The south Carretera Austral can be done from the Balmaceda airport or from the regional capital Coyhaique. Shortly after walking we will find what may be our first or last stop, Cerro Castillo National Park, if the intention is to make little progress that day this is an excellent place to enjoy nature and rest.

THE UNMISSABLE

We will continue the trip surprising ourselves with the large number of lakes, rivers and waterfalls, once we pass the Bahía Murta sector we will begin to see General Carrera Lake in all its magnitude. The next stop will be the town Puerto Rio Tranquilo, recognized for its three great attractions, the Marble Chapels, General Carrera Lake and Exploradores Glacier. This place gives to stay more than a day especially if there is good weather you can enjoy the Lake beach.

We continue heading south to reach the small town of Puerto Bertrand. Here the Baker River is born, which amazes for its great flow and for its turquoise waters, it is an excellent opportunity to do Rafting family floats and also to fish.

THE PARK YOU MUST VISIT

A few kilometers we reach the access to Patagonia Park, Valle Chacabuco sector, which is undoubtedly one of the must-sees of this trip. It has camping sites and a varied network of trails suitable for all tastes. The great amount of fauna of the place makes it very interesting especially for the little ones. This place also invites you to stay more than one day.

We arrived at Cochrane, the largest town in the Glacier Province. Here we also have a large number of panoramas to do, from visiting a glacier, taking advantage of the beach or going fishing. It is essential to stock up at this point if you are going to continue south.

Our next stop will be Caleta Tortel. This town has the particularity that it does not have streets and all its architecture is based on stilt houses. It has important attractions such as the Montt Glacier (part of the Laguna San Rafael National Park), the island of the Dead, among others.

We go back a bit and take the detour to Puerto Yungay. Here, a barge allows us to cross the Mitchell Fjord in order to reach the last place on the Carretera Austral, Villa O’Higgins.

Villa O’Higgins is a small town where a group of people make their homeland under difficult conditions. In this place we recommend visiting the surroundings, the O’Higgins Glacier, fishing, among others. The place itself is already a spectacle.

RETURN

We begin the return until we reach Puerto Guadal, bordering the lake on the southeast side until we reach the town of Chile Chico.

Chile Chico is known for its particular micro climate, here the must-see is undoubtedly the Patagonia Park Jeinimeni sector, where you can visit the Moon Valley, the nailed stone or the Jeinimeni Lagoon sector where the campsite is located. If you have more days, from this point you can cross over to Argentina (see Patagonia Chile – Argentina route)

We finish our trip with the Ferry crossing of the General Carrera Lake to get to the town of Puerto Ibáñez, leaving a few hours of travel to get to Coyhaique/Balmaceda.

This trip will undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience. Recommended for those who enjoy or need to walk slower, to take the time to enjoy the small corners and amazing landscapes that the Carretera Austral has.