Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes us from a very cold start at Cerro Castillo heading over the mountains through obscure passes and deep valleys stopping at El Blanco to pick up supplies before continuing through the mountains eventually crossing the main Andean divide once more above Piedra Deo Gato Carretara Austral. From the divide we follow the rough winding road down to a long fiord sheltered from the open ocean by the enormous Isla Magdalena and follow it northward to a camping ground approaching Puyuhuapi.
Today's Journey
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Cerro Castillo at first light before sunrise on a very cold morning dropping to -7 degrees, our coldest in Patagonia. We quickly pack up and head into the mountains. |
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We stop in Coyhaique in the mid morning to pick up more supplies before following the Carr Austral highway through the mountains. |
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Heading back into the mountains following Rio Simson upstream. |
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Spectacular outcrops near Las Turbinas, carved out when these valleys were all filled with glaciers. |
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A lunch stop at Villa Maniguales as we follow the Rio Maniguales upstream. |
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View from Mirador Rio Cisnes looking up the Cisnes River towards its headwaters before we begin our climb over Bosque Encantado Pass. |
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We stop at the Salto El Condor waterfall along a particularly winding part of the road approaching the pass. |
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Once over Bosque Encantado Pass, we descend through the cloud forest on the much wetter western side of the Andes. High snow covered mountains are on either side of us hidden in the cloud which often envelopes us on the higher altitudes. |
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After descending to the Rio Quelat and following it downstream to the Puyuhuapi Fiord, we reach our destination at a small seaside farm at Muelle Austral. Here a local woman is fishing looking over the fiord. This is my first encounter with the South Pacific Ocean since departing Auckland. |
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We stay in the huts here and have a warm fire going as dinner is prepared and eaten in the dark on this still and mild evening. |
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