Morning dawned with clear blue skies.
Today we said goodbye to Coyhaique and hello to driving south on the Carretera Austral Highway. We're on the road to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, 216 km (134 miles) away.
The Patagonia region south of Coyhaique on the Carretera Austral contains perhaps the highest density of spectacular sights imaginable: hanging glaciers, massive lakes, lush virgin forests, mountains, lagoons and roaring rivers with crystal clear trout-filled streams. It is Patagonia at its finest.
We drove out of town
and with each bend in the road, we were in awe of the breathtaking and astonishing beauty of Patagonia.
Our drive on one of the world's most famous highways was truly stunning!
In three hours we had driven many serpentine curves of the Carretera Austral, but none of those turns compared to what lay of us from this exceptional overlook of the Mirador Cuesta Del Diablo.
This viewpoint is panoramic and today we were treated to wonderful visibility. Below is a quintessential view of the Carretera Austral's famous hairpin curves down the mountain.
Looking to the right from the vista, one can see the beautiful landscape with Cerra Castillo (the Castle mountain) and the Cerra Castillo mountain range so named for its resemblance to the battlements of a medieval castle.
From the viewpoint is a beautiful river valley.
The opposite side has another astounding view with the Andes Mountains in the background.
Simply stunning!
Cerro Castillo literally is at the end of the paved section of the Carretera Austral before the gravel road starts. We stopped for a bite to eat at this classic roadhouse diner of two converted buses.
This is a great place to meet the chef and get a sandwich and coffee for the road because, as you can see in the photo below, the road is literally right outside the doors of the bus.
Here the Carretera Austral stops being paved and becomes a rutted, gravel road for the next 72.7 km, or 45 miles which took us around another 3 hours to drive. As the guidebook states, "There are corrugations on steeper sections and potholes on flatter sections especially around areas with swampy ground. There are no imminent plans to pave this section so get use to gravel from this point onwards!" They weren't kidding!
We hit a bit of rain and also a bit of "traffic" that had to "move over" on the rutted, pot-holed, gravel Carretera Austral.
and soon we were at Lago General Carrera!
This gigantic, 457,145 square mile, stunning lake, straddles both Chile and Argentina (in Argentina, the lake is known as Lago Buenos Aires).
Lago General Carrera is the largest lake in Chile and is the second largest lake in all of South America. It flows into the Baker River which ultimately flows into the Pacific Ocean.
The Lago General Carrera is an exquisite turquoise blue.
The lake is of glacial origin and is surrounded by the stunning snow capped Andes Mountains.
The gravel road along the Lago General Carrera led us to the small village of Puerto Rio Tranquilo.
Puerto Rio Tranquilo is surrounded by the snow capped Andes Mountains and is located literally on the windy western shore of the Lago General Carrera.
This small village of shingled houses is comprised of has 8 short "streets".
One of the main sights to see as one "explores" the village is this quaint church
which is famous for its beloved priest, Father Ronchi, who single handedly brought communications and FM radio to the remote villages of this area. He also built numerous desperately needed schools. His first FM radio tower is a national monument. Hence his portrait on the satellite dish.
We had slim pickings for dinner for two restaurants were closed.
There was a food truck specializing in French food (which was in the process of closing for the season that night). We passed on by.
We came upon the "restaurant" that the two man "Carabineros" police force frequented. We had a somewhat surprisingly very good meal.
The fresh produce truck rattled into town for restocking the village. Puerto Rio Tranquillo is pretty much the end of the road.
We stayed in a hostel, the truly lovely Hostal El Puesto. We had an immaculately clean private room with a private bathroom. Shoes had to be left at the door and handmade slippers were provided for each guest. There was no internet available and cell phone use was not permitted.
So why would one come to Puerto Rio Tranquilo? There is limited, if any, public bus service. There is one humble gas station and a few buildings; but we were informed that in the high tourist season, December-February, Puerto Rio Tranquilo is THE tourist hub and is intensely crowded for it is the closest access point to the astounding Marble Caves.
We were also told that during the high season, which had just ended, the tour buses are ladened with weary tourists who have traveled for hours over the same unpaved, pot-holed, gravel road as we had. It is quite a bumpy, and in some spots a tad hair raising, ride. Then, after a 90 minute boat ride to view the marble caves, these tourists are put back on the tour bus to return the 150 miles to their hotel in the nearest large city thus completing their 12 hour tour.
We, on the other hand, are here in Puerto Rio Tranquilo for 2 days during the off season. We can't wait to see the Marble Caves tomorrow!