Northern Patagonia

Accessing Aysén: how to explore Chilean Patagonia’s glacier country

In the often overlooked northern extremes of Patagonia lies Aysén, Chile’s least-populated region, where only 1.2 humans per square mile dwell. While there isn't an abundance of people around, what the area does have in excess is ice. Bold, blue ice – glaciers the likes of which you’ll find in few other parts of our warming planet.

The mostly unpaved Carretera Austral boasts spectacular scenery at every turn © Mark Johanson / Lonely Planet

Mark Johanson

Lonely Planet Writer

Home on the range: rural tourism in Chilean Patagonia

Along Chile’s remote Carretera Austral, pioneer families run small-scale Andean ranches in the emerald hillsides. At these off-the-grid homesteads, travelers can ride on sheepskin-padded saddles, gather round the fire pit for barbecues or simply sip mate by the wood stove.

Rural tourism is a concept both nonexistent and omnipresent along Chile's Carretera Austral. That is to say, due to its remote character, almost all tourism here is rural, though not by design. With road access only completed in the late 1990s, tourism along the Carretera Austral still remains a very homemade affair where informal, family-run hotels or hospedajes are the norm and hosts are likely to invite guests for tea and a tour of the greenhouse.

Carolyn McCarthy

Lonely Planet Writer

Sailing south: Patagonia by sea

A maze of fjords with wild, wind-worn isles, abundant marine life and glaciers that tumble into the Pacific, the singular landscape of Chilean Patagonia is often best admired from the deck of a boat. From the humble ferry to luxury cruises, plenty of options for all budgets ply this spectacular coastline.

South of Puerto Montt, the South American continent crumbles into numerous islands scattered from the Andean peaks that fortress the mainland. Roads are no longer a constant. Instead, travel requires routing a course of dirt roads and ferries. The Ruta Bimodal, operated by Naviera Austral (taustral.cl), marks three obligatory ferry crossings between Puerto Montt and Chaitén.

Carolyn McCarthy

Lonely Planet Writer