The "Carretera Austral" (Southern Highway) is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs South for about 1,240 kilometres from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins, passing through rural Patagonia. Carretera Austral provides road access to sparsely populated regions and despite its length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. The largest city along the entire road is Coyhaique.
Construction of the highway was commenced in 1976 under the military dictatorship era in order to connect a number of remote communities. The engineering corps of the Chilean Army used thousands of conscripts from 1976 to 1985 to build the road. The highway opened to traffic in 1988, and by 1996 was completed to Puerto Yungay. The last 100 kilometers to Villa O'Higgins were opened in 2000. In 2003, a branch road to Caleta Tortel was finished.
Carretera Austral has a strategic meaning due to the difficult access by land to a significant portion of Chile's southern territory. This area is characterized by thick forests, fjords, glaciers, channels and steep mountains. Access by sea and air is also a complex task due to extreme winter weather conditions. For decades, most of the land transportation had to cross the border to Argentina in order to reach again Chile's Patagonia.
First ferry!
Hornopirén is a town that lies along the northern portion of Carretera Austral. Hornopirén is an important tourist stop on Chile’s Carretera Austral and serves as the departure point for the bi-modal car ferry system on the Carretera Austral through the Palena Province. It also provides access to Hornopirén National Park and the Northern Patagonia Fjordlands.
I had NOT booked the long ferry ride from Hornopiren and I had to wait for 3 days (one ferry per day during the low season) until they could find a spot for my Land Roamer...
Day number 1, my Land Roamer is third in the waiting line...
Day number 2, my Land Roamer is first in the waiting line...
Day number 3, finally I can board the ferry!
Second Ferry
Third Ferry
The Marble Chapel (or Marble Cathedral) is a set of calcium carbonate formations that have been sculpted by water for thousands of years. Its caves have walls with white, gray and blue veins, which reflect the light of the lake generating unique tones.
This geological phenomenon includes three main sectors: the Chapel, the Cathedral and the Cave. Each sector presents natural cavities and corridors polished by water. The result is a landscape that appears to be carved by hand, but completely natural.
This sanctuary stands out for its scenic value and fragility, which is why it has been protected as a National Monument since 1994. It is a protected area that also includes the Cathedral and the Marble Cavern. The navigation allows to admire the walls from very close, without intervening with the internal structure.
Caleta Tortel is a coastal village located between the mouth of the Baker River the largest river in Chile and a small embayment of the Baker Channel. The surrounding geography is rugged, formed by a number of islands, fjords, channels and estuaries.
The village was founded in 1955 to exploit the Guaytecas cypress (Pilgerodendron uviferum) wood that was abundant in the area. The timber business accounts for most of the economy in Tortel to this day.
Caleta Tortel consists mainly of stilt houses, typical of Chilotan architecture, built along the coast for several kilometers. There are no conventional streets - instead there are wooden walkways built with Guaitecas cypress. The wooden walkways give the village its distinctive look and its unique culture.
Fourth Ferry
Villa O'Higgins is a small town in the Aysén Region of southern Chile, located 550 km south of Coyhaique. Founded in 1966 and named after the Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins.
Villa O'Higgins is connected to the rest of Chile by the Carretera Austral – the final 120 km of which were completed southwards from Puerto Yungay in 2000 – and is the gateway to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
This is the end of the Carretera Austral.
You have to backtrack 294 kilometers (on the same road that you drove going South) up to the junction to branch off and exit Chile at Chile Chico and enter Argentina at Los Antiguos.
It's supposed to be"SUMMER" in Patagonia!!!
Click => here to see the next blog of Southern Chile:
"My Personal Memories"
