After driving through the Patagonian Desert of Argentina in our motorhome Vdos, we headed to the border for Chile. We were aiming to drive Chile’s Paso Las Llaves and Carretera Austral, seeing lakes, glaciers, caves, remote villages, and national parks along the way.
 |
| Lago General Carrera, Chilean Patagonia |
The border road took us around Argentina's Lago (Lake) Buenos Aires to Chile's Lago
General Carrera – the same lake, but with a border through the middle
of it, hence two different names.
Once in Chile, our first stop was the wee town of Chile Chico. We looked for a campsite there, and settled on Hosteria de la Patagonia which had camping in its orchard.
 |
| Vdos at Chile Chico's orchard campsite, Chilean Patagonia |
This proved a good choice as
it was peaceful and sunny, despite the fact that the laid-back owner had not
managed to get the toilet and shower facilities operating. We had our own in Vdos, so
no problem.
We'd passed through the border crossing into Chile easily because we eaten all of our fruit, vegetables and meat so had nothing to declare. Now we were in Chile, we needed to shop.
 |
| Chile Chico village from the town lookout, Chilean Patagonia |
The campsite was an easy walk into the quaint village of
Chile Chico, which had several mini-marts and assorted shops on the lake front.
Over the next few days, we enjoyed some lovely sunny days, got some shopping and washing done, and relaxed, before heading off again.
When we left, we drove west toward the Andes Mountains on Ruta 265 - the Paso Las Llaves.
 |
| Leaving Chile Chico toward the Andes Mountains on the Paso Las Llaves, Chilean Patagonia |
The Paso Las Llaves follows the shores of the Lago General Carrera, and is known as one of the world's most dangerous but beautiful road trips.
The story goes that this road was a once a track used by bandits seeking to escape justice in Argentina.
On many occasions the track was blocked with snow, and when someone wanted to use it, would first ask the locals whether they could pass through. Often the answer was – "it is locked", which has given this road its name of El Paso de las Llaves – the Pass of the Keys.
 |
| The ripio, narrow, winding, mountain road called Paso Las Llaves, Chilean Patagonia |
It is now a narrow road of rough ripio (gravel), thick dirt and sand, taking us alongside the lake through narrow mountain passes, blind corners, and steep cliffs with no guardrails.
The scenery was stunning, with constant views of the lake, craggy rocks, and snow-covered mountains.
It was like a roller coaster, and really nail-biting stuff. We progressed slowly, hoping not to meet too much traffic coming toward us on this very skinny road!
Luckily, we got through the most daunting parts before meeting any on-coming cars. Although there were plenty of other obstacles to drive around; mostly the four-legged sort.
It took us around 6 hours to drive the 124 km of this captivating road! At its end, we turned sharp right and found ourselves on the famed Carretera
Austral. Running for 1,240 kilometres through some of Chilean Patagonia's most beautiful, rugged and remote scenery, the Austral, like Ruta 40 in Argentina, is a renowned drive.
 |
| Puerto Rio Tranquilo port and boats, Chilean Patagonia |
Eventually we reached the small village of
Puerto Rio Tranquilo (population 500), on the western shores of Lago General Carrera. We decided to stop there for a few nights, and settled in at Bellavista Camping, a
lovely family run campground with, joy-oh-joy, hot showers!
While there, we organised a boat trip to see the Marble Caves or Capillas de Marmol. This is a natural phenomenon of caves in and around the lake, that have been formed by wind and waves over thousands of years.
Early the next morning, rugged up because of the cold wind
and threatening rain, we boarded a small tour boat that took us across the lake to visit the caves.
 |
| Beautiful swirls and boat-sized caves at Marble Caves, Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chilean Patagonia |
We saw an amazing range of caves and rock shapes, marbled in yellow, grey and
white. The contrast of the blue water against these rocks was spectacular and
it was a unique experience. Some of the caves were big enough to get the boat inside.
We arrived back in Puerto Rio Tranquilo after a few hours on the water, cold but very happy with our sightseeing excursion.
The following day, we decided to do a boat trip to the San Rafael Glacier. However, all trips had been cancelled
for several days because of the bad weather, so we didn't get there.
 |
| The wild Ruta del Valle Exploradores (X -728) to Exploradores Glacier, Chilean Patagonia |
Instead, we drove the wild Ruta del Valle Exploradores, a very rough and narrow road reminiscent of the Paso Las Llaves (but shorter), to see
the Exploradores Glacier. No boat trip was required to see this one.
It’s located in Chile’s Laguna San Rafael National Park, on the north-eastern slope of Monte San Valentine, which is the highest mountain in Chilean Patagonia at 4,058 metres.
 |
| Leigh climbing through the ancient evergreen forest to see the Exploradores Glacier, Chilean Patagonia |
After parking, we had a very uphill but picturesque climb through an evergreen forest to the top of a hill, where we had a distant view of this 18-kilometre-long glacier.
The recent rains had washed out most of the path from there on so we could not get up close to this glacier as we had done with the Grey, Perito Moreno and Viedma glaciers.
 |
| Leigh with Exploradores Glacier in the distance, Chilean Patagonia |
However, we decided that the distant view was good enough.
Driving back to camp, we gave a ride to two young guys who were building a walking track to the glacier (it would eventually take people safely across the washed-out path). They spoke English, and we had an interesting conversation about being a Chilean.
The next day we headed north to Cerro Castillo National Park, named after its highest mountain, Cerro Castillo or Castle Mountain.
 |
| Carretera Austral to Cerro Castillo National Park, Chilean Patagonia |
We set off on the notorious Carretera Austral again. Also, known as Ruta 7 or the Southern Route, the Carretera Austral traverses the least inhabited area of Chile. For much of the route the road was shocking, but the whole area is surrounded by the impressive peaks of the Southern Andes Mountains.
We eventually arrived at the tiny village of Cerro Castillo (population 163). However, we couldn't find anywhere to park overnight so we continued on, passing over the highest point on the Carretera
Austral and seeing quite a bit of snow.
 |
| Carretera Austral scenery to Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia |
We soon arrived at Coyhaique, a smallish city (population around 53,000). We found our way to El Camping, a quaint little
camp near the river. We parked there, and the lovely owner loaned us a long power cord so we could have electricity from his house.
Coyhaique is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and rocky peaks, which while beautiful, made the nights a little chilly.
The next morning, we walked up a steep hill to get to the centre of Coyhaique township. While in town, we dropped off a load of washing
at the local lavanderia as the weather hadn't been kind for drying clothes.
 |
| Us at the lake on our Coyhaique hike |
Later, we drove to the Coyhaique National Park
for a hike. After a steady 20 min uphill climb, we found a lovely lake where we stopped for our picnic lunch.
After lunch, we continued our upwards climb, then realised that we were in a very isolated part of the park. We suddenly felt spooked, so without any real reason, quickly headed back down.
At the bottom, we found a sign warning us of wild pigs and puma there! We think we were spooked because we felt we were being watched. The sign advised of what to do if we were to meet a puma. Glad we didn't have to put that into practice!
 |
| Coyhaique from our hike lookout |
We did a much longer hike the following day, that
took us uphill through a forest giving great views of Coyhaique and the
surrounding countryside.
While in Coyhaique, we dropped Vdos at the
Copec service station for her 6,000 km oil change. The next day with a purring Vdos, we headed
to the wee town of Aysen. After a walk around there, and a nice lunch, we drove on.
 |
| Colourful foliage along the Carretera Austral, Chilean Patagonia |
The scenery along this part of the Carretera Austral was lovely. We passed very few houses or villages, but lots of colourful foliage, roadside waterfalls and hills.
Eventually we arrived at the Queulat National Park, where we had planned to see another
glacier.
We thought we would be able to camp in the
National Park but when we arrived, the ranger said it was not possible and
recommended a camp 7 kms further up the road.
 |
| Leigh at the lake edge, La Toninas campsite near Queulat National Park, Chilean Patagonia |
After driving the 7 kms, we found the delightful Las Toninas camp where we parked right on the edge of a lake. No electricity, but clean facilities with hot showers. We spent a very peaceful night there,
dropping off to sleep to the sound of waves lapping the shoreline just a few
metres away.
The next morning, we drove back into the National
Park. Leaving Vdos, we headed out on a wonderful 3 km
uphill muddy hike through a rainforest, to view the Sendero
Ventsquero Colgante, also called the Hanging Glacier.
 |
| Us and the Hanging Glacier from the top lookout, Queulat National Park, Chilean Patagonia |
Our strenuous uphill climb was reward with a fantastic view at the top. The glacier hangs over the surrounding cliff-face and drips down into the river below. It was quite different to the other glaciers we had seen.
We met a young Aussie couple up there, and had
a great exchange of travel experiences.
Later, we headed down - much faster than we
went up.
 |
| The winding Carretera Austral near Queulat National Park, Chilean Patagonia |
Back in Vdos, we continued our journey along the winding, unsealed, tortuous and beautiful Carretera Austral. After a while, we were stopped by roadworks and were not able to carry on our journey.
The thought of travelling hundreds of kilometres back was daunting! However, to allow people to continue their travels, vehicles were transported to a finished section of the road by car ferry, and for free!
As we ferried up the coast, we could see the
huge earthworks blocking the road. We felt glad to be here now as in a few years’ time, driving the Austral might be less of an adventure.
 |
| Foreshore and boats on Canal Puyuhuapi, Chilean Patagonia |
Next, we arrived at the wee town of Puyuhuapi (pop 5,000), located beside a huge body of water called Canal Puyuhuapi, which flows into to the Pacific Ocean.
We stayed at La Serana Camping that night. It was a challenge as it was the back-yard of the owner’s home, and the amenities were not great. In fact, the whole tiny village was quite grim.
The next morning, we bought food at a mini-mart to contribute to the local economy, then drove back onto the Carretera Austral. Around four hours later at Villa Santa Lucía, we turned east onto a minor road that took us toward the border town of Futaleufú, where we aimed to enter Argentina.
 |
| Farmer and oxen on the road between Puyuguapi and Futaleufú, Chilean Patagonia |
But getting there was slow-going on narrow ripio/gravel roads. It was an interesting drive though, as we passed a few homesteads on the way, and people working the land and in the forest.
Futaleufú township sits where the Espolon and Futaleufú river valleys converge. These are both big rivers and Futaleufú has become known for its river activities.
From Futaleufú, it was around 10 km to reach the Argentinian border.
 |
| Scenery along the road to Rio Futaleufú International Pass (Ch-Arg border Patagonia) |
Eventually we arrived at the Río Futaleufú International Border Pass. At the border, we had no problems passing out of Chile. But at Argentinian customs, one of the officers was very excited that we were from New Zealand (NZ) and took great pride in showing us all his NZ All Blacks team rugby stickers. A devoted rugby fan!
Before long, we were across the border, and looking forward to visiting Argentina’s Lakes District.
The above blog is part of our 4-month tour of South America. The first blog on this tour is called "Buenos Aires here we come".