Back on the mainland, we had 3 days before Andrea and Danielle arrived in Puerto Montt.  Always eager to go somewhere new and different, we decided to travel along part of the famous Carretera Austral, also known as Ruta 7.  This route actually originates in Patagonia and an unpaved road through amazing glaciers, lakes and mountains.  Hardcore overland travelers with 4WD vehicles take this road.  We were only going to take a small sliver of it. Our section promised spectacular scenery along the Reconcalvi Estuary, along with 100 km of unpaved road!  After all, we were “ripio’ veterans, having survived Rutas 3 and 40 on our journey to Patagonia last year!  We have a good spare tire and the necessary tire-changing equipment so decided to go for it.

Our itinerary from Pargua to Puerto Varas via Carretera Austral, Ruta 7, Chile

Arriving in Pargua from Chiloé,  we headed for Maullin and a white sand beach at Parque Pengal.  This is a surfing beach but it was early in the season and we were alone for most of the time.  After a pleasant morning beach walk and a futile attempt at fishing, we continued on.

Parque Pengal, near Maullin, Chile

Our campsite, Parque Pengal, near Maullin, Chile

Walking on the beach at Parque Pengal, near Maullin, Chile

Along the way we stopped in Puerto Montt to check out the airport, then drove through the city center.  This city is mostly a business and transportation hub to other destinations.  The city center looked quite festive with its Christmas decorations, though.  Parque Nacional Alerce Andino was on our route and we tried to go there for a bit of hiking.  After turning off the main road and driving a few miles in, we saw a sign that the park closed at 4:30PM and late afternoon hiking was not recommended.  This came as a surprise and it would have been helpful if they had posted that sign at the turnoff so we wouldn’t have had to waste our time on an unpaved and dusty road!  Further on, we found another quiet beach near the town of Lenca.  There was a beautiful sunset and a lot of pelicans and other aquatic birds.

City center, Puerto Montt, Chile

City center, Puerto Montt, Chile

View of Volcan Osorno from countryside near Puerto Montt, Chile

On the way to Parque Nacional Alerce Andino, Chile

Camping on the beach, Lenca, Chile

Sunset at our campsite near Lenca, Chile

Sunset at our campsite near Lenca, Chile

Our campsite near Lenca, Chile

Aquatic bird island at our campsite near Lenca, Chile

It was a short drive the next day to La Arena, where we boarded a ferry for Puelche. It was a picturesque ride, with majestic Volcan Yates standing sentinel in the background. Then we began our drive along Carretera 7 to Puerto Varas. It was a scenic ride, albeit dusty and somewhat bumpy at times. We drove along the Estuario Reconcalvi, where the Rio Puelo meets the Pacific Ocean. Puerto Montt is the epicenter of Chilean salmon farming and we saw multitudes of salmon pens along the way, as well as mussel farms. This region is slowly recovering from an outbreak of salmon anemia that resulted from infection caused by mountains of organic waste from their feed and feces. The contamination also caused depletion of other fish species and is a now a concern of environmentalists here. “Wild” salmon here are those that escaped from farms, so salmon lovers should proceed at their own risk!

Waiting for our ferry, La Arena, Chile

On the ferry from La Arena to Puelche, Chile

On the ferry from La Arena to Puelche, Chile

On the ferry from La Arena to Puelche, Chile

On the ferry from La Arena to Puelche, Chile

Volcan Yates (2,111 m) seen from our ferry from La Arena to Puelche, Chile

On the ferry from La Area to Puelche, Chile

Ruta 7 near Llaquepe, Chile

View of Volcan Yates from Ruta 7, Chile

Volcan Calbuco seen from Ruta 7, Puelo, Chile

Ruta 7 near Llaquepe, Chile

Mussel farms,, Chaparano, Chile

Salmon pens, Chaparano, Chile

Volcan Osorno from Ruta 7, Ralún, Chile

We had perfect weather for this trip. On the way we saw the villages of Puelo, Cochamó, and Ralún, with views of the two major volcanoes in this region, Calbuco and Osorno. Eventually we returned to pavement as we approached beautiful Lago Llanquihue, which led us to Puerto Varas. It was an unprecedented 30°Ç (86 F), very rare for this area. The lake was full of sunbathers. The last time we had been here it had been cold and windy. We stayed at the campground at Compass del Sur, a charming hostel where we would stay with Andrea and Danielle when they arrived the following day…

Sunbathers at Lago Llanquihue, Puerto Varas, Chile