Carretera Austral, Torres del Paine and Chilean Patagonia - Where, When and How to Explore?
Did you know that Chilean Patagonia reserves the set of national parks with the most incredible landscapes in South America?
Hi guys! My name is Luiz Carlos Junior and I explore remote places and incredible landscapes in more than 10 years of experience, traveling around the world. My goal is also to help you to go to a good part of these places easily, with my experience and learning. Anywhere I explore, I want to pass on these sensations, emotions and lessons to you there too.
You may be thinking that going to these places is expensive and difficult in terms of accommodation and logistics, but I'm here exactly to demystify that. After reading this post you will be able to follow or outline your own itinerary without any major difficulties along the unexplored paths of the Chilean Patagonia.
To make it easier, I will divide this script here in three parts. These pieces can be made separately, or all together depending on your arrangement and your travel budget. The most important thing is that in all of them you will have experiences from another world with the landscapes that you will see. In a post in the future I will detail some peaks and trails of these places.
There are three major parts of Chilean Patagonia:
Chilean Lakes and Southern Carretera Region (Green Patagonia)
Torres del Paine National Park
Patagonian Fjords
Recalling that recently the Chilean government inaugurated the Patagonia Park Route that runs this entire length through roads and ferries. Quite an expedition! The first two regions have videos on our channel. Don't forget to visit at the end of the post.
The best time to visit for me is from November (spring) to early May, when autumn colors are exploding.
We will detail the northern part first, of the Lagos crossing the Carretera, then the great Torres del Paine park, which alone deserves a special position in the middle of the 17 parks on the route, and finally give a brief idea of the Patagonian Fjords that I explored only through networks.
Chilean Lakes and Southern Carretera Region (Green Patagonia)
The Chilean Lakes region is reasonably known for its “light” tourism due to its small and comfortable cities with mature hotel chains and good restaurants. The cities of Puerto Montt (where you can arrive by plane), and Puerto Varas can be seen even by the ears of people who have never ventured into these parts of Chile, and are the great centers of the Chilean lakes.
Here is the starting point of Carretera Austral. For you, the Carretera is a road that crosses the region of Patagonia Verde through mountains, lakes and incredible preservation areas. Therefore, there is a certain hardcore air in the localities, as the large hotel and real estate developments have not reached this preserved region. Many roads are also unpaved along this path, probably to minimize the impact on nature and places. But, if you are a traditional explorer, you will love it.
The Great Osorno and Lake Llanquihue
The main attractions here are the Osorno volcano and the Petrohue Falls, still in the most urbanized region of the Chilean lakes. The Alerce Andino National Park can also be visited by staying in Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas. From then on, you will only find the roads to the south, through the Carretera.
Down the Carretera, you have a myriad of park options that you can easily reach such as: Pumalin, Queulat, Cerro Castillo and Parque Patagonia. If you want to travel the entire route with peace of mind, book from 7 to 12 days. The map with the main points (accommodation, supplies and photos) is at the end of our post.
The Hanging Glacier (Ventisquero Colgante), inside the Queulat National Park
Wilderness of Patagonia NP
The roads on these parts are complicated. A robust car is needed to overcome holes, stones, dust and mud. There are paved stretches, but not many despite the incredible effort of the Chilean government to conserve and increase the structure.
For those who decide to continue until the end of Carretera, there are two options: Take a boat through the Patagonian Fjords to Puerto Natales, or cross the Argentine border near Lake General Carrera through the city of Perito Moreno. I opted for the second, as I wanted to explore Argentine Patagonia on my expedition as well.
Rota dos Parques da Patagônia Chilena. A Rota 7 é a famosa Carretera Austral.
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine is the filet mignon of the Chilean Patagonia. It is not for nothing that millions of tourists frequently visit the park forcing a structure a little bigger than that of the Carreteira. The mountains are, together with the Fitz Roy massif in Argentina, the most iconic and incredible in the world.
Here, even with a higher degree of tourism, you will still find dirt and gravel roads especially within the park (conservation areas). The accommodations are in or around the park. If you are going to camp or hike, plan well in advance to reserve the campsites. There are also luxury and standard hotel chains mainly on the edges of the park that can be booked on the best travel sites, but the price can be a little steep due to high demand (around 200 dollars a day).
“W” and “O” camps and trails.
At Torres del Paine you can make the great “W” and “O” trails, but you can also photograph the lakes, vegetation and wildlife without having to walk a lot. There are interesting trails within the park, where you can enjoy the incredible beauty of the “Cuernos del Paine”.
For me the perfect stay to enjoy the landscapes of the park is 5 to 7 days, since you can get bad weather in some of them. To do the "W", some people recommend that same amount of time. The “O” can take up to 10 days.
The Cuernos del Paine
Panoramic view of the lakes with the massif in the background
For those who want to come here without going through Carretera, there are two options: by flight to El Calafate, in Argentina and crossing the border and by flight to Punta Arenas and transfer to the Park. My choice was to cross the Argentine border through El Calafate. If you are doing the Patagonia Park Route, you can come by ferry from Caleta Tortel on an incredible journey across the Patagonian fjords to Puerto Natales.
Patagonic Fjords
I called Patagonian fjords the outer regions of Patagonia, in addition to the trip from Caleta Tortel to Puerto Natales (Parque Bernardo O’Higgins). The Kawésqar, Alberto de Agostini, Yendegaia and Cabo de Hornos parks are in this class, but sea navigation is necessary to get there. On my last trip, I chose not to explore that part, but it is obviously on my “to do list”.
If you are going to do the entire Route of the Chilean Patagonia Parks, I recommend something from 21 to 30 days. If you do like me, on the map below, that I veered off to Argentine Patagonia and was almost completely grounded in my truck, reserve 21 to 30 days too.
I hope you enjoyed it, Guys! Do not forget the map below as promised. Share it and enjoy it down there to help us! I see you next time!