Dream route Northern Carretera Austral
10 days / 9 nights
DAY 1
Arrival in Puerto Varas
At Puerto Montt Airport, pick up your rental car for your Carretera Austral trip! From Puerto Montt, you can drive straight on to your accommodation in the pretty town of Puerto Varas, 20 minutes away, right at Lake Llanquihue.
DAY 2
Puerto Varas
Today you have the opportunity to take a hike at the foot of the Volcano Osorno. In the afternoon you will drive to the Vicente Perez Rosalez National Park and visit the impressive rapids "Saltos del Petrohue" and the lake "Todos los Santos".
DAY 3
Puerto Varas - Hornopiren
Today your journey begins on the Carretera Austral to the south. On the way there are the thermal baths of Ralen, which can only be reached by boat. After that, the unpaved section of the Carretera Austral begins. The dream route awaits you in full beauty.
DAY 4
Hornopirén - Caleta Gonzalo
To find the port for the ferry connection to Caleta Gonzalo, you have to pass through Hornopirén. By the way, this ferry connection consists of two ferries and works as follows: A first ferry will take you from Hornopirén to Leptepu in about 3. 5 hours. You will depart from the boat and reach Fiordo Largo in 10 minutes, where a second ferry will be transferred to Caleta Gonzalo (crossing: 45 minutes). Once again on solid ground, you pass through the private Pumalin Park.
DAY 5
PumalÃn National Park
Today you have time to explore the beautiful Pumalin National Park. It offers many hiking trails with magnificent viewpoints. In Chile's largest private national park, you'll enjoy beautiful walks through centuries-old Alerce forests, which are easy to master by everyone. Alerces (Patagonian cypresses) are huge trees, of which more than 3600 years old specimens exist and are therefore considered to be among the oldest living beings on earth.
DAY 6
Caleta Gonzalo - Puyuhuapi
Your journey takes you along rivers, lakes, glaciers etc. and will take you today to the Risopatron Lake in the Queulat National Park. Once in the Queulat National Park, you will hike through dense rainforest for two to three hours, depending on weather conditions, past waterfalls with beautiful views to the icy mountain peaks and suspension glaciers. In the evening you are in Puyuhuapi, a village formerly founded by Sudeten Germans in a dreamy location right on the bay.
DAY 7
Puyuhuapi - Coyhaique
Today you go to the district capital of the Aysen region to Coyhaique. The journey through this area alone is a highlight of the trip. You will certainly make several stops to simply admire the incredible nature. Take your time because it's your journey and you're totally unbound.
DAY 8
Coyhaique - Puerto Rio Tranquilo
Today, as the journey is long, we recommend you to leave early in the morning for the largest inland lake in South America. Once in Rio Tranquilo, you can visit the marble caves and chapel by boat or kayak.
DAY 9
Laguna San Rafael National Park
A final adventure in Patagonia is on the agenda: A glacier hike on the Exploradores glacier. From Rio Tranquilo you will go to the Refugio (small hut) in the Exploradores Valley. There you will get the technical equipment and a short briefing. Afterwards, the hike begins in an evergreen forest. You see native flora and fauna. It goes slowly uphill until you have a terrace with views of the Exploradores Glacier, Mount San Valentín and Lake Bayo. After a short break, you will walk down the moraine until you are on "clean" ice. There you put on your equipment and start with the hike on the glacier, perfect to see, feel and hear the ice. Afterwards you will return on the same way.
DAY 10
Rio Tranquilo - Balmaceda
Today your adventure ends on the Carretera Austral. Depending on the flight time, you will drive to Balmaceda Airport and return your rental car.