After leaving Chochrane with Zacharias fully roadworthy again, we only drove about 10 km to a small ferry across the Río Baker. We had read that many overlanders just take the ferry to the other bank and back because it's a little adventure. The ferry offers space for two vehicles on wooden planks and always travels back and forth between the two banks using the river current. The ferry is operated by two men and is part of the normal Chilean road network and therefore does not cost a single peso. In contrast to many others, we now drove a small gravel road through a beautiful mountain landscape to El Manzano, which was again on the Carretera Austral. We can recommend this route to anyone looking for nature and more solitude than on the main road. Shortly before El Manzano I couldn't help it and had to take a small direct connection to the Carretera, which actually required four-wheel drive and the rear differential lock - short but great fun.
Now we drove the Carretera Austral north. The road didn't really get any better and we reached a very nice place to stay right next to the road but still protected from view and wind on a tributary to Lago General Carrera. The next morning, we drove near Río Tranquilo to the boat dock for the local marble caves. Unfortunately, there was too much wind that afternoon and it was also unclear whether there would be less wind the next day, so we decided to skip this (quite expensive) sight and continue driving instead. After an unsuccessful attempt to find a place to sleep, we reached a few kilometres further a very beautiful place directly on the riverbank of the Río Murta, which again required the fording skills of our dear Zacharias. This was then deeper than initially assumed, but fortunately not a problem.
We continued on the Carretera to Villa Cerro Castillo, which is located directly at the foot of the mountain of the same name. In our travel guide a comparison with the Torres del Paine was made - far from it - but still an imposing mountain that resembles a haunted castle. However, we decided beforehand to make a small detour to Lago Lapparent, which was more than worth it. Right at the beginning we went over a wooden suspension bridge, 2 m wide and only approved up to a height of 2.50 m. That was just about possible with the bobby car on the roof 😉 The subsequent slope leads about 30 km along a whole stretch above the main valley - again and again with a view of the Lago Alto, the Laguna Verde or the main valley, countless curves and inclines up and down. We can also recommend this route to anyone whose vehicle can cross the bridge.
Near Cerro Castillo, Juliane briefly visited the Cueva de los Manos (unfortunately more of a letdown) and then the associated museum, which was very exciting. We then tried to do the laundry in Cerro Castillo, that worked out well, we were able to take the laundry with us the same evening, but unfortunately some things didn't really get clean or fell into the dirt from the garden fence during the drying process. We then looked for a place on a river a few kilometres before Coyhaique in El Blanco for the night, which had already fallen. The following day we went to Coyhaique, first shopping, checking the most important things on the internet and then continuing through the Valle Simpson and the valley of the Río Mañihuales up to a small beach on the river. This part of the route was also incredibly beautiful.
The further way to the north now led more and more through the cold rain forest of Chile, an impenetrable forest (neither by vehicle nor on foot). Incredibly steep mountain slopes, so densely overgrown with large trees, ferns and bushes, as one actually only knows from the tropics. After we had crossed the Portezuelo Quelat (pass) we went down in a small slide into the valley of the river Río Quelat of the same name. It had already started to rain last night, which made the road a little more exciting. At the Río Quelat, we again found a beautiful place for the night on a gravel bank directly at the river.
Since we are always looking for something more exciting routes, the plan was to switch back to Argentina via the Paso Las Pampas near Lago Verde. So, we drove to La Junta, filled up with a few more litres of petrol, went to a Panadería and spent the night near the village, also on a river. The following day we went to the police in La Junta, where we asked what the current river levels were, and they told us that they had no way of communicating with the colleagues at the border crossing, but that it had rained a lot recently and the rivers are probably quite deep. Somehow that didn't sound so convincing to us and so we went to the X-13, a small gravel road up into the mountains of the Andes Cordillera about 60 km to Lago Verde. Arriving at the border post, we were sent straight to the small town while the customs officer processed our documents.
Then we went motivated over the pass. The Chilean border official said that the rivers are currently all passable, at least with four-wheel drive. The first river was only riddled with somewhat large boulders and presented no obstacle for Zechariah. Neither was the second ford. When we arrived at the third ford, things looked different. The river was much wider than the other two and also deeper. When I was looking for the best route through the ford, the water was up to my knees - that looked like a little more fun. But here, too, Zacharias did not splash out and enjoyed the thorough undercarriage wash.
We quickly drove to the Argentine border post, where we once again interrupted the boys playing football, but this time they were playing themselves on the lawn next to their house. We were a bit the colourful dogs, because this border crossing is rarely used by tourists, so the formalities took a particularly long time this time. Then, a few kilometres further in the forest, we looked for a beautiful wind-protected clearing for two nights. And again, we have to make a recommendation - a beautiful route with a really nice and exciting finish for us - but with a little more water the fun is certainly a little higher 😉
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