A unique road trip through the wilds of Chilean Patagonia, the Carretera Austral heads south into Patagonia from Puerto Montt, some 700 km south of Santiago. We make a start on the 1,240 km route. 

The Carretera Austral can be said to start in Puerto Montt which is a fairly inauspicious beginning. The large town is shabby and although a night in a good value, well located Ibis (next to the bus terminal) did the job after the long flight, we were glad to pick up the hire car and get on the road.

We followed the coast south eastwards out of town on Ruta 7 which was to be our companion for the next 1,240 km. After 10 km things started to look better, despite the grey rainy day. Soon mountains loomed ahead as little wayside stalls selling empanadas and pan lined the roadside. Jolly painted fishing boats bobbed offshore and pelicans rested on the jetties.

At km 45 we ran out of road, turning a bend towards the sea and suddenly joining a queue for the ferry which traverses the short passage between Caleta La Arena and Caleta Puelche. It was CLP 10,950 for a car (passengers free!) and the crossing between misty islets took about 30 minutes. There is no booking required for this one and the ferries go at least every 45 minutes.

The mountains were now heavily forested as we drove 56 km to Hornopiren, a sprawling town of wooden shacks that only dates back to 1979. We filled up with petrol and bought the Carreterra maps at the Copec gas station (also useful for their free wifi), then checked into Camping El Arrayan Florido (CLP 500 each) where the river ran dark and fast behind little alerce trees.

Our boat to Caleta Gonzalo left 15 minutes late the following morning, after a quick return to port to decant a wandering cur which had sneaked aboard.

The waters were a cold gunmetal grey, whispy cloud wreathed the mountain slopes and all was still. We chugged south gently, only the odd seal or cormorant disturbing the waters. It did actually get greyer and greyer until the scenery dissolved into an indistinct mist of cloud and rain.

After 3.5 hours we arrived at Leptepú and decanted for a quick whisk over the neck of the headland to the next ferry at Fiordo Largo.

The crossing to Caleta Gonzalo only took about 45 minutes but another 40 minutes to dock with a strong cross wind. The mountains loomed dark on all sides and we felt quite remote yet this was the start of the more accessible end of Parque Pumalin. 

Parque Pumalín

There are various sectors to this park which was the brainchild of Doug Tompkins, the American founder of North Face. He started buying land in the area in 1991, so much so that at one stage some Chileans thought it was an Argentinian plot to cut off the south of the country. 

However his main intention was to preserve the unique flora and fauna of the region. After his death in a canoeing accident in 2015, the land was turned over to the Chilean state. Now a series of walking tracks and campsites allow access to the area south of Caleta Gonzalo.

There wasn’t much to see on landing, just a pleasant timber cafe. We had hoped for some park information but there was nothing at all so we headed on. Roadworks and the incessant rain made the dirt road hard going, with areas of big loose pebbles.

About 11 km further south, we stopped to do the 700 m Sendero Los Alerces walk, although it was actually more of a hop as we leapt around the track trying to avoid the huge puddles. 

Otherwise, it is an easy walk, crossing a beautifully built footbridge over the river; the boardwalk having been made from timber from fallen alerce trees.

The mighty alerce trees were once heavily logged for roof shingles until few are left today: 25% of the remaining population are said to be in this park. Growing up to 60 m high and 5 m in diameter, the oldest in the park is thought to be about 3000 years old.

The path led to an impressive stand of the trees, with one particularly enormous specimen. Reminiscent of the Californian redwood, they soar upwards, their high limbs weighed down with thick moss. 

We returned to the car, fairly wet but reassuring ourselves that at least we weren’t on a bicycle! Two rather wet individuals managed to keep pace roughly with us until we turned off at 8 pm to wild camp at Santa Barbara beach – as recommended by the hoards on iOverlander. 

We might have camped at one of the Parque Pumalin campsites but they were all closed. For a flagship park, one would have thought they could have at least one open but the tourist office didn’t even have a date, just definitely by January! 

Santa Barbera was indeed a nice spot, a black sand crescent with a large car park where several overlanders were already installed. It was so wet, windy and horrible that we didn’t even bother putting the tent up, but just went to sleep in the car. 

The rain had eased off by the following morning and we were able to have our breakfast on a rock overlooking the sea. It was all very peaceful although we didn’t see any of the dolphins which are frequently spoken of. 

A loo visit revealed a man in white overalls who proudly told us he was just about to paint the block – maybe they are getting ready for the high season!

Chaitén

Rain threatened and low clouds ruled out the longer Parque Pumalin walks of which there are many options. We had thought of doing the 4.8 km return walk up Chaitén Volcano (a very steep 610 m!) which last erupted in 2008 but it would have to wait for the return leg of our trip.

Instead we headed into Chaitén where Cafe Buen Sabor or Papa Bongo are cosy coffee and cake spots – the two cyclists had beaten us to the latter.

A quick stroll along the seafront at Chaitén revealed the town sign, high on a headland above a huge bay. Some effort had gone into the seafront with wooden sculptures of dolphins and boats. 

I had heard about one unusual sight in town: a jail which was abandoned after a huge volcanic eruption in 2008, which has now become a dark tourism sight or a welcome shelter if on two wheels: we entered to find 2 Brazilian motorcyclists in residence, sheltering from the rain. I had read about someone else who had padlocked his bicycle into one of the cells as he explored the town, and apparently the bars are quite useful for hanging hammocks!

The exercise yards were overtaken by the giant rhubarb plants (nalca) which are ubiquitous in the area and the interiors had a lot of broken glass and were fairly grubby, but the place was atmospheric enough, although I wouldn’t have chosen to sleep there – but then we are not on 2 wheels. 

The heavens had opened again by this stage and the road was the only option: we headed on south.