Coyhaique - Half Way on the Carretera

I've now reached Coyhaique, which marks approximately half way on the Carretera Austral! It's my first day off after 12 consecutive days of cycling. There's beautiful sunny weather and free accommodation at a casa ciclista, where I can camp in the back yard of a fellow cyclist along with about 8 others. It's a relaxed atmosphere and a good chance to catch up on the washing, bike maintenance, shopping, blog, diary...

I've made some great friends and am looking forward to the next part of the journey, following the southern part of the Carretera Austral to Bernhard O'Higgens.  I've ridden about 1150 km and still have about 2000 km to Ushuaia. 

Near Villa Amengual on the way to Coyhaique. 

Free camping with cycling friends. 

Approaching Villa Manihuales. 

In Villa Manihuales, motel and camping ground are combined. A random dump truck completes the look. 

Following the beautiful valley of the Rio Maniguales to Coyhaique. 

Making progress.

My route so far. It's the black line from Villarica to Coyhaique. 

 

On the Carretera Austral

I'm now riding the Carretera Austral, a 1240 km road through Patagonia linking Puerto Montt in the north with Villa O'Higgins in the south. It was started in the 70's under Pinochet and finally completed in the year 2000. It's mostly unsealed but that is slowly changing. I have often encountered roadworks and unexpected sealed sections as I've made my way south. Most sections have been peaceful with only the occasional car or truck speeding past and leaving me behind in a cloud of dust. So far, the rough sections have not caused any problems for my trusty bicycle. The route is remote and beautiful with endless vistas of forests, rivers, lakes, fiords, isolated farms and snow-capped mountains.

It's a popular route with touring cyclists, both Chilean and from overseas. You tend to meet the same people at unexpected times along the way and there's always time to ride together for a while and have a chat. 

South of Cochamo. I'll spare you a joke  about the chicken and the road. 

Sheep on land...

...and water. 

Ferry crossing from Hornoprien to Leptepu. 

And from Pillan to Caleta Gonzalo. 

"Only God knows if I will return". A good motto for my trip?

The signs of the volcanic eruption near Chaiten in 2010 are still visible today. 

On the road to Chaiten. 

On the road to El Amarillo, "El centro del Mundo", according to a sign. 

Near Lago Yelcho. 

Approaching La Junta. 

The vital ingredients for Pisco Sour, enjoyed at the campsite in La Junta. 

The rustic little fishing village of Puyuhuapi was settled by German immigrants. Unfortunately, factory fishing boats decimated the fishing industry in the 80's and today, people work in the numerous salmon farms to be found along the coast. 

My chosen campsite in Puyuhaupi. I heard the siren's call...

Worth a stop: The magnificent Ventisquero Queulat is a reachable by a short hike from the main road south of Puyuhaupi. 

Approaching the top of the biggest climb on the Carratera, Cuesta Queulat. 

By Boat and Bike to Cochamo (Chile)

San Carlos de Bariloche on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi is the main town in the area and famous for its chocolate (thanks to the Swiss and German settlers who found themselves very much at home here). After two nights, I was ready to continue my journey. I rode to nearby Puerto Panuelo and took a boat to Puerto Blest, in an idyllic setting at the western end of one arm of the lake. After a quick 3 km ride, I boarded a second boat and crossed Lago Frias, where some scenes were shot in the Che Guevara film " The Motorcycle Diaries". Then came a tough 25 km ride over a pass marking the border between Agentina and Chile. Mt Tronador, at over 3400 m the largest mountain in the area, rose up to the south. I followed a river valley down to Peulla on the shore of Lago Todo los Santos in Chile and caught a third ferry across the lake to Puerto Petrohue, where I spent the night. The beautiful lake, with the two volcanic peaks, Volcan Orsono and Volcan Puntiagudo dominating the horizon, is a truly impressive sight. 

I finally reached the sea for the first time in the journey at the little village of Ralun, and spent the night in Cochamo, a fishing village further down the coast.

So far, I've ridden about 550 km, so the warm-up is over and now I'm officially in Patagonia. Gravel roads have replaced asphalt, the sunny weather has come to an end, and I still have a couple of thousand km's to go. 

The 3 peaks of Mt Tronador from Lago Frias. 

This spot at the eastern end of Lago Todo los Santos reminded me of the area around Glenorchy in NZ. 

Bike ready for the boat at Peulla.  

Volcanoes Orsono and Puntiagudo from Lago Todo los Santos. 

Volcan Orsono from my camping spot in Petrohue. 

At the seaside - the little fishing village of Cochamo. 

Sunset in Cochamo. 

From Villarica (Chile) to San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina)

After an overnight bus ride down from Santiago, I arrived early in the morning at Villarica and set about reassembling the bike. Most things were okay and a quick trip to the local bike shop sorted the other minor problems out. Finally, I was riding. I spent the night in the pretty town of Pucon, 26 km from Villarica. 

The box will soon be history.

Hmm, got a bit of work to do...

Up and running at last. 

Pucon.

I rode my first pass of the trip, Paso Mamuil Malal at about 1200 m, which marks the border between Chile and Argentina. From there I followed the "Siete Lagos" route past many beautiful lakes to Sam Carlos de Bariloche. I fueled myself on prime Argentinian beef, each steak bigger than the last. 

Hola Argentina!

Volcan Lanin

Hot and dry. 

From the paddock...

...to the pan. And from small...

...to big. 

One of the many lakes along the route. 

Remote farms with dangerous guard dogs. 

Another lake. 

I never had better fruit than from this guy. The watermelon was the best I ever had. 

Lake Huapi Nahuel, on the way to SC de Bariloche. 

On the Road in Chile and Argentina

I arrived in Santiago de Chile in the middle of the night, after a multi-hop flight from Panama via Bogota and Lima. The bike arrived too, although a few bits were protruding from the box. All things considered, it survived the journey well. Two wonderfully helpful Colombian ladies helped me to organise a taxi to my accommodation, and it all went very smoothly.

During my 3 day stay in Santiago, I got organised for the trip south. That included making a rough plan of the route. In order to have a chance of getting down to Ushuaia before the end of March (when it would already be too cold) I plan to take a bus south to Villarica and ride from there. I will to ride to Pucon, then cross a small pass to reach Junin de los Andes in Argentina. From there I'll follow Ruta 40 south to San Carlos de Bariloche via the "Siete Lagos" route. I will return to Chile by taking boats across 3 different lakes with cycling in between. First Lago Huapi Nahuel, then Lago Frias and finally Lago Todos los Santos in Chile. From Petrohue at the end of Lago Todos los Santos,  I'll take the Caretera Austral south.

With my foot that I hurt in Costa Rica returning to normal and a bit of basic Spanish under my belt, I'm ready to go.