A beauty and a beast of a road refers to the Carretera Austral. The longest road in the longest country in the world, Chile.

 

Travelling south into Patagonia is not easy and staying in Chile will require use of the Carretera Austral.

 

The Carretera Austral meanders 1,250 km through rugged and remote terrain. It stretches from Puerto Montt in the north down to Lago O’Higgins in the south

 

 

The Carretera  Austral is a beauty and a beast of a road.

 

This is part 2.  A blog to highlight and illustrate some of the beastly difficulties we encountered on our journey.

 

 

Much of the road is in a poor state of repair. Small sections are terrible.

 

Always carry spare tyres and a puncture repair kit.  There are few places to have such work done.

 

 

 

Try to ensure you have a good first aid kit. Medical facilities are few and far between. Drive with care.

 

 

If possible go in a 4-wheel drive. Its not an absolute requirement, but will make life so much more comfortable and safer.

 

 

Be prepared for the completely unexpected. Anything can happen.

 

We met an area where the road had been completely swept into a lake by a landslide.

 

 

All of a sudden we were directed onto a free ferry service.  A voyage that lasted an hour.

 

Though Paula never expected to steer the boat !

 

 

Much of the Carretera Austral passes through forest. Thick temperate rain forest, more akin to British Columbia than people’s expectations of sunny Chile.

 

The prevailing weather is rain, more rain and sometimes a lot more rain, be prepared.

 

 

Bridges and roads can be swept away.  We are British so we are used to rain, but not like the rain we experienced !

 

Chilean Patagonia is a land of rain, up to 4 metres a year.

 

 

On the other hand we are photographers so rain, sometimes, is beautiful.

 

 

The Carretera is not busy as such, but it is the ONLY route south.

 

Allow plenty of time to catch ferries and be prepared to wait.

 

 

Roadworks are common.  Improving the road can involve dynamiting the rock away.

 

In some situations you can wait an hour or so before they clear the way through.

 

 

In conclusion, the Carretera Austral is wonderful.

 

Enjoy the little things, relax and talk to everyone you meet.

 

The Carretera Austral attracts the most interesting people.