Carretera Austral in Southern Chile

This famous stretch of road, which has been dubbed "Pinochet's Folly" after the former dictator, is an adventure in and of itself. It is mostly a single lane gravel road that stretches south from Puerto Montt all the way to Cochrane, followed by Villa O'Higgins.

Reminiscent of the old Alaska-Canada Highway, it passes through the rugged wilds of Patagonia. Ancient forests line the road, with countless pristine streams and lakes to pass, most overflowing with the massive trout that has made Chilean fishing famous around the world. Ferries shuttle vehicles and passengers across the fjords and other areas where the landscape is too extreme to construct a road.

Here is a guide to navigating the Carretera Austral in southern Chile, I hope you find it helpful!

Part I - Puerto Montt to Chaitén.(205 kilometers- 123 miles)

A. Follow Ruta 5, the Pan-American Highway as it hugs the coast, heading south east from Puerto Montt. Enjoy the 20 kms of pavement before you hit the dirt road because it is the last you will see for 1000 kms outside of cities. Follow the road to Caleta Arena (46 kms from Puerto Montt), a tiny settlement dedicated to salmon farming and the northern ferry terminal. Schedules change for the ferry across to Caleta Puelche depending on demand so check at the Transmarchilay office in Puerto Montt before heading out. Though the high season schedule is: La Arena to Puelche every 2 hours starting at 07:45 (until 20:45), Puelche to La Arena every 2 hours starting at 07:00 (last ferry south at 20:00).

B. From Puelche one begins to experience the true beauty of the area. Although the area is inhabited, the drive south to the next ferry is wonderful, with steep, forest-lined mountains providing the backdrop for the ocean side communities along the road. The road enters truly wild areas as it heads inland and winds up into the mountains before descending on the beautiful little town of Rio Negro Hornopirén (104 kilometers from PM). This small town, which is where the ferry leaves for Caleta Gonzalo 4-5 hours to the south, is in one of the most beautiful settings of any place in Chile. Rising majestically behind the town is Hornopirén Volcano (1572 meters), which is the centerpiece of the densely forested National Park of the same name. The impressive panorama is completed by other massive mountains surrounding the village and the open waters of a huge island-filled bay. In town there are simple restaurants, rooms, cabins and camping available, as well as some of the finest (and least well known) fly fishing nearby.

For those with their own vehicle, I highly suggest driving south along the extremely narrow stretch of Ruta 5 until it ends before doubling back and catching the ferry. You will be on a cliff overlooking the ocean on the west and overshadowed by the huge jungle of the temperate rainforest mountains that make the area so outrageous. Waterfalls, granite rock faces, snowy peaks, giant ferns, ancient trees, glacier milk rivers; this is a wonderland. If you have good weather, I suggest getting down and dirty and taking a walk up one of the many vegetation choked canyons that lead in land. A simple 1/2 an hour walk/slog along a river under the dripping canopy will make you understand the inherent value in leaving the few ancient forests that remain in the world as they are. One need not be a tree-hugging environmentalist to be effected by the beauty.

C. The Ferry: Hornopirén to Caleta Gonzalo
Jan.2-March: once a day at 3:00 in the afternoon with Transmarchilay. If you are bringing a car, be sure to make a reservation at the office in Puerto Montt. Cost: a hefty US$17 per person and US$92 per car under 4 meters.

North from Caleta Gonzalo to Hornopirén: once a day at 09:00 in the morning. Same prices.

D. Caleta Gonzalo is the southern entrance to Parque Pumalin, the new park created by U.S. conservationist Douglas Tompkins. There are reasonably priced campgrounds, nice deluxe cabins and a cafe located next to the ferry ramp. The vast majority of the mountainous fjords of the park are inaccessible except by boat, yet one can get an inside glimpse at its treasures around Caleta Gonzalo where there is a fantastic 3 hour hike/slog through the temperate rainforest to a cascading waterfall; a scene that could easily be imagined to be Hawaii. There is also a wonderful (easy) 10 minute trail to a stand of alerces growing 12 kms south of Caleta Gonzalo. This should not be missed by anyone; the opportunity to gaze upon and walk among trees that have been living for 3000 years is truly a powerful one.

The road continues south through more beautiful scenery for 60 kms before arriving at the city of Chaiten, a sleepy, spread out community located on a large flatland on the edge of the ocean and bordered by the Patagonian mountains.

Soon I'll try to write about how to get from Chaitén to Puyuhuapi