In addition, in peacetime, the question arises whether the approximately 1,000 missing kilometers make ecological and economic sense at all, since there is only one place on the wayPuerto Edén) and the route via Argentina is currently being modernized and expanded.
preparation
An all-terrain vehicle is recommended, although not absolutely necessary. If you drive a car, you should pay attention to ground clearance. Motorcycles should be robust and have off-road tires. If you want to cover the distance by bike, you should use a suspension mountain bike or at least a bike with appropriate tires.
The Carretera can also only be traveled with a backpack. Hitchhiking is possible (preferably in pairs), the Chileans like to take people with them, but the demand often exceeds the supply - in the high season there are sometimes even queues at the town exits to be taken. Alternatively, you can take the comparatively inexpensive bus, but on some sections, e.g. between La Junta and Santa Lucia, there are only few offers (once a week) and very contradicting information about the departure times.
getting there
The starting point Puerto Montt is good about the Panamericana (CH-5), which is four lanes all the way to Santiago.
The end point Villa O'Higgins is only via a small path and then by boat over the Lago O'Higgings from El Chalten in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina accessible on foot, by bike or on horseback. The settlement also has a small airport owned by Coyhaique is approached in a small aircraft.
Here we go
The route is described here from north to south. Of course, you can also tackle parts of the route or the other way around (via Argentina). However, at Villa O'Higgins there is currently no border crossing for cars, the southernmost (bad road) is included Cochrane, the southernmost with a safe open road (except at times in winter) Chile Chico, that from Comodoro Rivadavia above Perito Moreno (Argentina) is easy to get to.
Puerto Montt - Chaitén
The first section is one of the most attractive, because it leads through the natural one Pumalín Park. One piece is still missing - it was fought bitterly by environmentalists for a long time, but without success, because the section has been under construction since 2007. Today, however, you can still cover a stretch of around 100 kilometers by ferry and enjoy the fjord landscape. At the dock Caleta Gonzalo there is an information center for the nature reserve with a campsite.
The end point of the first section is the small town Chaitén (km. 155), capital of the province of Palena. From here you can also take guided tours into the park and to the crater rim of the still steaming volcano. There is also a ferry connection to the main island of the island Chiloe-Archipelago after Quellón.
Tip: You should definitely plan some time for the ferry that runs once a day. It can happen that it is up to two days late or that you cannot find a place and have to wait for the next one, especially if you are driving.
Chaitén - Coyhaique
Between Chaitén and Coyhaique, the road runs almost continuously through the rainforest. Contact with the fjords is only possible via access roads, places are rare (are worth mentioning Santa Lucia1 as a transfer point to Futaleufu, La Junta as a crossing point for 2 smaller access roads, Puyuhuapi with its hot springs, the Queulat National Park with the Ventisquero Colgante (Hanging glacier above the rainforest) and the Bosque Encantado. At the end of the route, the route goes into the mild valley of Coyhaique with a warmer microclimate. Numerous rivers are crossed, there are now bridges that can be used all year round and some of the route is even paved (in the long term, the entire Carretera between Puerto Montt and Coyhaique is supposed to be paved, so there are many construction sites along the way).
Coihaique itself (km. 575) is a comparatively large city with 50,000 inhabitants. While it doesn't offer any particular architectural charms, it is a good place to replenish supplies.
Detour Puerto Aysén
If you want, you can take a detour to the port city Puerto Aysén (or Aysén) do. From today's main port, Puerto Chacabuco, the boats go to the spectacular glacier lagoon Laguna San Rafael in the national park of the same name. Aysén itself is a green, rainy town with around 20,000 inhabitants, embedded in a wooded fjord landscape.
Coyhaique - Cochrane
Behind Coyhaique, the road initially leads up to asphalt Villa Cerro Castillo over the Ibañez Pass (1120 m), the highest point of the Carretera. The ascent from the north is long and leisurely over a valley, the south side is shorter with serpentines, but very well developed. The section to Cerro Castillo is expected to run until 2018[outdated] Worked on widening and paving the road. Here there are always restrictions and temporary full closures. There are still some gradients to be overcome here.
Then the road leads to and along the "General Carrera Lake". The lake is the largest in Chile and after that Lake Titicaca the second largest in South America. This section was one of the most difficult for the builders and is very curvy, but there are numerous views of the lake, for example at Puerto Río Tranquilo (km 789). In Rio Tranquilo there is the marble caves (Catedral de Marmol) one of the highlights of the Carretera, and shortly after the town a new cul-de-sac branches into the Valle Exploradores from. Here you can also take tours in the Laguna San Rafael National Park Companies.
At the southern end of the elongated, fjord-like lake, you can branch off to Argentina via Chile Chico. Otherwise one drives further south over Puerto Bertrand and along the Rio Baker. About 15 kilometers after Puerto Bertrand you can already marvel at the precipitous confluence ("Confuencia") of the Rio Baker with the Rio Neff from the road. You can get closer to the roaring spectacle on foot in just a few minutes. It's not far from here either Cochrane, the last larger town on the Carretera (km 906, 3,000 inhabitants). A trip to Lake Cochrane is recommended Tamango nature reserve.
Detour Chile Chico
Chile Chico is the largest town on Lake Carrera and is located exactly on the border with Argentina, about 115 kilometers from the Carretera Austral. In addition to the lake itself, there is a 40 m high rock that is worth seeing Piedra Clavadawhich stands in the middle of a flat plain (just outside the village in the Jeinimeni nature reserve).
Cochrane - O'Higgins Villa
After Cochrane you pass the junction to Caleta Tortel, which you can visit. Then it goes up again steeply 400 meters before you Puerto Yungay (km. 1039) reached. There you have to cross a fjord with a ferry. Then it goes up and down again while you follow the ravine-like Rio Bravo inland. In the end, the trail goes relatively flat along lakes and another river Villa O'Higgins (km. 1139). This little place has only blossomed somewhat since 1999, when it was connected to the Carretera Austral, before it was a tiny isolated fishing nest. The approximately 400 inhabitants are nowadays prepared for the tourists.
Detour Caleta Tortel
Caleta tortel is a small pile dwelling settlement on a fjord near the Pacific coast. It has only been connected to the Carretera Austral since 2003 and is therefore still very original and village-like. But here, too, people are slowly beginning to enjoy tourism.
security
You always have to take into account that the route is rarely used and therefore a breakdown can be a disaster, especially out of season, if you are not prepared.
Crime hardly plays a role in most of it (as in the rest of Patagonia), only in Puerto Montt there is supposed to be an increased crime since the collapse of the salmon farming. From Coyhaique, too, one hears of isolated thefts (comparable to a larger German city). Otherwise, the area is very safe and most residents do not lock their homes or cars.
Parts of the carretera are located in areas that can be threatened by earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis - especially with regard to tsunami warnings, however, all coastal areas are provisionally cleared even in the event of earthquakes at a great distance, although a major tidal wave is not actually to be expected. Most residents therefore simply hide in their homes during an evacuation operation (in order not to be forcibly evacuated, as the police are apparently obliged to take people away who they find in the affected sections). As long as it is unclear how big the expected tsunami will be (usually announced quite quickly on the radio / television), you should follow the instructions in case of doubt for your own safety.
trips
Currently the street ends in Villa O'Higgins. There is the possibility to go to the Argentine by means of a ferry / trekking / bus combination El Chalten or northern part of the Los Glaciares National Park to travel on. To do this, you first go by boat (in summer several times a week, low season only 1-2 times a week - depending on the weather) over the Lago O'Higgins to Candelario Mansilla. The crossing can be combined with a detour to the glaciers of the Patagonian ice field. From Candelario Mansilla there it goes either on foot or with rented horses to the Argentine border and down to another lake (Lake Desierto), which you can either cross by ferry or walk around. From the other end of the lake, buses usually run daily to El Chalten (tailored to the arrival of the ferry).
Currently, a piece between Puerto Yungay and the Montt glacier built as the beginning of the still missing connection to Puerto Natales. Construction is also underway on the peninsula west of Puerto Natales south of the Patagonian ice field. According to local residents, the plan is already finished and a total of seven more ferries are planned to cross fjords. However, when and whether this route will ever be completed is open.
