Patagonia, Chile: Carretera Austral

The Austral really starts south of Puerto Montt, and then branches off from Chaiten at Santa Lucia. The road west in to the mountains leads towards Futaleufu and the boarder with Argentina. The turn south puts you on the real Carretera Austral that leads to the city of Coyhaique, Chile Chico, and Cochrane and ends at Puerto Yungay. If you want to go further south than that you will have to either swim or drive through Argentina.

It is strange to talk to people that are relatively young at just over fifty plus years old and have them tell stories of 15 day journeys on a horse to reach town. It would seem a something from the 19^th century, but they are really just speaking of the 1970's and 80's.

The Austral highway changed the lives of the people in Patagonia forever.

Still, calling the Austral highway a “highway” is a bit of stretch. It is really an unpaved dirt road the cuts through the heart of the Northern Chilean Patagonia (a good dirt road). Among young Chilean university students it has been a tradition to backpack the Carretera Austral since it was built. In places like Santa Lucia, you will see small armies of backpackers with their thumbs out looking for a ride south deeper in to Patagonia in the mornings. Also along the Austral you will see a steady stream of foreign bikers working their way through Patagonia as they finish their bike tours of South America or Latin America.

In the summers, and the summer is the best time to go, the Austral crosses some of the best fly fishing rivers in Chile. The Palena river is famous for its Trout and Salmon. The Austral also crosses one of the worse fly fishing rivers in Chile, the Rio Frio (The cold river). The Rio Frio is too cold to support trout because there is insufficient food for them to eat. So, not every river in Chile is full of trout. Fly fishermen need to pick their rivers carefully.

Along the way we would make a recommendation that you stop for Cheese at Quesos La Junta. This may seem an odd tourist attraction, but we thought it was worthy of a mention. We came across this cheese for sale at stores around the region, and had to track down where it was produced. The cheese comes from a small farm just north of the town of La Junta about 15 Km. It seems that it is also a product of the Austral Highway. Ask for the different flavors, beyond the standard cheeses, being one of the best the merken spiced cheese. Also remember to ask for the oldest cheese to get some flavor.

The town of La Junta is where three rivers come together: the Palena, the Frio, and Oeste rivers. It is a relatively large town by Patagonia standards with a few restaurants, a gas station, Internet, cell phone service, and lots of places to stay. La Junta is also the first major town as you enter the Aysen region of the Chilean Patagonia from the North with a population of about 2,000 people.

There are more than a few cabins and hostels to be found in the area. Our recommendation for a good deal is the AA ranch which gives you a large cabin for up to for 30,000 pesos that could handle up to six people comfortably. There are also many small hostels in La Junta that run about 5,000-10,000 pesos a night.

The biggest thing you will find along the way, and the photos will not do just to it, is the spectacular beauty of Patagonia. You can drive the austral highway in a car (4 wheel drive recommended); however, to really get to know the Austral the guys on bike or hitchhiking have the right idea. They have the opportunity to get to know the people along the highway, and they are some of the friendliest in all of Southern Chile and Patagonia.

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Patagonia, Chile: Carretera Austral

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Patagonia, Chile: Carretera Austral

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