Coyhaique

This city of 55,000 calls itself the capital of Patagonia which is fair enough as there is no other community that comes close in size on the Carretera Austral. 

We got a late start parked in our gravel pit off the (paved) highway, 40 miles south of Coyhaique, and that was partly because the day ahead promised nothing much too interesting from a tourist point of view. 

I wanted more than anything to wash the dust and mud off GANNET2 now that we were safely on pavement. Layne wanted a laundry and a decent supermarket. We both wanted hot showers. Not particularly interesting or enticing as programs go but that’s the reality of overlanding. 

As you can see from the map Chilean Patagonia is a long thin strip like the rest of the country but around here it’s all indented with fjords. The land is mostly preserved as parks which are closed to us with our Rusty, and access to the sea and ocean views will be limited. But the mountains should be beautiful, we hope.  The thing is if you come to Chile you are rather obligated to check out this highway. 

This was the edge of the Cerro Castillo (Castle Mountain) National

Park and you can see it really is quite spectacular. Rivers, pine forests and mountains puts me in mind of Montana or Colorado. 

It’s all fenced in and the turquoise scraps on the roadside are the remains of some sort of plastic retaining system to keep the soil in place. 

And then we were in farming country. It looked so peaceful and pastoral it felt utterly different to any other part of this region of Patagonia, calm civilized, filled and looked after by actual farmers.  

I just really liked this peaceful productive valley. 

And I took a few photos as we drove through the drizzle. 

We weren’t going fast, maybe forty miles an hour, enjoying the smooth ride and the comfort of our Promaster van, a quiet ride with the heater going to counteract the 48 degree morning. It was a great drive. 



The light was terrible and the subdued reflected but I hope you can get a feel for this area. 

I didn’t know this was here, this pastoral area and it annoys me that all we ever see of this highway are the sexy mountains, the huge wet trees in the rainforest and the moody dark fjords. The reality is this too. Boring old farmland and I enjoyed it. 

Big rolls of hay, the stuff our food is made of, and I never knew this was here in southern Chile’s short cool summer. 



We stopped in a little village to buy lunch. 

This bakery looks closed doesn’t it? But we’ve got wise and Layne knocked and a sweet lady baker opened the door. We got some great empanadas for lunch, beef and a peculiar hot dog in a blanket. 

It’s Patagonia so it was windy but the sun popping out from the clouds illuminated the mph rains like a checkerboard. It really is beautiful here when the weather cooperates. 

I always thought the maté drink d joyed in Argentina should stay in Argentina but this statue celebrates the stuff. And I still think it tastes like creosote. 

Coyhaique is a pretty little town with that air of Alpine architecture backed up by astonishing mountain views in all directions over the rooftops. 





Layne found a do it yourself car wash. We got in line at the Copec gas station. 

Then we passed a fruit stand in a neighborhood so I stopped. 

Layne shopped as usual and I walked Rusty also as usual. Layne said the young clerk was a Venezuelan who left home and made his way alone here to start a new life. It isn’t easy as I well know. 

Young Rusty continues to thrive. He likes Chile as there are hardly any street dogs here. Another reason I too like Chile. 

I know we are taught to fear Latin America but I hope it’s obvious traveling here is not that much different to what you do at home. We aren’t fending off robbers or corrupt cops. We  use Google maps to get around, life is pretty normal. 











I saw in Google satellite view that there was a supermarket with a large parking lot. That’s a priority when you drive a 21 foot van. Layne shopped and I tired Rusty walking him round the block. 

It’s a banal supermarket on a busy Friday night. 





And then back to El Camping and a hot shower. Our young neighbor Florian is wrapping up nearly two years on the road from Alaska to Argentina in a roof top tent on a Nissan SUV. 

Saturday we drive a bit further north. A day, a chore, at a time. 

Under The Volcano

Above us we can see steam seeping out of the slopes of the Chaitén volcano. I’m not sure if that should be inspiring or foreboding but we’ll probably be okay till Sunday. 

By driving up the coast from Chaitén and following the highway towards the ferry harbor at Puerto Gonzalo, 17 gravel miles north of us, we came to an iOverlander free camp situated close to the trailhead used to hike up the volcano.

We aren’t in the park facilities so Rusty is allowed here as the national highway runs through the park, but we can’t take him on any dedicated park roads or trails. Good enough for us to park for free as we await our Sunday morning ferry ride from the docks in Chaitén. It’s not a bad spot either. 

We’re far enough from the road to not get dust clouds and with my GoTread levelers under the rear tires we are sitting comfortably with Starlink but no phone signal.

It’s where are spending our time cooking, exercising, walking Rusty, reading and generally being less exciting than usual. So I thought I’d post some pictures for the day. Patagonia looking good.

They spent Thursday grading and rolling the gravel to yield a temporary smooth surface. 

Not exactly alone as people come she go, some park and walk to the trail head just up the road to walk in the National Park. It’s a constantly changing scene. 

24 hours before it looked like this, the only constant being GANNET2.