Puerto Tranquil to Coyhaique:
Starting south of Puerto Montt, the Carretera Austral (highway number 7) links widely separated towns and hamlets all the way down to Villa O’Higgins, covering a distance of some 1200km (745 miles). It’s mainly a gravel road, but a very well maintained gravel road.
My plan:
The CA will be the main artery carrying me north from Chile Chico to Chaiten, a distance of some 800 km (500 miles).
From Chaiten I hope to take the 10-hour ferry trip up to to Puerto Montt, 190 km (120 miles) further north and my original starting point on this ‘mission’.
The continuing journey:
The next morning I left Puerto Tranquil on yet another minibus, at the same pace, with the same breath taking scenery. Destination: Coyhaique.
Coyhaique is the cow town that never stopped growing. Arriving here is a jarring relapse from the solitude of the South. Patagonia Hostal is an oasis bang in the middle of the city. I had the pleasure of meeting some lovely travellers who were enjoying their own interesting journeys. I also managed to bag the last seat on the only bus, that week, going to my next port of call – Chaiten.
Next stage: The wheels on the bus go……….
