Cycle the Carretera Austral
Toon van Kessel
December 14, 2017
Hike and bike
December 18, 2017
Cycle the Carretera Austral
Why travel the beautiful Patagonia of Chile in a car if you can do it on a much better way, sustainable, active and slow. The Carretera Austral is the perfect route for a cycling adventure, with our without experience? It is perhaps the most famous cycling route in South America and for us it was one of the most beautiful sections in our three year world trip. We are happy to share some details with you!
Route
The Carretera Austral runs officially from Puerto Mont to Villa O'Higgins. The route is 1.200 kilometers long and connected by different ferries. There are a few possibilities to cross from Argentina direct to the Carretera Austral. Many cyclists cross the border from the ruta 40 in Argentina into Futaleufu and arrive at Villa Santa Lucia on the Carretera Austral. In addition, there are less known starting points such as the ferry via the island of Chiloé. We started in Puerto Montt, doing the complete route. iIt is a beautiful route with beautiful mountain views, glaciers, big lakes and remote nature around every corner.
Sights
Every corner is a sight to behold, but there are some highlights along Carretera Austral. Sometimes you have to get off the road, those distances are worth it, but usually you drive through it. From north to south, the most important sights are; the densely forests of Pumalin Park, the hanging glacier Ventisquero, a hike to the peaks of mountain Cerro Casillo, a visit to the most northern ice fields of the world, a canoe trip trough the Marble caves of Puerto Tranquilo and the water village of Tortel. In the end, the border crossing from Villa O'Higgens to Argentina is famous among cyclists and even called 'emotional'. This is a area only reached by foot or by bike and you will cross with two ferries and hike with your bike over a walking trail in wilderness.
Distances and time
Distances are of course personal, but we advise to take the time. Wether you are a bicycle fanatic or not, the route has a number of very steep climbs and there is still more than 500 kilometers unpaved. Moreover, it is so nice that it is a shame to race through it. A famous saying in Patagonia says "Quien se apura en la Patagonia, pierde su tiempo" (Whoever goes too fast in Patagonia, wastes his time). We have adjusted our daily average especially for the Austral. Every day we cycled between 50 and 60 kilometers and took one day at each highlight to visit. In total we needed 24 days to get from the beginning to the end, but a few days extra would certainly not harm.
Planning
Of course you want to be prepared for travel. To help you a little further, we like to share the excel that Olivier has put together during our trip to be informed about the distances between villages, road quality and other special features. We also added some useful website links that we used a lot. For resupplies, you can say that on average every 100 kilometers there is a village with the basic needs. Navigating on the Carratera Austral is very easy and can almost be done with closed eyes. It is good to consider whether you want to cycle from north to south or from south to north. The direction north-south is the most popular, which is nice to meet other travel companions and usually works in your favour with the wind direction. The season is pretty important. The sunniest months are from December to March, you have a chance of good weather and you are assured that all tracks are 'open'. A disadvantage may be that there is an explosion of cyclists and other travellers. We cycled in the spring and had little rain and pleasant temperatures. They often say that it always rains in Chile, but almost every cyclist we spoke told us that he or she was lucky with the weather. Though, be ever prepared for some good rain showers. In spring it is not too crowded, the landscapes are in full bloom, but unfortunately not all the hiking trails were open yet. Cycling in winter can be very challenging and cold, but the reward will be great. Although you need to prepare yourself very well for the cold temperatures, snow and closed parts. The border crossing in Villa O'Higgens opens from November 1st, so if you cycle in winter you have to leave the Carretera Austral more north to cross into Argentina.
The Excel file below dates from our trip on the Carretera Austral in 2017. There might be some changes, especially more sections might be paved because Chile has the intention to pave the complete route.
Budget
The Carretera Austral leads straight through the 'abandoned' Patagonia. However, it was not that bad. Compared to the Patagonia in Argentina on the 'Ruta 40' there is plenty of life. In the smallest villages all basic needs can be found. A budget is very personal, but the Carretera Austral offers something for every outdoor-traveler. We slept more in the tent than ever before, to save some pennies, but especially to spent the night on the beautiful campsites. A tent and cooking gear and a bit of outdoor experience is a must. The iOverlander app helps to get on your way. When you arrive in a village, and prefer a bit of comfort, you will find a hospedajes. Prices vary, but 8,000-15,000 Chilean pesos per person are possible. The food slowly becomes more expensive (from north to south) and more limited, but you will always find something to eat, although the choices might be limited. The shops are small and the supply is less, but there is always bread, vegetables (onion, carrot, potato) and fruit (apple and pear) to find. Every night we managed to eat varied and within budget. Water is free and safe from natural water sources.
Bike repair shops
On the unpaved and often dusty roads the bicycle suffers (also when you have a brand new touring bicycle). The luggage carriers, panniers, chains and brake pads wear faster than on a clean asphalt road. Bicycle repair shops are scarce and a good bike shop can only be found in Puerto Montt and Coyhaique, halfway on the Carretera Austral. In Cochrane, the last larger village at 250 kilometers from Villa O'Higgins, there is a large supermarket that sells very few bicycle parts, but there is no bicycle mechanic.
If your cycle with rim brakes, you should definitely take a few extra brake pads. The descents are steep and on the unpaved roads you brake from top to bottom. On a rainy day you quickly wear out a full brake pad. As far as flat tires are concerned, you will be fine. Glass, iron pieces or spines are rare, so chances of punctures are lower than some other routes in South America. Finally, you will have to brush and grease the chain very regularly. We cleaned our chain every other day because of dust, or even daily after rainy days. A spare chain certainly will be helpful, just like some extra tie-wraps and duck tape.
The crossing to Argentina
And then you suddenly find yourself in Villa O'Higgens, but what do you do next? This is the end of the Carretera Austral and there is no road further south. Fortunately, you can travel to Argentina via an adventurous crossing. Below we briefly describe the crossing:
1. You can buy tickets for the transfer at Villa O'Higgens. There are two different companies, but the most used belongs to the hotel / travel agency Robinson Crusoe. You can pay with Visa and buy the tickets for both ferries.
- Lago O'higgins on the Chilean side: costs about 36,000 pesos (€ 50) per person. The boat is Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lago Desierto on the Argentinian side: costs about 28,000 pesos (€ 38) pp. This boat goes twice a day.
2. The first ferry across Lago O'Higgens leaves at 8 o'clock in the morning at Villa O'higgins. The small port is about 7-8 kilometers from the village. The crossing lasts about 3 hours.
3. You arrive at the other side of the lake. After 1 kilometer there is the Chilean customs to get the exit stamp.
4. Then there is 16 kilometers to the Argentine border. The beginning is steep, but after that it is an unpaved road where you can cycle almost everything.
5. After 16 kilometers you reach the border with a sign 'Argentina'. That is where the 6-kilometer-long hiking trail begins. You will have to walk the majority. From time to time you have to push a bicycle through a river, lift it over trees or plod through the mud. We didn't have to take the bags from the bike once, and the majority is downhill. Actually, it is very nice. It takes about two to three hours depending on your pace. For some people this section is very tough and emotional. Remember this sentence: 'suffer today, be a hero the rest of your life'
6. After the hiking trail you will arrive at the Lago Desierto where Argentine customs are. From here the ferry leaves over Lago Desierto. If you do the trail between the two boats (16 km + 6 km) quickly, you'll catch the afternoon ferry that same day (the boat goes twice a day), but most cyclists enjoy the unique view and camp on this side from the lake. The boat will arrive at 10 a.m. the next morning. It is possible to hike along the Lago Desierto, but that is a trip of 15 kilometers, similar to the 6 kilometer long hiking trail. It will take you all day. There are cyclists who do it, for the adventure or to save money.
7. It is about 38 kilometers from Lago Desierto to El Chalten on a fairly bad road, but with beautiful views. After a couple of hours you will reach El Chalten and find some asphalt again.
For more information, check out the Villa O'Higgens website.
Gear List
What do you need for a bicycle trip on the Carretera Austral (or everywhere in the world)?. Discover our packing list for bicycle touring. For a shorter cycling trip you can leave some of the gear at home and try to travel lighter. You propably won't need a computer and a razor machine for a three week trip.
Our travel stories
We really enjoyed cycling the Carretera Austral and wrote a number of personal travel stories about it. Are you curious about our experiences or do you want to see more pictures of what awaits you?
Our three travel stories in chronological order are: The Carretera Austral | Whiskey on the Austral | Hike and Bike
And we made a short video cycling from Brazil to Ushuaia. The Carretera Austral is a major part of it, and definitely the most beautiful.
More inspiration
Looking for more cycling inspiration. Discover Salar de Uyuni and the beautiful Peru!
Salar de Uyuni
Cycling in Peru
22 Comments
[…] Cycle the Carretera Austral […]
Thank for sharing this great information. I´m planing to bike from Puerto Montt to O´higgins next November. Among other questions, I have this one to you. How do you manage to bike put from O´higgins? I have heard about the path through the Andes which lead you to El Chalten in Argentina. Is it feasible to take that route? In your videos I saw a few shots of wilderness routes, that resembles those I have been told by others that have crossed through this path.
Well, I will continue digging into your website and following your diary instagram news.
have a nice riding
Felipe
Hi Felipe! Amazing plan! You choose one of our best routes we have been cycling. The nature around there is just specacular. Thanks for your question. You’re right, the shots you have seen in our video’s are from the crossing between O’higgens and El Chalten. It is definately feasible and a lot of fun, but though. You have to push and drag your bike over trees and trough rivers, but for us this was what made it so fun. Also the two ferries that you will have to take make it an great crossing. We do really recomand to take this into you plan. There will be many many more cyclist with who you will be able to share the experience 🙂 Let us know if you have any other question!
Cheers, Zoë and Olivier
[…] Cycle the Carretera Austral […]
Hi! I’ve been following you for a while and your tips have been very useful and the photos so inspiring! Thank you! I’m planning to do the Carretera Austral in January, and I’m still thinking on which is the best footwear to take with me. Considering the rain, the trails I’ll probably hike and something confortable while biking… What was your experience regarding the footwear? I think your opinion could be very helpful. Thanks!
Isidora
Hola Isidora!
Thanks for following us and the credits! We are happy that our blogs are useful for other people. The Carretera Austral is amazing, you will love it! We did the Carretera Austral in november and didn’t have a lot of rain, but we prepaired for a lot. Regarding the shoes we didn’t have special footwear. Zoë used goretex shoes, while Olivier just had Adidas sport shoes which aren’t waterproof. But we brought rain overshoes, which are extremely useful. Waterproof shoes won’t keep your feet dry because the water drops in from your legs, but with the overshoes you keep them dry. As well we have huge ponchos/rain capes that keep us dry and you definitely sweat less than the yellow fishermen coats. We had 4 days with rain on the Carretera Austral but with the rain capes and the overshoes, we always arrived almost dry.
Considering the hiking we would advice waterproof hiking shoes, but this can be low ones which you can use for the cycling. We hiked through the snow and kept dry feet (even Olivier with his non waterproof shoes).
Hopefully this helps you!
Hello there,
Thank you for the blog – the information is so helpful! I’m planning to cycle the Careterra Austral from North to South starting in mid-October before crossing into El Chalten. I’ll have around 9 weeks to do this. I just have a couple of questions. Firstly I am a solo female cyclist and I’m a bit apprehensive about wild camping on my own – are there many campsites along the route? Secondly, you mentioned that not all tracks were open yet when you did the route in November – was this a big problem and how did you get around it?
Many thanks in advance – I’m even more excited afer reading your stories.
Amanda
He Amanda,
Thanks a lot for your message! You have a great adventure coming up. You won’t have any problems when you start your trip mid-October. The border crossing to El Chalten opens November 1st, so by the time you get there, it will be open. Some of the hiking trails won’t be open yet, or not accessible because of the snow, but the road will be open all the way to Villa O’Higgens.
Good luck with the preparations!
Zoë and Olivier
Hi Amanda,
I don’t know if you’ll see this, but worth a shot! I am also planning on cycling the careterra austral this October, also a solo female – my friend has just had to pull out. I’m now feeling slightly under prepared! I was wondering if you’d found out anymore about wild camping, and the route at this time of year?
Thanks!
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
I’m so sorry for the delay in my reply! I’ve had to delay my trip slightly and am now planning on setting off in mid-November. From what I understand though, October would have been fine for ferry crossings, etc. It seems like there are plenty of campsites along the route too and from what I have read it should be pretty safe. How are you getting on?
Amanda
Brilliant information peeps, congrats and thanks a million
Thanks for all the info on Carretera guys, very useful!
The gpx file to download the map doesn’t seem to be working, would you mind sending it to me?
Much appreciated,
David
Hi there,
Where can you do laundry on the Carretera Austral? Is there a laundromat in Coyhaique?
Thanks,
Juergen
Hi Jurgen,
That’s a very good question, and something we didn’t include in this blog post. I can’t remember the laundry possibilities in Coyhaique. We rented an apartment for two days and had a laundry machine there, so we didn’t look for other solutions in town. Sorry I can’t help!
Have a great journey!
Olivier
Hi Zöe and Olivier,
We are planning to cycling from Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins, however we have only 49 days to do this trip. Our question is, what should we do with the bikes once we have reached Villa O’Higgins, is there a way to transport them back to Santiago?
Thank you
Yuni
Hi Yuni,
Bus services are very limited in the southern part of the Carretera Austral but it’s possible. This website has good information: https://www.villaohiggins.com/Info/llegar.htm
Good luck!
Hello there!
My partner and I are very interested in cycling the Careterra Austral from North to South. I am just wondering if you have any insight on an idea to get our bicycles back to Puerto Montt? Is there buses, trains, a driver? We would be bringing our own bicycles and fly into Puerto Montt, however when the route is done, any suggestion on ways to get the bikes/ourselves back to the airport?
Thanks!
Hi Rosie,
Getting back to Puerto Montt isn’t so easy. There are no trains and bus services are very limited. Their are small planes flying from Villa O’Higgens to Cohaique, and then to Puerto Montt. Or you can fly to Cohaique and take a boat to Puerto Montt. This website provides some information and alternatives (in Spanish): https://www.villaohiggins.com/Info/pdf/comollegar_VOH_Esp.pdf
Another option would be to cross the border to Argentina (the challenging border crossing described above). From El Chalten there are more busses to travel north but it is still not an easy option.
Thanks for the write up, very inspiring!
We’re thinking of cycling the Carretera in February and March. Will the El Chalten crossing be doable then?
Is March still ok or would you recommend going in spring?
Thanks!
Hi Hugh,
That will be no problem! The ferry is crossing until the end of April, and also the weather conditions will be fine. It can be colder at night but nothing extreme. Here is some more information: https://www.villaohiggins.com/Info/llegar.htm#4
Enjoy!
Hi,
Thanks for your write up, lots of great information and tips! My partner and I are really interested to do this bike trip in February – we have been inspired by this blog! We are not massive bike riders and haven’t done a trip like this before, but are both quite fit and active. For 2 people who are not serious bike riders, do you think this trip is still possible? We definitely expect it to be extremely challenging (and rewarding!) but want your advice if you think we will be ok or this ride is only for serious bike riders?
Thanks again for all the information!
Adam
Hi Adam,
It’s so nice that you want to cycle the Carretera Austral and that we could inspire you :)! Yes, it will be challenging, but it’s doable, even without experience. The advantage is that there are plenty of small towns and abundant water. So you can make the daily distances short and let your body adapt :). By the end, it will be more remote and a little tougher, but by then you’re more trained and experienced. You can do this, and you won’t regret it! It’s so beautiful!