Puyuhuapi

On the 21st January, we traveled the 225 kilometers from Coihaique to Puyuhuapi North along the gravel road of the Carretera Austral. The bus was a combi, or minibus, and was extremely full. Making a few stops along the way, it stayed that way the wh0le journey – which twisted, turned and bumped around so much it made us both car sick.

The scenery changed pretty quickly from the snow-capped mountains surrounding the Rio Simpson that passes through Coihaique, to the lush temperate Valdivian rainforest that would look more at home along the banks of the Amazon than it did in Southern Chile. Huge leaves from Chilean rhubarb, alongside ferns and 50m high trees nestled in valleys and mountainside, topped by craggy granite mountains with snow and glacial waterfalls all around.

The bus finally made it to Queulat National Park and from there shuddered and jerked along the road that sat next to the Puyuhuapi Channel. This channel runs some 120 kilometers from Puyuhuapi in the North, past Magdalena Island (home to a famous penguin colony of Magellanic penguins), all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It seems no-one agrees on the origin of the name Puyuhuapi, but it is probable it is Mapuche for ‘small fish island’.

Founded in 1935 by German immigrants who fled their homes in Czechoslovakia to avoid the coming war, the town started from literally nothing. The Germans, led by Otto Uebel whose name is honored on the main street of the town, burnt the rainforest away to make clearings, before constructing distinctively styled, and German influenced, houses. Eventually more and more people started to come, especially from Chiloe Island to the West, mostly to fish, and build boats. When we were there we saw a salmon farm in the sound, and the local fish dishes were excellent.

On arrival we set about looking for a place to stay and found a lovely hospedaje, which is pretty much the only type of accommodation we have found down here. These are houses bought by locals (or migrant Chileans from the North hoping to cash in on the swelling numbers of tourists) and transformed into very basic hostels, with one shared bathroom. The houses are sometimes decorated to give a very homely feel especially as the owner and family often live there still! Sometimes these are very friendly and welcoming, and other times very uncomfortable and horrible, but you never know until after you check in. The one we stayed in in Coihaique was bad, but happily the one we found in Puyuhuapi was very nice, and was a great place to stay thanks to the family who lived there. Named after the road, Carretera Austral Residencial (why they did not call it Carretera Austral Hostal I will never know), right next to the bus stop, was about $US40 a night – but budget travelers could pick up a cheaper deal down the road. Francesca and I found one place for $US20 but we already liked our place too much because the people were the first friendlies we had encountered for a while.

We showered, relaxed and got some laundry done, then we went to a little restaurant and both shared a plate of grilled salmon, with lovely vegetables and boiled potatoes. Delicious and healthy!

The next day we walked around a bit, learning about the town’s history from information boards dotted around the town. The lady at the tourist information was vaguely useful but you have to really work for the information. We headed off to a carpet factory which has been open since 1945, but as it was closed we stopped off for lunch instead and this time shared a fried hake and chips. The fish was definitely the best food in the region and very flavorful.

The main attractions in Puyuhuapi were located South of the town, back down ruta 7, the way we had come in. The Queulat National Park and two hot spring spas attracted all the attention from the tourists who visit. We decided to save our money and not visit the hot springs, but instead to focus on the park instead. One hot springs was across the Channel and they pick you up n the boat and take you across. The attached hotel was expensive, but if you visit the spa there it would still work out to be something like $US50. The other spa was a more reasonable $US14 each (7000 Chilean pesos), but its hot spring pools were outside and it was freezing cold, plus, we had no transport to get there. That and the fact there were numerous, more easily accessible springs in the North, made up our minds to save our cash.

In fact, we would probably need all the cash we could get our hands on, as there were no ATMs between Coihaique and Chiloe Island that accept international VISA (only MasterCard), and we had numerous stops between the two places, and not everyone takes VISA in this part of the world. Transport was also a massive issue on the Carretera Austral. We should have rented a car in Coihaique, but due to the fact it is quite expensive to drop it off somewhere else in the North, we opted for buses. Buses only run certain days, and at retarded times. The two buses to the National Park and the thermal baths both run at 6am in the morning, so it was on one of those that we tried to get on.

On the 23rd, we were two of fifteen people waiting to get on the small bus that was heading South from Chaiten, in the North, through Puyuhuapi, and through the National Park to the South. Once the bus arrived it was all too clear that there was room for only two or three people. It is illegal for people to stand on these buses, but that was not going to stop the group of three Israeli hikers who were also waiting, from getting on. As soon as they piled on, I grabbed Francesca and piled on behind them, and then so did everyone else. The driver, seeing an opportunity to charge us all for tickets and simply pocket the cash, let us on with only a few grumbles in Spanish. As there were no policemen awake in the police station opposite, I think he decided that there was very little risk getting caught.

It took an hour and a half to get to the South of the park only 50 kilometers away; to the first walk we had decided to do. This was the highly recommended Bosque Encantado, or Enchanted Forest trail. There were so many hair pins and switchbacks on the road that the bus had to travel at just under 25kph the whole way! However, once we got there, the three Israelis and Francesca and I all got off and began into the forest. We were extremely lucky with the weather (the previous day had been raining pretty hard). But that day, we lucked out with plenty of sunshine, and only a few very light sputters of rain.

Francesca and I soon found ourselves alone, and we saw that the trees here were covered in mosses and lichens a deep green. It really looked enchanted, like something from Lord of the Rings. Coihue (beech) and tepu (myrtle) trees, surrounded by ferns, Chilean rhubarb, red fuchsia bushes and bamboo were all shrouded in low-lying mist and clouds from the Pacific, whilst glacial emerald green and crystal clear rivers flowed through it all.

The trail was soggy and muddy, but well looked after. We saw a few bits of trash (come on people!), but on the whole this trail was one of our favorites, as it was so unique and beautiful. After an hour or so, the trail began to climb up, mostly with little wooden planks, handrails and stairs that had been added due to the heavy rainfall in the area. Another hour and we arrived at a fast-flowing river littered with boulders and large rocks that we would have to cross. After our previous walks we had no problem with getting our feet wet – we knew they would quickly dry. We crossed and continued up a slightly steeper incline, when we saw the Israelis coming back down. They told us there was a good spot under a rock to sit down at, at the top. We got there, and were both surprised and delighted by a glacial lake that was cradled by snow and ice-capped mountains in a circle around it. Ice had fallen and formed icebergs in the lake. It was also covering the mountain slopes next to the blue-green lake. We were completely alone. Bliss.

We ate our lunch (whilst I worried about pumas needlessly), and the clouds parted and the sun came out giving us an excellent view of the previously cloud-covered peaks. We could now see the glacier at the top, with multiple waterfalls pouring off of it. Timing!

It was a lot easier to walk back than to get there, as most of it was simply back downhill. No walking poles were needed for this walk though, and going back we could see back down the valley we had come from. It was filled with lush trees and plants with the flowing river we had crossed right in the middle of it, and the forest bordered by the mountains. The snow seemed really close, and it would not have taken much to reach it, or to start climbing up. This walk would have been hell if a storm hit though, so we were again very lucky with the weather.

It took us about 4 hours to do the whole trail – there and back, and we stopped for lunch at the viewpoint. The maps all say three hours, and the trail sign says 2 and a half hours, but it is unclear if they mean to get to the viewpoint or get there and back. Give it at least four hours if you like taking pictures and want to stop for a snack at the viewpoint.

Back at the road we knew we were relying on a hitchhike to get back North to the main entrance to the park where there was another walk we wanted to do. It was midday and there was no bus until 6pm. We waited for some other hikers to return from the walk who we had passed on the our return down the trail – we saw their 4WD jeep parked at the entrance. However, on their return, they said they were going in the other direction.

We got a hitch after just 45 minutes in the back of a 4WD jeep – it was pretty cold, and the winding road took about an hour and a half to go 30 kilometers. It will be great once they pave the Carretera Austral. We saw the park come into sight, and from the road we saw for the first time the park’s centerpiece – the Colgante hanging glacier.

Chile seemed just as merciless to foreigners as Argentina was – it was $US4 for Chileans, but $US8 for us to enter the park. We were going to pay for our Chilean jeep driver and his girlfriend, but when we saw the inflated prices we decided against it…

They did not give trail maps out at the park, so make sure you get one in Puyuhuapi. We paid the old guy at the entrance and made our way to the trailhead going to glacier. The entrance is a 2 kilometer walk from the road, and the trail is another 1 and a half from the entrance, so it is best to remain in the vehicle that gave you a lift if you hitchhiked!

Passing a dozen campsites (literally), we finally walked through the car park to the trail entrance. We crossed a wooden suspension bridge, across the flowing river, and began our walk. Like the first walk, it is all uphill going there, and downhill coming back. Not as muddy, and with no river to cross, at least our feet did not get too wet again – although there was a tricky bit which followed a narrow stream at the bottom of a cliff where we had to avoid treading in any deep water, or twisting an ankle.

A young trio of hikers we caught up with pointed out my favorite sight of the day – a cute, tiny long-clawed mole mouse. He was brown, furry and with a small tail. He did not respond to anything, as he was clearly blind and almost deaf. He was a very young one, and when he ran off he fell of a step and landed on my foot. Luckily he was OK, and disappeared off into the forest.

We also saw lots of chucao birds, which are by far the bravest birds I’ve ever seen! They are little fat things, with a beautiful red chest, and seem to spend all their time hopping around rather than flying. One even investigated my shoelaces, and attacked my trouser leg.

This walk took us just about two hours to get to the viewpoint – which was a nice, but busy (lots of people vying for photo space) view across the lake to the glacier. We had seen pictures of it, and it seemed to have receded rather a lot, which is worrying. It did not quite hang over the mountainside as it once used to. The waterfalls coming off of it and crashing down onto the granite cliffs below were still splendid though. We both agreed that the first walk was better, but it was worth doing both if you have the time.

We got back (the walk back would be much easier with trekking poles) down the steep stairs and rocks, which played havoc with my knees. Once back at the car park though, we managed to jump in the back of another 4WD jeep and get a lift back to the road. There were several different groups of other hitchhikers (mostly Israelis) at the road, so we did not hold out much hope of getting a lift.

It was only an hour until the bus was due to come, but they are almost always full whichever direction you want to travel in. Luckily, the lady who gave us a lift to the road came over and asked me if I would help her in return for a lift back to Puyuhuapi. Francesca and I walked over to the back of her house where she directed me and a guy from CONAF (the park rangers) to move a huge heavy diesel engine about 10 meters. Once that as done, and the engine had sputtered and choked into life, we waited about fifteen minutes, and her family gave us a lift into town.

The road is so bad, that even on the way back it took an hour and a half to go 20 kilometers. This was mostly due to the twists and turns, but also because they are widening the road, and so we had to wait whilst a digger finished some work with rocks crashing down onto the road ahead.

Phew! A full day! Once we were back in town, we showered and relaxed, as we did the next day. We had bought some nice ham and cheese from the small mini-market shop, and we also bought a fried hake with chips again to share. We had asked several times if we could buy onward bus tickets only to be told that it is a bus which cannot be reserved.

Transport is a real problem down here – the morning after we went to the park I woke up early and so decided to look out of our window to see how many people were trying to get the bus after the problems we had had. I was surprised to see a group of four backpackers and the driver fighting! Three guys with backpacks were separating the driver and another backpacker! I guess the driver had told them he was full. The driver left and it seemed no-one had got on. Ten people were all left by the side of the road. However, 45 minutes later another bus arrived, and they all got on it! No-one had even told us about another bus. Changing schedules, different bus times and number of buses each day, all with different number of seats (all small buses though that cannot fit more than about 25 people on them), make for challenging travel. If we opened a business down here we could really clear up!

We checked out on Saturday morning, hoping for a spot on the twice-weekly bus that goes North to Chaiten. We were due to get off it at a small hamlet called Villa Santa Lucia where we wanted to get another connection to a town called Futaluefu, famous for its river rafting.

First, we visited the carpet factory which had been closed a few days before. There was not much to it, but we learned how the factory operated an saw some of the vertical looms that they still use to make carpets for tourists. We did not buy one, but you can give them any design and they can make the carpet for you.

What was really amazing to me was the effort that goes into making these things. It takes three and a half weeks to make a carpet an ship it out, with 20,000 individual knots hand-tied into each square meter! Tiring.

Once we were done at the factory, we made our way back to the hostel to get our bags and we left. We were right next to the bus stop (a restaurant) where the bus was due to leave for the North (you could not reserve tickets, an the bus time was given to us as between 1pm and 2pm). At 2.30pm the bus finally arrived, and the driver refused to let us on at first, because we were only going part way and he wanted someone to get on who would pay the full fare to the end of the line. What a prick. We edged our way on however, with the driver telling us he only had one seat left, and after getting him to write two tickets, and paying him, there was no way we would be getting off.

We left with seven empty seats and continued up the desperate road that is the Carretera Austral. At La Junta we stopped to find about a dozen people trying to get on. The driver was extremely rude to these people saying, in Spanish, ‘It is your problem, not mine’. What a prick. We left, again, with one spare seat because the driver could not get it together enough to fill his own bus, and we left the other travellers to their hitchhiking hell.

We got to the turning at Villa Santa Lucia where we would leave the Carretera Austral and the bus driver from hell, and we were told a bus from the North was coming in ten minutes. An hour later and it actually turned up! We had been debating with a few other people who had got off the merits of hitchhiking, but one French guy told us he had tried all the previous day with no success. Of course, the bus to Futaluefu was full, so we had to get another bus (a small minivan is what passes for buses down here), and go half the way instead which is what we did.

Now in Puerto Ramirez, we decided to call it a night. We had travelled 7 hours and made it from Puyuhuapi to Puerto Ramirez which is only about 140 kilometers. Depressing. We stayed at a horrible little woman’s hospedaje on the junction which I would never recommend to Hitler let alone anyone else. It was expensive, with bad food, and an owner who was rude, obnoxious and greedy. She did a really good job making us all feel really unwelcome (Francesca, me and French Guy had decided to stay at the same place). We left in the morning, and tried hitchhiking, as the bus was at 3pm and we figured it would be full anyway. Francesca went back to the hospedaje owner’s place and asked to use the toilet. The woman screeched at her that she had to pay a dollar to use the toilet, even after we had just spent $US64 on the room and a plain dinner. When Francesca asked her to clarify the amount in broken Spanish she slammed the door in her face! I advise against staying there – it is the only place on the junction in Puerto Ramirez to Futaluefu and Palena…

People seem to take great delight in telling you their bus is full, or that you have to hitch in this part of the world, and the locals really take advantage of the visitors who get stuck out on the road. Once the road is paved and real hotels who provide service and competition to the local knuckleheads out there, all of them will go out of business and be swept away for good. We hope. Francesca and I would totally recommend only doing the Carretera Austral with a car rental from either Puerto Montt in the North, or Coihaique in the South.

After three hours of trying to hitch and no-one stopping, we finally got lucky when a young couple stopped to help us out. French Guy was left on his own, as he had gone to the minimart to get food or cigarettes, but he was OK as we saw him later in town.

We zoomed off to Futaluefu, grateful we were no longer having to deal with this horrible road. There has been some great scenery along the way, and some really nice people, especially in Puyuhuapi, but hiring a car is the only way to travel down here. The greedy and jaded locals were bought up in a different era in a place where they had no contact with visitors until the 1980’s when the gravel road was first constructed. Living hard lives, and seeing everyone as pushy Israelis, they are inhospitable, rude and unpleasant. Not all of them are this way, but the ones who are, we hope get stranded in London or New York where we can show them how to do it.