Cycling the Carretera Austral, Part 2: Puerto Río Tranquilo to Puyuhuapi, Chile
27 January - 16 February 2025
27 January - Puerto Río Tranquilo to Río Murta (15.6 mi, 25.1 km)
28 January - Río Murta to Río Cajón (35.6 mi, 57.3 km)
29 January - Río Cajón to Villa Cerro Castillo (23.5 mi, 37.8 km)
30 January - Rest day in Villa Cerro Castillo
31 January - Villa Cerro Castillo to Laguna Chiguay (22.6 mi, 36.4 km)
1 February - Laguna Chiguay to Coyhaique (36.3 mi, 58.4 km)
2-9 February - Layover in Coyhaique
10 February - Coyhaique to Villa Los Torreones (26.5 mi, 42.6 km)
11 February - Villa Los Torreones to Villa Mañihuales (30.8 mi, 49.6 km)
12 February - Villa Mañihuales to Camping Magia Patagónica (26.4 mi, 42.5 km)
13 February - Camping Magia Patagónica to Wild Camp (31.3 mi, 50.4 km)
14 February - Wild Camp to Puyuhuapi (34.2 mi, 55.0 km)
15-16 February - Rest days in Puyuhuapi
Rainforests of the Andes
Since the beginning of 2025, we had been cycling through the mountainous, subpolar forests that blanket the southern Andes. While precipitation can vary widely across this region, the western part (where we were) is considered rainforest because it can get up to 150 inches (4000 mm) of rain a year. That’s a lot of rain, and we certainly had our share of wet cycling days.
However, as the saying goes… we hadn’t seen anything yet. Heading north out of Puerto Río Tranquilo, we rapidly transitioned from the subpolar forests into a new ecoregion - the Valdivian temperate rainforest. Sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, this region receives all of the moisture wrung from the clouds that blow inland from the sea. As a result, it is one of the wettest zones in South America, receiving as much as 235 inches of rain (6000 mm) each year. That’s nearly 20 ft of rain - more rain than falls in most areas of the Amazon basin! Needless to say, we would get wet.
The weather forecast for the day we departed from Puerto Río Tranquilo looked pretty good. It called for light showers, but nothing heavy. So even though there was a windy drizzle when we rolled out onto the road at 8:30am, we weren’t too worried. However, we were not quite prepared for what came next.
Within 15 minutes, we found ourselves cycling into an extremely strong headwind. Added to the relentless washboards in the gravel road, plus the hilly terrain, the wind sapped our energy and enthusiasm. In spite of the fact that the scenery continued to be gorgeous, with panoramic views of General Carrera Lake, PedalingGal was soon struggling. PedalingGuy did his best to try to cheer her up, but it was a tough battle.
View across General Carrera Lake under a moody sky. Carretera Austral, North of Puerto Río Tranquilo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The snow-capped peaks of the Andes were never far away. Carretera Austral, North of Puerto Río Tranquilo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Then… just as the wind began to lessen a bit the rain came on strong, becoming a steady, cold, downpour. Our speed improved somewhat with the reduction in the wind. But there was no denying that we were getting soaked and cold.
A weathered farm building on a hill overlooking General Carrera Lake. Rain from the thickening clouds started to obscure the far side of the lake. Carretera Austral, North of Puerto Río Tranquilo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
By this point we were cycling through a steady, cold rain. General Carrera Lake, Carretera Austral, North of Puerto Río Tranquilo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
After about 3.5 hours of cycling we approached a bus shelter near a road intersection. Spotting an opportunity, PedalingGuy pulled over at the shelter to change his shoes. For a typical day of cycling in the rain he would have worn waterproof socks and sandals. But since the forecast had called for only light rain he had worn his regular shoes. They were now soaking wet and making his feet cold.
We were not the only ones seeking shelter at the bus stop. Before we arrived it was already crowded with 5+ backpackers, all trying to stay dry under the small shelter. Fortunately, we managed to find enough space to sit on one of the wooden benches, and PedalingGuy was able to get into some dry socks.
But sitting there, among the damp backpackers all looking a little sullen, with the rain falling heavily outside, we started to wonder about the wisdom of continuing down the road. We had originally planned to cycle another 15 miles to a wild camp. Yet looking at the weather, we had to admit that it showed no signs of improving. The odds were strong that we would end up pitching our camp in a cold, driving rain. We were already drenched, so the idea of going to bed wet was not appealing at all.
As luck would have it, we had just passed one of the few possibilities for lodging along the route - a hospedaje near the road intersection. We decided it would be wise to cycle back and see if we could get a room for the night.
To our great relief, they had a little cabin available. We spent about 45 minutes drying off near the wood stove in the main lodge, waiting for the cabin to be cleaned. They had some metal rods situated above the stove where we were able to hang our wettest gear (coats and gloves) to dry. A mug of hot tea also helped to take the chill out of our bones.
Wondering if the rain will ever stop, from within the nice, warm, and dry lodge of Residencial Patagonia. Carretera Austral, Río Murta, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
When we first entered the cabin it was freezing cold. But the host had lit a fire in the wood stove for us, and within an hour and a half the cabin began to feel warmer and drier. It was too small of a space to bring our bikes inside, unfortunately. So we brought in all of our essential gear, which began to dry out nicely. After a delightfully warm shower we promptly fell asleep to the sound of rain on the roof, worn out from the morning’s challenges.
We finished the evening using the lodge’s blazingly fast Starlink wifi, and enjoying a lovely dinner prepared at the lodge. It turned into a fine day after all.
It rained steadily all night, and into the morning. But we were fortunate that by the time we departed, around 8am, the precipitation had become just a light drizzle. In fact, the day’s weather was a huge improvement, with just short rain showers that gave us plenty of time to dry off in between. As a bonus, strong winds that had been forecast never materialized. We felt very lucky.
Best of all, we actually benefitted from all of the recent rain. The ground was saturated with moisture. As a result, there was no dust thrown up when cars passed us on the gravel road. It was wonderful.
The entire day we cycled through thick, damp forests - a big change from the pines and grasslands around General Carrera Lake. In many places the road was bordered by a dense understory of the fluorescent, pink-flowered Fuchsia magellanica, which grew to heights well above our heads - a sure sign that we were back in the rainforest.
Passing a ranch in the Río Murta Valley. Carretera Austral, Santa Julia, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Tall bushes of Fuchsia magellanica grew in a dense understory within the moist forest. The light rain coated each fluorescent-pink flower in a watery glaze. Carretera Austral, near Santa Julia, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
For most of the morning we cycled through a mellow valley, following the Río Murta. Without the wind, we covered the miles quickly. It felt great to make such swift, forward progress. Carretera Austral, crossing the Río Murta, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
After 3.5 hours we began the ascent of the Cofré Pass, one of the five highest climbs along the Carretera Austral. Topping out at just over 2,000 ft (610 m), it’s not a super-huge mountain. But it does go uphill for nearly five miles, requiring an extended effort to get up and over the top. With the loose road surface, some of the gradients were steep enough to have us pushing our bikes up the hill. But we were already more than halfway to our destination, and we knew the terrain would be a lot easier after we got over the top. It was an awesome feeling to reach the summit of the pass. On the 13 mile descent, our spirits were high.
A sign along the road urged, “Let’s Take Care of the Forests” - a sentiment we share. Carretera Austral, climbing the Cuesta Cofré, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Descending from the Cuesta Cofré. Carretera Austral, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Many Noises in the Night
By this point we had stayed at a couple of other campgrounds along the Carretera Austral, and felt like we had a pretty good idea of what to expect at Camping Río Cajón. It’s pretty typical for these campgrounds to be situated on working farms. But Camping Río Cajón took this concept to a whole new level.
This campground was on a VERY active, working farm. We had to be careful choosing a spot for the tent because of all the ‘calling cards’ left behind on the lawn by the sheep, chickens, horses and dogs. The tenting area was immediately adjacent to an occupied horse corral (although there was one, additional horse wandering around outside the corral, among the tents). A flock of sheep munched on the grass of a hill just a few yards further away (no fence to bother them). Plus there were a couple of dozen free-range chickens and turkeys nearby. It had the potential to be a very noisy night.
Even so, this campground was packed with cyclists - in large part due to its convenient distance from the next town and strategic location relative to the Cofré Pass. There were two guys, each with their own tent, already at the campground when we arrived. As the afternoon progressed, five additional cyclists rolled in. As a result, the tent space got a little crowded and we could add snoring to the list of potential nighttime sounds.
View across the camping area at the Río Cajón Campground. Our tent was close to another cyclist’s spot. The fence just beyond our tent was a horse corral, complete with resident horses. Carretera Austral Camping Río Cajón Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
It rained off-and-on all evening. Fortunately, we were able to pitch the tent during a break in the precipitation. However, it also became quite windy. We decided to lay our bikes down on the ground near the tent, to keep them from being blown over by a gust of wind during the night. We were glad to have the campground’s indoor common room as a dry place to eat our dinner. It was basic (no electricity, heat or stove), but it was quite a bit more relaxing than being outside in the rain. Even so, we were ready for bed and snuggled into our sleeping bags by 8:30pm.
But sleep was elusive.
At first the disturbance came from some of our cyclist neighbors, who chatted loudly with each other in the darkness until 10pm. When they finally stopped talking it was a relief, and we had hopes for a peaceful night.
But it was not to be. Five minutes later, the farm’s three shepherd dogs fanned out across the farm for their evening shift as guard dogs, with one of them taking up a position right next to our tent. During the day these dogs helped to herd the sheep and other animals but at night they were on full alert for any out of the ordinary noises. Pretty soon they started barking. And barking, and barking.
It’s impossible to know exactly what got them so riled up, but once they got going it seemed like the they were having a competition to see who could bark the loudest and longest. Twice the owner called to them to shush them up - at which point they would stay quiet for about 10 minutes. But then it would start up again. And once one started barking, they all joined in. Given the farm full of animals and the healthy mountain lion population in the area, the dogs certainly were not going to let anything happen to any of their farm friends on their watch.
Those three dogs kept up a full-throated chorus for nearly four hours. It was after 1:30am when they finally settled down. Unfortunately, that just made it easier for us to hear the snoring emanating from another, nearby tent - no surprise, since there always seems to be one snorer in the crowd. Luckily, a pair of earplugs blocked out that noise. We finally got some sleep, but the night was very short. As we have long known, busy campgrounds are one of the worst places to get a good night’s sleep. Nothing beats a good wild camp.
Light rain had fallen most of the night, and it was still coming down when we awoke around 6am. For an hour and a half we lay in our sleeping bags listening to the sounds of morning on the farm - horses snorting, roosters crowing, and flocks of wild parakeets squawking - while rain pattered on our tent. We did not hear the dogs barking, however. They were probably catching up on sleep after their long night of guard duty, before the day shift of herding animals started.
The Final Push to Pavement
By the time we were on our bikes it seemed like the weather was finally starting to clear. The clouds slowly parted, and by mid-morning all rain had stopped - revealing a sky with patchy clouds and even some sun. But the true miracle was that we had a brisk tailwind. It started gently in the morning, and increased in intensity as the day progressed. In this part of the world, the wind rarely blows from the south (making tailwinds exceedingly rare for folks like us, who are heading northward). However, the wind sometimes blows off the mountains to the west. And on this day we cycled nearly due east, with a westerly wind at our backs. It was an awesome change of pace.
The first couple of hours of cycling through the valley of the Ibáñez River flew by. For two hours we sailed along on nearly-level ground and mostly gentle hills - with a boost from that tailwind.
We passed this herd of shaggy goats on our descent off the Cofré Pass. In the rugged mountains, goats were by far the most numerous domestic animals. Carretera Austral, near Río Cajón, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Water was abundant along the route, with many small waterfalls tumbling down the rocky cliffs. Carretera Austral, West of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The level ground in the Ibáñez River Valley had been cleared for pastures by local ranchers. Carretera Austral, West of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Yet the easy cycling didn’t last.
With only two miles (3.2 km) of gravel to go we hit a killer climb. It was a perfect storm of difficult conditions: gradient of 12%, loose rocks on a hard-packed surface, wall-to-wall washboards, passing traffic throwing up clouds of dust from the very narrow road bed, and a mushy gravel shoulder. The only thing we had going for us was that the tailwind had whipped up to around 30 mph (50 kph), literally helping to push us up the hill. We were both able to ride all the way up the hill without having to get off our bikes and push, but only because of the tailwind.
Part of the way up the hill we stopped for a break at a roadside pull-out overlooking the valley below. From there we enjoyed a stunning view of the confluence of two very different rivers - where the clear, turquoise waters of a nearby lake joined with the milky brown water of the Ibáñez River. It was beautiful to see how they flowed side-by-side, with hardly any mixing for a long distance.
Confluence of the Río Ibáñez (chalky brown) and the Río El Manso (turquoise blue). Carretera Austral, West of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
At the top of the ridge, we finally reached the pavement. It was such a relief to leave the dust and the bouncing washboards behind. After a blazing descent on the blacktop, we began a second, bigger climb. But although it had some equally steep sections, it was a breeze compared to climbing on the gravel. A roadside overlook at the top provided more awesome views of the Ibáñez River valley, before the final, smooth descent into Villa Cerro Castillo.
At the very top of the second pass was another overlook with the Ibáñez River far below, and a breathtaking view of the Andes mountains on the far side. Carretera Austral, Mirador Ibáñez, West of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
At the bottom of a very fast descent we crossed the Ibáñez River on our way into town. We were amazed to see how the wide, sprawling river was channeled into a deep, narrow gorge. The river itself must have been very deep to accommodate all that water as it rushed through the slim gap in the rocks. Bridge over the Río Ibáñez, Carretera Austral, West of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
View of the village’s namesake, “Castle Hill,” from a little plaza on the north side of town. Carretera Austral, Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Villa Cerro Castillo (pop. 550) had seemed like the ideal place for a cycling break, but it ended up not being as restful as we had hoped. A whole suite of factors conspired against us: a squeaky, wooden bed frame, a rooster next door that began serenading us before dawn, and worst of all, the owner’s dog that barked loudly almost all night. Our plans for catching up on sleep after the noisy night in the Río Cajon Campground were dashed. And for two more nights we didn’t get much rest.
We did take a day off, and managed to take care of some regular bicycle maintenance. Plus, another big storm with lots of ran and wind blew through on our rest day. So it was good to be dry and warm indoors. But any chance of catching up on our sleep would have to wait.
Climbing Towards Heaven on the Devil’s Pass
In our sleep-deprived state, we had some trouble getting rolling the following morning. When PedalingGuy noted that there wasn’t really any rush to get started because we were heading for a wild camp that evening, we ended up taking longer than usual to get ready - finally hitting the road around 9:30am (one of our latest starts of the trip).
But soon enough we settled into a rhythm, and tackled the big hill ahead of us - the Devil’s Pass (Cuesta del Diablo). At around 3,660 ft in height (1,115 m), the Devil’s Pass is easily the highest point along the Carretera Austral. The climbing began almost instantly on the northern edge of Villa Cerro Castillo, dishing out over 2,500 ft of elevation gain in roughly 10 miles (16 km). Fortunately, the weather had changed dramatically and we had a gorgeous day for the ascent. And now we were cycling along smooth pavement, so the entire climb was rideable - even the steepest sections with over 20% gradients.
This sign gave us fair warning. It reads, “Caution, Strong Gradients.” Some sections had close to a 20% slope, so we would say that the sign was accurate. Climbing the Cuesta del Diablo, Carretera Austral, East of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
About two thirds of the way up the pass, a scenic overlook provided a view back down the valley. The road we had just ascended slithered away in a ribbon of switchbacks below. Whenever you see switchbacks like these you know there is a steep climb, but unfortunately pictures never accurately portray steep gradients. Climbing the Cuesta del Diablo, Carretera Austral, East of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Cyclists have been known to disappear in these mountains! Above the tree line, Summit of the Cuesta del Diablo, Carretera Austral, East of Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Pretty soon we entered the Cerro Castillo National Park. The most notable indication that we were in the park was the sudden proliferation of animal crossing signs. In addition to puma and fox-crossing signs, there were a whole lot of signs for the Huemul deer (a.k.a., South Andean deer) - an endangered species that is now confined to small populations in the remote mountains of southern Chile and Argentina. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the featured species.
Jagged peaks along the descent from the Cuesta del Diablo. Carretera Austral, Cerro Castillo National Park, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Descending into the Blanco River Valley north of the Cuesta del Diablo. Carretera Austral, Cerro Castillo National Park, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Our chosen camping spot for the night turned out to be a real treat. There was a campground within the national park that was closed over a year ago because of a nasty caterpillar infestation. (Yes, you heard that correctly, a caterpillar infestation closed the campground.) Although the caterpillars were long gone, the park had not officially re-opened the campground. So there were no park personnel on site, and no services. However, we had heard that the rangers didn’t mind if people stayed there anyway, as long as they kept the sites clean - and there was no fee.
When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised by the nice, free campsites. Each one had a picnic table, a water spigot, and a small wooden shelter. The sites also were fairly level, and completely devoid of the little spiky burrs that infested most of the roadside wild-camping sites (with the potential to end the useful life of our air mattresses). Nearby there was a bathroom with flush toilets. In fact, some of the amenities at this ‘closed’ campground were better than most of the paid campgrounds we had recently occupied - especially since it was QUIET.
After dinner we had time to go for a walk over to the little lake at the edge of the campground. A signpost indicated that there was a forest trail, which we followed uphill onto a ridge. The whole area was densely forested with lenga beeches, and it was quite cold in the shadow of the trees.
This signpost alerted us to a trail (Sendero Buena Vista) which led through the woods and up onto a nearby ridge. Carretera Austral, Laguna Chiguay Campground, Cerro Castillo National Park, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Along the trail many of the tree trunks were coated with lichens. Carretera Austral, Buena Vista Trail, Laguna Chiguay Campground, Cerro Castillo National Park, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The Return of the Wind
Happily, the tranquility of the night exceeded our expectations. There were no farm animals or dogs around, and no sounds except the wind rustling in the leaves of the trees overhead. It was a dramatic change from the variety of noises we had endured over the past three nights. PedalingGuy even remarked that he woke up during the night, and immediately noticed how quiet it was. He actually wondered if he would have trouble falling back asleep because it was so quiet!
In the morning we both felt refreshed, and fully rested. However, it had been a very cold night. It didn’t go below freezing, but we suspect it got pretty close. As usual, that slowed us down a bit, and made it hard to rouse ourselves. We laid in our tent, enjoying the warmth of our sleeping bags. The sun didn’t rise over the eastern mountains until nearly 8:30am.
We weren’t too worried about a late start because we expected a relatively easy ride with lots of downhill cycling. Before hitting the road, we thought the day would pass relatively quickly. But it was not to be. The truth is, there’s always some challenge in Patagonia. On this day, it was the wind.
Unlike most of Patagonia, the conventional wisdom about cycling on the Carretera Austral is that the wind isn’t a big factor, because the route passes through thick forests where the trees block the wind. Plus, most cyclists never notice it because they have tailwinds as they head south. And up until this day we had enjoyed mostly light breezes. So we started to think that the conventional wisdom was accurate, and we wouldn’t have to worry about the wind.
That proved to be a mistake. Almost immediately after departing the Laguna Chiguay Campground we exited the national park, and the forest started to disappear. It was replaced by giant farms and ranches with lots of open pasture land. As we passed, we could see the old stumps of trees out in the fields - an indication that this land had been cleared of forest to make way for the farms. That was the end of our wind protection.
About 15 minutes into our ride the forest disappeared, and was replaced by wide open farms and pasture land. We could see the stumps of trees out in the fields, indicating that this land had been cleared of forest to make way for agriculture. Carretera Austral, South of Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Before long the headwind was roaring along in gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph), and the strong winds lasted for the rest of the day. It became one of those days when you have to pedal hard even while going downhill. There was no relief. As a result, the ride was a lot more challenging, and took considerably longer than we had expected.
In the little village of El Blanco (pop. 305) we stopped at a small market for a much needed break. We were sitting on a bench outside the market when a guy on a bicycle rolled up, heading southbound. That’s how we met Zack, a very friendly cyclist from British Columbia. We learned that he had started his journey in Peru 1.5 years ago and was working his way southward. He was an experienced beer brewer, and said he was able to secure contract work at breweries along his path to earn money. While talking about our various trips, he mentioned that he wanted to go cycling in Africa someday and asked us about our experiences there.
Before departing, he told us that he considered us “time millionaires” because we have found a way to have the time to explore the world on bikes. He reminded us about how the experiences we have cycling are so much more valuable than money in the bank. Although he said he aspired to be a “time millionaire” someday, we think he has already achieved it through his roving brewery work. There are very few parts of the world where they aren’t brewing beer.
After five hours of cycling we took our second, extended break at a little food truck parked at a junction in the road. They are well known for their excellent empanadas, and we can confirm that the food was delicious. (A feature of big cycling days is that every meal tastes awesome, but we’re pretty sure that these empanadas would have been wonderful even without being tired and hungry). We sat at their little, outdoor table and savored some of the largest empanadas we have ever had, stuffed with meat, an egg and a single olive (typical of this region of Chile). The olive is like the prize since you have to be careful to find it and not break a tooth, because it always still contains a pit. The food truck was run by a sweet husband and wife team, with the empanadas baked on site in a big, portable, wood-fired oven.
The oven where all the magic happened - baking delicious empanadas for travelers along the Carretera Austral, South of Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
After our empanada break we tackled the final run into the city of Coyhaique. Fortunately for us, the wind died down a little bit - so the miles passed easier towards the end. We finally arrived in town after 6.5 hours on the road.
Layover in the ‘Big’ City
Coyhaique is positively enormous relative to other towns along the Carretera Austral. As the capital city of the Aysén Region, it serves as the primary commerce and transportation hub for the third-largest region in Chile (by acreage). And with a population of 62,800 (slightly less than Cheyenne, Wyoming), it’s by far the largest community along the length of the Carretera Austral. In fact, it is nearly 12x larger than the next biggest town. All of this might lead you to believe that Coyhaique is a thriving urban area. But the truth was a little more laid back.
Because although the Aysén region covers a large area of land, it is very sparsely populated. Fewer Chileans live in Aysén than any other region of the country. So Coyhaique is basically the central hub of a region where there is not much commercial or social activity. As a result, it still feels like a sleepy, rural community with one street boasting a couple of outdoor sporting stores, just a handful of restaurants, and no tourist attractions within the city itself.
The features Coyhaique does have include several excellent bike mechanics, very fast internet, and more fresh produce than the smaller towns to the south. For two cyclists coming from the wilds of Southern Chile, those are conditions enough to warrant staying in town for a couple of days. We ended up spending a few extra days in Coyhaique to take care of some bicycle maintenance and shoe repairs, and to enjoy some R&R at the best hotel we’d encountered since departing Punta Arenas, a month earlier.
In fact, the bike mechanic in town was one of the few people in the Americas that we have heard of who can successfully repair Rohloff wheel hubs (outside of those who work at the Rohloff manufacturing operations in Germany), giving him near-deity status among some cyclists. Thankfully our hubs did not need his care, but we figured anyone who can repair a Rohloff Hub, one of the most complex parts on many bikes, could surely help us with a brake problem we were having.
One of the things we enjoyed the most about our stay was the cherries. We had arrived during peak cherry season, and half of the street corners in town were occupied by vendors selling super-ripe cherries by the kilo from giant crates stacked nearby. They were phenomenally delicious. Between the two of us, we must have consumed 4-5 kilos of cherries.
Coyhaique was a rather subdued town. But it did have this dazzling sculpture of a hummingbird and fuchsia flowers at the main highway intersection. Carretera Austral, Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A massive hill provided an impressive backdrop to the town’s colorfully painted houses. Carretera Austral, Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
This wasn’t the first time we’d seen Cochayuyo (an edible species of bull kelp) for sale, but it appeared to be particularly abundant in shops in Coyhaique. The dried seaweed has been a staple of Chilean food since pre-Colombian times, and is commonly added to stews and salads. Carretera Austral, Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Still Wet
While we were in Coyhaique, the weather developed a pattern of alternating lovely days with days that were a total washout. So it wasn’t a great sign when we got out of bed on the morning of our planned departure to find that it was raining, and that the forecast had changed to include a ton of precipitation. Eager to get rolling, we packed up our things and headed for the door - hoping somehow that the forecast would be wrong and the weather would improve. But it didn’t. With memories of the difficult conditions we encountered the day we had departed Río Tranquilo still fresh in our minds, we aborted our departure in the final moment. We turned around, went back into the hotel, and made a reservation for one more night.
Thank goodness we did that, because we dodged a bullet. It rained hard and steadily all day. During one foray to a nearby store we observed that the roads coming off the nearby mountain were so full of water they were flowing like rivers. It would have been a tough day to be out on our bikes.
The next morning we had a really hard time getting out on the road. Perhaps staying up until nearly midnight the previous night to watch the US football Super Bowl wasn’t such a great idea. Furthermore, it was still raining in the morning. The rain was supposed to end around 9am, so with the hope of staying dry, we didn’t bother to hurry.
After a leisurely breakfast, we finally managed to get our bikes and ourselves out the door around 9:45am. However, when PedalingGuy tried to load our cycling route for the day on his phone, something went terribly wrong. His app had the route, but it didn’t show any base map - so we couldn’t see any roads or other landmarks. That had never happened before. We don’t carry paper maps or dedicated GPS devices, and we rely entirely on our phones for navigation. Without a base map the app wouldn’t be particularly useful in helping us find our way. Rebooting his phone didn’t fix the problem. Would we have to abort our departure again?
In the end, PedalingGuy had to go back inside the hotel and re-download the entire route segment. That took another 45 minutes. We finally mounted our bicycles and headed down the road at 10:45am - one of our latest starts yet.
On the bright side, it wasn’t raining anymore. That was especially welcome because we had to climb over the Marchant Pass - which began its ascent right at the edge of town. It’s not one of the bigger climbs along the Carretera Austral, but on this occasion the entire section of road - from the base to the summit - was under construction.
The road crews had closed one lane, so all the traffic had to use the remaining lane - alternating directions. That worked out pretty well for us, because we were able to ride on the side of the road that was under construction, protected by the traffic cones. Without any rain, the rough road surface was much easier to cycle on. It seemed like a great stroke of luck.
As we got near the top of Marchant Pass we had some gorgeous views back down the Simpson River Valley towards Coyhaique (at the base of the mountain, in the distance). Carretera Austral, Marchant Pass, North of Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
At the top of the pass there were 3-4 giant, power-generating windmills spinning gracefully - indicating that this was a particularly windy spot. When we stopped there to admire the view back down the valley the wind was really whipping through the pass. And when we looked over the summit to the north (the direction we were heading), we saw a big, dark, cloud bank moving in - with the wind blowing the rain in our direction. It looked like our break in the weather was about to come to an end.
It was a hair-raising descent off of the pass. Soon we were being pelted by rain and a very strong headwind. The gradient downhill was actually pretty steep, with several tight turns. So we really had to keep our wits about us. Cars zoomed by us on the slippery road surface, crowding our space and dousing us with road spray.
Sheltering from the rain under a big, rocky overhang next to the road. Carretera Austral, near Farellones, North of Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The main scenery for the day, waterfalls, fit in well with the wet weather. We passed many cascading streams, several of which had names and road pull-outs to view them. But a more interesting feature was a giant slope of rock that had water streaming down its face in dozens of rivulets - like a giant water slide. It looked destined to be the site of a future river - after a couple thousand more years of erosion.
Sheets of water from recent rains cascaded down the face of this sloping rock face, towards the road. Carretera Austral, Río Simpson National Reserve, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Fortunately, we had planned on cycling a relatively short day. So even with all of the delays we arrived at our destination around 3pm. Camping El Patagón was a lovely little patch of land right along the banks of the Simpson River, near the tiny village of Los Torreones (pop. <50). It consisted of two, open-air shelters flanking a grassy area suitable for tents. The owner was really friendly, and took pity on our soggy condition by lighting a fire to help us warm our bones and dry off. That was awesome. Unfortunately, the open structure didn’t hold the warmth inside, so we had to get close to the fire to stay warm. But it was definitely a great way to transition into the evening.
A crackling fire inside a homemade iron grill was just the thing we needed to warm up and dry off. Carretera Austral, Camping El Patagón, Los Torreones, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The wooden shelter was open on one side, so it didn’t hold the heat. But it did protect us from the relentless rain. One fun feature, a row of old bus seats provided the surprisingly-comfortable seating inside. Carretera Austral, Camping El Patagón, Los Torreones, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
For the next couple of hours the rain continued in waves, keeping us inside the shelter through dinner. Then, a little before 7pm, the sun came out! We could almost hear the angels singing as the clouds parted and a rainbow appeared over a mountain ridge to our east. We hustled to pitch our tent in the damp grass, and get all of our gear inside where it could remain dry. It was surely going to be a chilly night.
There’s something special about seeing a rainbow after a big storm. This one brightened our mood as the sky cleared, allowing us to pitch our tent without the threat of rain. Carretera Austral, Camping El Patagón, Los Torreones, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Cliffs and Pastures
When we emerged from our tent the next morning, we were in for a wonderful surprise. The sky was bright blue, dappled with puffy white clouds. It looked like it would be a beautiful day for a ride.
After stopping to fill up on drinks at a tiny tienda, we were back on the Carretera Austral. In the river valley the landscape was mostly pastoral. We cycled past ranches with big herds of cows, and along hayfields that looked like they had recently been cut.
A weathered farm building along our route Carretera Austral, Mañihuales River Valley, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A little over an hour into our ride, the route took a sharp turn back toward the east. As we cycled into the narrow valley of the Mañihuales River, steep cliffs rose up around us. Some were so grand that they evoked memories of the famous El Capitán cliffs in Yosemite National Park, an awesome park in the United States.
The Mañihuales River flowed through a steep-sided valley. Carretera Austral, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Tall, stony bluffs bordered the pastoral valley. Carretera Austral, Mañihuales River Valley, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
We decided to spent the night in an old-fashioned hospedaje in Villa Mañihuales. Our little room on the second floor of the home was too small to fit the bikes inside, so they spent the night downstairs on a sunny patio off of the main house. Unfortunately, the shower left a lot to be desired. The water wasn’t very hot, and the shower curtain attacked us as it was sucked into the bathtub by air currents, narrowing the area inside to an impossibly small space. Peeling the shower curtain off your body while trying to get clean is not particularly enjoyable way to take a shower. Nonetheless, we succeeded with some determination, and had the pleasure of feeling clean again.
After a lovely, homemade dinner prepared by our host, Doña Ruth, she showed off her yarn spinning skills in the living room. As she deftly rolled fluffy tufts of wool into threads of yarn, Ruth explained that when she was little, her parents expected their children to be productive even when ‘resting.’ It meant that even when they weren’t physically working on the farm, they needed to be completing tasks like spinning yarn, that didn’t take a lot of energy. Now she’s so good at it that her hands seem to move without her even thinking. She said she spins to relax, and sells her ‘artisanal’ yarn to craft shops. It was fun to watch her hands gracefully turn the wool into yarn, something normally accomplished with the help of a spinning machine.
Spinning wool into yarn to relax in the evening. Hospedaje Doña Ruth, Carretera Austral, Villa Mañihuales, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Like Meeting Old Friends
The next day we were able to take it easy. The weather was beautiful, as we continued riding through the pastoral valley surrounded by cliffs.
As summer waned, the hayfields along our route acquired a golden hue. Carretera Austral, North of Mañihuales, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The big event of the day was that we finally met Kim and Craig. Kim had first gotten in contact with us when we were in Colombia, asking about ideas for places to stay in Panama City. We corresponded again after PedalingGal’s bicycle accident in Colombia, when we narrowly missed meeting each other after they had just passed through Pitalito. Kim had reached out again a couple of weeks ago, letting us know they were just starting southward on the Carretera Austral - so we knew that we would probably cross paths at some point.
And on this day it happened. A little before noon we saw two cyclists whizzing down a hill towards us. As they approached someone called out, “Hey, Pedals and Puffins!” We all came to a screeching halt let out exclamations of joy at finally having the chance to meet. For the next hour we stood by the side of the road, chatting like old friends. They are from Australia and have been doing long bike trips off-and-on for five years, covering Australia, Europe, Turkey and the Near East. They started their tour of the Americas in Los Angeles and were heading to Ushuaia.
While we were chatting, another cyclist - Anja from Germany - rode up and joined the conversation. Everyone was really upbeat, which buoyed our spirits and reminded us how lucky we were to be living our lives of adventure.
We crossed paths with cyclists Craig, Kim and Anja on the Carretera Austral. Kim and PedalingGal had written to each other a couple of times in the past, which made the encounter that much more fun. Carretera Austral, Lago Aguirre Cerda, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The rest of the day involved more cycling over rolling hills, through moist forests blanketing the magnificent mountains. Carretera Austral, North of Las Enseñada, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
We stopped for the night at a tiny campground that had just three sites, each with a sturdy, wooden shelter. One of the sites was already occupied by an apparently long-term resident and his son, who showed us around before the owner arrived. By the end of the evening a couple with a car moved into the third shelter, and a lone cyclist arrived, pitching his tent down by the bathrooms. So it ended up being a full house for the night.
We felt lucky to have scored one of the shelters, but it presented a dilemma for us. There was enough room to put our tent inside the shelter, but our tent is not free-standing - it requires stakes to hold the tent pole in place. As a result, the wooden platform created a problem because we couldn’t use our tent stakes.
However, the platforms inside the shelters were the only flat places in the campground, which was built on a hillside. What’s more, the ground throughout the campground was all torn up and lumpy, and was not very promising as a sleeping surface. At first we thought that a local dog had been digging up the grass. But there turned out to be a more exotic culprit (more on that later).
We could have camped ‘cowboy style’ in the shelter (that is, without a tent). But mosquitos were a problem in the area, not only because they were annoying but because there had been reports of people getting mosquito-borne dengue fever.
We had just resigned ourselves to setting up the tent in the grass, and dealing with the sloping, rain soaked, lumpy ground all night. Then it finally dawned on us that we could use the inner, screen tent by hanging the center ‘peak’ from some ropes attached to the shelter’s roof. That’s actually an official way to be able to use the tent. But we had never tried it before, so we weren’t sure how well it would work. After some experimentation we got the peak centered and at a good height, then anchored the corners with pieces of our luggage inside the tent. It worked surprisingly well, and was even somewhat pleasant to be rid of the central pole.
The big downside, of course, was that we didn’t have any privacy and it would likely be a colder night without the insulating effect of the Dyneema outer tent. But we didn’t mind, and it was definitely nice to be protected from the mosquitoes by the netting.
After more than three years of regular use, we finally tried pitching the inner layer of our tent without the stakes, inside this wooden shelter. Hanging the central cone by some ropes worked surprisingly well. Carretera Austral, Camping Magia Patagónica, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
It was later in the evening that we caught the lawn-shredding culprit in action. A couple of times we saw a small creature dash across the lawn. At first we thought it might be a mouse. But then we heard the characteristic call… “wet-wet… wet-wet-wet.”
It turned out to be a Black-throated Huet-huet - a very odd bird, indeed. It has really long legs and over-sized feet with big claws, which it uses to scratch in the dirt, looking for food. This helped to explain why the ground near the shelter was all torn up. The bold, white ring around its eyes made it look like it had a perpetual, surprised stare. Huet-huets prefer not to fly, running stealthily on the ground and sneaking around in the underbrush. It hardly comes as a surprise that they nest in underground burrows. Because they stay on the ground and are rather shy, it is generally difficult to find and get a good look at them. But this particular bird was an extrovert of the species. We were immediately smitten with these quirky birds, and enjoyed sharing the campground with them.
This Black-throated Huet-huet was our campground neighbor. We spotted it shredding the lawn near our camping shelter, as it dug for insects for its dinner. Carretera Austral, Camping Magia Patagónica, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The evening sun cast a lovely glow on the mountain ridge to our east. Carretera Austral, Camping Magia Patagónica, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Fog and Sunshine
Shortly after dawn the next morning, a thick mist rolled in. And as the morning progressed, the fog just became thicker and thicker. Before long we couldn’t see any of the surrounding hillsides, and even the view across the little campground was dim. It seemed unwise to cycle along the narrow Carretera Austral in a dense fog, so we stayed in our sleeping bags waiting for the sun’s rays to burn off the mist. Unfortunately, the tall mountains to our east delayed the sun’s arrival. And as the hours ticked by, everything we had inside the tent got damp from the fog.
As 8am came and went, we decided we’d better get up and pack our gear, so that we would be ready to depart as soon as he conditions improved. And by the time we had finished breakfast, the fog had lifted enough that we felt it was safe to leave.
As is common with foggy mornings, the conditions went from cold and soggy to completely clear in what seemed like a manner of minutes. Before we knew it, we were cycling under a totally blue sky and intense sunlight - causing us to stop every mile or so to shed more layers of clothing. It was the first day in months that we ended up cycling in our short-sleeved shirts.
In the first half of the day we mostly cycled through dense forests, occasionally passing swift-flowing, rocky rivers and picturesque mountain lakes. The beautiful weather seemed to bring out the cyclists again. We counted 35-40 folks on bicycles heading in the opposite direction - easily three times the number we had seen the day before. And we actually were passed by three additional cyclists who were also heading north - a first for us in a very long time. As we have said before, the Carretera Austral has become perhaps one of the most popular long distance cycling routes in the world. When we crossed the United States, we saw fewer touring cyclists in four months than we saw in one day on the Carretera Austral.
We cycled past several large, tranquil lakes. With the calm winds, the mountains left beautiful reflections on the still water surface. Carretera Austral, Laguna de las Torres, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A bee was attracted to this glowing cluster of purple foxglove flowers. For some reason, PedalingGal kept getting attacked by fuzzy bumble bees. We eventually realized that her shirt was the same purple color as the above flower, which made her very popular with the bees. Carretera Austral, South of Villa Amengual, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
As we got closer to the Queulat National Park, we began to see mountains ahead with big ice fields on top. Carretera Austral, South of Villa Amengual, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
This particularly elaborate, and lovingly maintained shrine greeted us as we approached a small village on our route. Carretera Austral, Villa Amengual, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Crossing the Cisnes River. Carretera Austral, North of Villa Amengual, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A remote ranch nestled among the hills. Carretera Austral, Cisnes River Valley, North of Villa Amengual, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
It was nice that this sign wished us happy travels. But the next sign (yellow) suggested that maybe they should be wishing us good luck. Carretera Austral, El Lobo, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) before our destination we entered the Queulat National Park, and once again began to climb. Although we didn’t go far uphill, the gradient was steep enough to have us huffing and puffing at the end of the day. We were glad for the reprieve when we reached an area we thought suitable for a wild camp.
However, it’s fair to say that the site was rather rough. Its primary downside was that it was very rocky, with lots of pointy gravel and soccer-ball sized stones. Plus it was, of course, on the sloping side of a mountain. At first we wondered how we were going to make this work with our big tent. But as they say, where there is a will there is a way. We were able to find a flat spot just large enough for our tent. As an added bonus, there was a rushing stream nearby to provide a nice, background, white noise. No farm animals, no barking dogs, just the beautiful sound of a rushing stream to lull us asleep.
In fact, the site was as close to perfect as it could be. We quickly pitched the tent, then laid out our sleeping bags in the hope that they would dry off a little bit before bedtime (from the layer of moisture they acquired in the foggy morning).
Wild camping along the road up to Queulat Pass. We managed to find a spot just big enough for our tent among the big rocks. Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Our favorite thing about the site was that it was the domain of a family of VERY bold and curious Chucao Tapaculos - a feisty little bird we had first encountered near the start of the Carretera Austral. The birds, about the size of a sparrow, hopped around our campsite and near our feet, exploring us and our gear. Unlike most birds that are scared off when you get close, these birds were seemingly unconcerned - if not attracted - by our presence. One perched on several parts of PedalingGuy’s bike. Another one actually hopped onto his foot, and a third fully explored our tent, getting under the outer fly and pecking around the edges. It was adorable how completely unafraid of us they were. Sadly, by the time we were settled the little guys were all gone, and they did not return in the morning. So we didn’t get any photos.
Up and Over Queulat Pass
Morning crept slowly into the valley where we camped, and it seemed like the sun would never fully rise.
The day began with the big climb up to Queulat Pass, another one of the highest points on the Carretera Austral. But although it took us two hours to get to the top, the ascent was not nearly the hardest part of the day. We simply took our time, stopping periodically to enjoy the views, rest our legs, and even taking a break for breakfast.
Sometimes the sticker-wielding travelers get a little bit out of hand. This sign reminded us of the Fin del Mundo sign in Ushuaia Argentina, which was also unreadable because of all the stickers. Carretera Austral, Salto el Condor Trail, Queulat National Park, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The name Queulat apparently means ‘the sound of waterfalls.’ It seemed like a fitting name, given all the waterfalls tumbling down the rainforest-covered mountains. Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park, Aysén Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The sun took its time in rising over the big ridges that surrounded us, leaving us under a blanket of clouds well into the morning. Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park, Aysén Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The Queulat National Park is home to one of the most southerly populations of the diminutive Southern Pudú, the second-smallest species of deer in the world (after its close cousin, the Northern Pudú). There were signs along the road to watch for them, but we didn’t see any of these beagle-sized deer. Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park, Aysén Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
When we reached the top of the pass, we thought the cycling would get a lot easier. After all, the route went downhill for more than six miles (9.5 km), and then was relatively flat. We knew that the road would turn back into gravel for the downhill section, but expected to manage it easily enough with our 2.8 inch tires.
At the summit there was a place for cars to pull over and get a view of the surrounding mountains. Our first indication that things could get crowded was that in addition to multiple passenger cars, there was a huge tour bus parked there, with about 50 people milling around. There was actually a poor cyclist among them with his 1-person tent still standing. Apparently he had camped there, at the top of the pass. He must not have had much peace in the morning, once visitors began to arrive.
Within five minutes of starting the descent, we were back on the gravel. The worst part was NOT the rotten gravel (loose stones in dust), the white-knuckle steep gradient, or the endless hairpin turns (although they were notably bad). The worst part was the traffic. There were TONS of cars, mini vans, and more big tour buses heading up the mountain in a relentless stream. And despite the morning’s damp air, the road surface was bone dry by the time we got there. Clouds of dust hung in the air behind each vehicle. We stopped often to let cars pass, and try not to choke on all the dust. The descent was exhausting.
Still, we looked forward to the fact that our map said the pavement would resume soon after we got to the bottom of the mountain. Needless to say, our hopes were crushed when we discovered that wasn’t true. Construction crews had only paved half of the road - the oncoming lane. Our side of the road remained all dust and rocks. And there still were tons of cars.
We were getting desperate. In an effort to get relief from the smothering dust, we rode in the left-hand lane, facing the oncoming traffic. That helped somewhat, but we still endured billowing dust from the cars speeding through and we often had to bail off the pavement onto the gravel shoulder for safety. By this point PedalingGuy was fed up, and only wanted to get through this section as quickly as possible. He rode really fast, often leaving PedalingGal behind and then having to wait for her to catch up. It was a struggle - definitely made worse by the fact that we had expected it to be easier.
Finally, after four hours, we reached an overlook of the Puyuhuapi Fjord known as the Dolphin Viewpoint. We pulled off the road to have a look.
There must have been a whole lot of fish right in that area, because within moments we saw several groups of dolphins dashing through the water, clearly hunting. Some of them came very close to shore, and we were able to identify two different species. It was wonderful to see the wild dolphins, and it felt like a reward for all of the difficult cycling that day.
This Chilean Dolphin was one of many that we saw in the Puyuhuapi Fjord. (We also saw several pods of Peale’s Dolphins.) Carretera Austral, South of Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Moments later we caught our first glimpse of the impressive Queulat Hanging Glacier, perhaps the national park’s most famous feature. The mountain top glacier ends abruptly at the edge of a cliff, where meltwater and occasional ice chunks cascade down into a ravine, below. The ice in the glacier glowed with a hypnotic, baby blue color.
The Queulat Hanging Glacier, high up in the Andes. Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park, South of Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
For the remainder of the ride, the pavement came and went, alternating unpredictably with more dust and gravel. Fortunately, there were enough paved sections that we were able to stop and enjoy some of the scenery. But whenever we found ourselves back on gravel, we just put our heads down and pushed forward in an effort to encounter as few cars as possible.
As we neared the village of Puyuhuapi, we passed several fish farms out in the fjord. The fish farms are controversial since they pollute the water and raise salmon which are not native to the area. Nonetheless, they provide important economic support to local communities. The Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi Fjord, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Crossing the Ventisquero River. The blue-green color is characteristic of melt water from a glacier. Carretera Austral, South of Puyuhuapi, Aysén Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Little Village on the Fjord
The village of Puyuhuapi (pop. 1,000) felt like a place that was growing so fast that its infrastructure and services weren’t quite catching up. Founded in 1935 by a couple of German immigrants, the town was only sparsely settled until 1945, when a resident opened a textile factory that provided regular employment and enhanced the profitability of the nearby sheep ranches.
The community grew slowly but steadily in the subsequent years. Yet it wasn’t recognized as a village by the government of Chile until 1971. And by the turn of the 21st century, the population was still under 500 people. However, since the completion of the Carretera Austral it has been easier for people to live in Puyuhuapi. Attractions like the Queulat National Park, and thermal hot springs along the shores of the fjord, have been a big draw for visitors. As a result, the village’s population has doubled in the past 20 years. Even so, most residents in town still use wood stoves for heat, which makes the town smoky in the winter.
The village of Puyuhuapi attracts quite a few tourists. In response, they’ve built a couple of ‘photo points’ that frame a view of the fjord in what looks like a little cabin window. We fell for it, and took this photo that looks southward across the fjord. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The influence of the German town founders, and of the native Chilean woodworkers who constructed many of the buildings, can be seen in the characteristic architecture throughout the village. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Being a ‘tourist’ in Puyuhuapi comes with some challenges. As is typical in this part of the world, large hotels don’t exist. You have to search out family-run places that will have just 1-4 cabins or rooms to rent. While we were there, all of the better known lodging options were fully booked. Some of the others didn’t have wifi, or were not very well maintained.
In the end we felt lucky to snag a little cabana with pretty fast wifi that was recommended by the folks in the tourist information office. However, we still had to visit four of the village’s little shops to find just a couple of food items we wanted, and several of the restaurants that appeared on Google maps didn’t actually exist. In the end, we just had to go with what was available.
We ended up spending two days in Puyuhuapi - the first as a rest day, and the second as a rain day (it was cold, windy and rainy). On the first morning we enjoyed a long walk along the picturesque waterfront. In the early hours the water was still and smooth, capturing reflections of the surrounding landscape.
Tour and fishing boats anchored just offshore in a bay near the village. The red and yellow structure in the upper right, overlooking the bay, was originally the home of Otto Uebel, one of the town’s founders. It’s currently being renovated to become a hotel. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Mountains, clouds and a lone rowboat reflected in the still water of the fjord. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Fishing has long been part of the local economy. So it was only sensible to honor St. Peter, the patron of fishermen, with a shrine on the town’s main plaza. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
Our walk along the waterfront led us through some marshy areas. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
An immature Black-crowned Night Heron searched for a meal in the shallows. His shadow cuts the glare and makes it easier to see into the water. Some water birds walk around with outstretched wings in order to create the same effect so that they can more easily see prey in the water. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
The churches we saw along the northern section of the Carretera Austral all had a very unique and characteristic architecture. They blend European and indigenous cultural influences, and are built entirely of native wood (often without the use of nails or other metals), including distinctive wooden shingles on the exterior walls. The style is so closely tied with this region that it has been recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A gorgeous, fanciful mural depicting the fjord adorned the side of a local building. Carretera Austral, Puyuhuapi, Aysén, Chile. Copyright © 2019-2025 Pedals and Puffins.
A Route of Contrasts
Our journey across the central part of the Carretera Austral took us through a landscape full of contrasts. We passed through the biggest commercial hub along the route, as well as long stretches of gravel within pristine national parks. Broad, pastoral valleys alternated with mountain passes that lifted us above the tree line. And warm days with blue skies were interspersed with driving rain and dense fog. Each day among the rugged mountains brought surprises, challenges and rewards. Rarely in our past bicycle tours have we experienced such varied conditions over such a (relatively) short stretch of road. We were eager to continue our travels northward from Puyuhuapi, to see what would come next.
