Carretera Austral: Complete Route Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins

A private driver meets you at Balmaceda Airport (BBA) for a drive north through Cerro Castillo National Park, with the 2,675-meter Cerro Castillo peak visible along the route. The afternoon ferry crossing from Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez to Chile Chico is coordinated in advance — Lake General Carrera's turquoise waters are a first preview of the color palette that defines this route.

The drive along the southern shore of Lake General Carrera includes the Paso de las Llaves, a narrow cliffside route with views of Mount San Valentín (4,058m, Patagonia's highest peak) and the Northern Ice Field. Arrival in Puerto Bertrand, a small riverside settlement at the source of the Baker River — Chile's largest river by water volume.

A morning stop at the confluence of the Baker and Neff Rivers, where glacial turquoise meets milky-white water in a visible line. Continuing south to Caleta Tortel, a coastal village built over Pacific fjords on cypress-wood walkways — entirely car-free, only connected to the road network in 2004, and still navigated entirely on foot.

An afternoon private vessel down the lower Baker River to Isla de los Muertos — a historical reserve connected to the early 20th-century labor history of the Aysén Region, when the Sociedad Industrial Aysén brought hundreds of workers to harvest lumber and cattle in this isolated territory.

North along a scenic unpaved section of Route 7 to the Los Ñadis sector, where your guide opens a remote wooden chapel built by Father Antonio Ronchi — the Salesian missionary who spent decades building schools, roads, and radio communications for isolated valley communities across the Aysén Region. Continuing to Puerto Guadal on Lake General Carrera.

A private boat charter onto Lake General Carrera — South America's second-largest lake — to the Marble Cathedrals (Capillas de Mármol), calcium carbonate formations sculpted by wave action over thousands of years into caverns that shift from pale white to deep turquoise as the light changes. Afternoon in Puerto Río Tranquilo.

North along Route 7 through shifting microclimates — dense temperate rainforest, open valleys, and historic hanging bridges over the Palena and Rosselot rivers — to Coyhaique, the regional capital of Aysén.

~3 km round trip | ~200m elevation gain | 2–3 hours | Easy–Moderate

A trail in Queulat National Park to the Ventisquero Colgante (Hanging Glacier), suspended between steep cliffs above a rainforest lagoon with waterfalls cascading from its base. The Puyuhuapi Fjord follows along the drive north. Overnight in La Junta.

The northern sectors of Route 7 reach the emerald-green waters of Lake Yelcho, framed by old-growth forest and snow-capped peaks. Arrival in Futaleufú, an alpine valley town known for its clear-water rivers and the most technically demanding whitewater in the region.

A guided rafting descent through the "Bridge to Bridge" section of the Futaleufú River, navigating Class III–IV+ rapids including sections known as Magic Carpet and Mundaca, with professional safety kayakers and full equipment provided. For a slower pace, a private guided hike through the valley's hidden forest trails.

Entry into Pumalín National Park, nearly 300,000 hectares of protected biodiversity. A guided trail to the alerce (larch) trees, some over 3,600 years old — the second-longest-lived tree species on Earth. Overnight in Chaitén, framed by the caldera of Volcán Chaitén, which erupted in 2008 and buried part of the town.

A ferry from Caleta Gonzalo across the Gulf of Ancud to Chiloé, an archipelago of stilt-house palafitos, deep maritime traditions, and wooden churches that represent a unique architectural fusion of indigenous and Jesuit design.

A day across two sides of Chiloé: private trails in Tepehueico Park, one of the more reliable habitats for the pudú (the world's smallest deer, weighing up to 12 kg), and the island's historic fishing villages with the UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches of Castro, Dalcahue, and Chonchi.

Discover Chiloé’s living heritage through its traditional fishing villages and artisan markets. Avoid tourist traps as your local guide introduces you to authentic stilted villages and maritime traditions that have survived for centuries. Enjoy a private culinary experience featuring regional flavors before crossing the Chacao Channel via a seamless private transfer to Puerto Montt.

A morning in Chiloé before the Chacao Channel crossing and a private transfer to Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) for your flight to Santiago and onward international connections.