On our way north, generally following the Ruta 40 in Argentina, we decided to make a quick foray into Chile to visit some volcanoes, particularly the active Volcán Villarrica near Pucón. Leaving Junín de los Andes, the clouds started closing in as we headed towards Parque Nacional Lanin, and although we had been told there would be spectacular views of […]
Having reached the end of the Carretera Austral, we decided to next explore the islands of Chiloé and Quinchao before heading east and back into Argentina. The islands were very pleasant (known for their UNESCO listed churches), but the highlight for us was the annual festival in the town of Castro on Chiloé. Lasting five days, the festival is definitely […]
The northern stretch of the Carretera Austral continues to be very scenic with green forests, rivers, lakes and snow-capped mountains. One has to be careful not to become blasé about it all! From where we left you in Part 1 (Queulat National Park) we headed north towards the finish of the Carretera at Puerte Montt. We visited Villa Santa Lucia […]
Have you ever heard of the Carretera Austral? Don’t worry, nor had we. Completed in 1996 after 20 years of construction, at the behest of General Pinochet, it connects the remote Southern Chilean settlements (formally only reachable by plane or boat) to the rest of Chile. Unfortunately, the mountainous terrain beat the engineers and the Carretera Austral ends at Villa […]
Just north of Tierra Del Fuego, the Torres del Paine National Park is at the southern end of the Chilean mainland. It is a magnificent park comprising mountains (the start of the Andes), lakes, of differing colours, and glaciers. We stayed here for seven days over the Christmas period and we were very lucky with the weather: plenty of sunshine […]
Our Route South We were warned that the long drive down Ruta 3, along the eastern coast of Argentina from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, a distance of 6292km, would be long and tedious; highlights being the YPF garages with their coffee and stale croissants. It was anything but; the croissants weren’t stale! And it was so much fun, that we’ve […]