Carretera Austral (Part 3) - From Cerro Castillos to Puerto Yungay

05 Aug Carretera Austral (Part 3) – From Cerro Castillos to Puerto Yungay

Posted at 10:37h in Unkategorisiert by Roland 0 Comments

The third stage on the”Carretera Austral” was perhaps the most spectacular in terms of scenery, but also the most strenuous due to the nastycorrugated iron road. It took us just 5 hoursto cover the 130 km from Cerro Castillo to Rio Tranquillo. Ok, the locals speed past us in their pick-ups like there’s no tomorrow. Your car doesn’t want to go to Alaska either.

Rio Tranquillo is another small Patagonian village on the Carretera, where you can refuel and replenish your supplies. The sea kayak tour to the marble grottoes on the ice-cold Lago Graal is well worthwhile . Carrera (the third largest lake in South America) Please don’t tip over!

And on to Cochrane , which with its 15.000 inhabitants , it can already call itself a town in Patagonia. The recently established Patagonia National Park is definitely worth a visit . Incidentally, this has the highest puma population in the whole of South America. Unfortunately, none seen.

The last 180 kilometres to Puerto Yungay are, of course, completely “piste” again. But everything here is a little wilder and lonelier . Nature in its original state! The Carretera Austral continues for another 100 km to O’Higgins. However, as we had booked the ferry from Puerto Yungay to Puerto Natales, we finished a little earlier in Caleta Tortel. Caleta Tortel is a small fishing village with what feels like 250 days of rain a year.

2 days Caleta Tortel= 2 days of continuous rain (almost)

In Puerto Yungay (50 km from Caleta Tortel ) we boarded the ferry to Puerto Natales. That was 2 days and 2 nights in a very simple reclining chair and roaring diesel engine, where you ask yourself the question: Corrugated iron road or ferry? The ferry passage with fjords, glaciers and Pacific rainforest made up for it.