Top 10 Places to visit along the Carretera Austral, Chile
In this video guide I summed up my personal top 10 places to visit along the Carretera Austral in the most beautifula part of Chilean Patagonia
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MY CAMERA EQUIPMENT
▸ Cam1:Sony A7 II
▸ Cam2: Sony NEX 5
▸ Cam3: GoPro
▸ Drone: Phantom 3 Pro
▸ Drone Backpack: Manfrotto D1
▸ Amazon Tripod
▸ Joby Gorillapod
▸ Audio Recorder: Zoom H2n
▸ SDHC Memory Card
▸ Waterproof Memory Card Case
▸ Backpack Osprey Farpoint 40
The Carretera Austral is a mostly unpaved road that connects the most rural part of Patagonia in the very south of Chile. Tourism in this area is not as pronounced as it is in other parts of the country, as regular bus routes, accommodations and detailed info is hard to find.
But in this seclusion lies the attraction and a special charm. During my last trip I met very few travelers from Europe and North America. The locals welcomed me warmly and most attractions were not crowded.
After traveling this route twice via hitchhiking I thought it is about time that I put together a handy Carretera Austral guide which highlights the main sights along this 1200km long road. The video shows you my favorite places to visit from north to south, starting in Puerto Montt and finishing in Villa O’Higgins.
To do the Ruta 7 properly I recommend about 2 weeks - following I list all the places I visited & Things to do along the Carretera Austral:
- Fjords, Hornopiren, Pumalin Park, Chaiten
- Queulat National Park, Queulat Glacier, Puyuhuapi
- Rio Futaleufu, Futaleufu
- Cerro Castillo, Villa Cerro Castillo
- Marble Caves & Lago General Carrera, Puerto Rio Tranquilo
- Exploradores Glacier, Puerto Rio Tranquilo
- Rio Baker, Cochrane
- Caleta Tortel
- Villa O'Higgins
- O’Higgins Glacier
---About the Patagonia Expedition---
The Patagonian Expedition is a 95% self funded video documentary project following my trip in 2012/2013. Our aim is to show you the beauty of the rather unknown parts in Patagonia alongside with the famous spots.
Beside beautiful landscape you can expect loads of information and our personal experiences and struggles along the way:
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MY TRAVEL EQUIPMENT
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The whole trip was executed over the course of 2 months using mostly local transport such as busses, cars and trucks. A big thank you goes to Lufthansa for providing the flights into and out of South America in their new Premium Economy Class!
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Chaiten, Puyuhuapi & Queulat NP, Carretera Austral in Chile (Patagonia Expedition #02)
In the second episode of our Patagonia Expedition we start hitchhiking the Carretera Austral in Chile and explore the Fjords north of Chaiten and the hanging glacier of Queulat near Puyuhuapi.
My Guide for Chile:
--- equipment used to produce this video ---
Cam1:Sony A7 II
Cam2: Sony NEX 5
Cam3: GoPro
Drone: Phantom 3 Pro
Drone Backpack: Manfrotto D1
Amazon Tripod
Joby Gorillapod
Audio Recorder: Zoom H2n
SDHC Memory Card
Waterproof Memory Card Case
Backpack Osprey Farpoint 40
The Carretera Austral is a 1200km long road in the south of Chile which connects the most remote areas of the country. The ruta 7 is a paradise for adventure seekers as it is a mostly unpaved road which brings you to the lesser known parts of Patagonia in the stunning Los Lagos and Aysen Region.
Our plan was to get from Puerto Montt till Villa O’Higgins by thumb to get in touch with locals and fellow adventurers along the way. But for the first stretch from Puerto Montt to Chaiten we chose public transport as you need to take 3 ferries to cross through the Fjords. The landscape with its fjords and temperate rainforests around the national parks of pumalin and hornopiren is stunning and reminded me of scandinavia.
Chaitén, once destroyed by a volcano was our first stop. We explored the city and I was surprised how it came back to live after my last visit 3 years ago - a lot of restaurants and shops opened and tourism is increasing with tours to the nearby volcano and to the Pumalin park.
On the next day we got up early, headed out of town and started hitchhiking. After just about 20 minutes we got our first ride which took us to Villa Santa Lucia where we got stuck as there were many like minded adventurers. Shortly before we gave up we got lucky again and got a lift to La Junta where we stayed for the night.
Another day of waiting, only a few cars passed us that day until..after about 6h…a big truck pulled over and offered to take us - we climbed into the back where a party was going on with a bunch of other hitchhikers who got picked up along the way. This ride from La Junta to Puyuhuapi turned out to be one of the most memorable hitchhiking experiences I’ve ever had.
Puyhuapi was our base for 3 days as we wanted to explore the nearby paqrque nacional Queulat with its impressive hanging glacier Queulat. The park is located 20km out of Puyuhuapi. This time Sergio who is the park ranger at Queulat gave us a ride and told us more details about the famous hanging glacier. With this early arrival we were the first to hike up to the viewpoint to get the best view of the glacier - simply overwhelming!
This part of the trip was executed within 1week by using the local buses and altogether 5 rides via hitchhiking - following I list all the places we visited & Things to do along the Carretera Austral:
- Puerto Montt
- Hornopiren
- Pumalin Park
- Chaiten
- Villa Santa Lucia
- La Junta
- Puyuhuapi
- Queulat National Park / Parque Nacional Queulat
- Queulat Glacier / ventisquero queulat (colgante)
I'm excited to share all our experiences in Patagonia over the course of the next 6 weeks with you. In the next episodes we will Hitchhike the central part of the Carretera Austral, trek through the most impressive mountain ranges, ice hike over the glaciers of the southern Patagonian Icefield and meet impressive characters along the way.
The Patagonian Expedition is a 95% self funded video documentary project following my trip in 2012/2013. Our aim is to show you the beauty of the rather unknown parts in Patagonia alongside with the famous spots.
Beside beautiful landscape you can expect loads of information and our personal experiences and struggles along the way.
--- my travel equipment ---
insurance
packing list
Online Language Course
The whole trip was executed over the course of 2 months using mostly local transport such as busses, cars and trucks. A big thank you goes to Lufthansa for providing the flights into and out of South America in their new Premium Economy Class!
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Travel Patagonia by Drone in 4k (Best of the Patagonia Expedition)
For me Patagonia is one of the most beautiful travel destinations on earth, to showcase this I created a montage of the best drone footage from my recent trip.
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EQUIPMENT USED
DJI Phantom 3 Pro
Carbon Propellers
Remote Sunshade
Extra Batteries
Charging Hub
Manfrotto Drone Backpack
Waterproof Memory Card Case
Durable HDD
Over the course of 2 months I traveled Chilean as well as Argentine Patagonia from north to south to produce a documentary series called The Patagonia Expedition together with my friend Kristin Addis. The trip started in Bariloche (Argentina) and went via the Carretera Austral (Chile) down south to El Chaltén (Argentina) and finally to Torres del Paine (Chile).
It wasn't easy to travel with all the camera gear beside the other equipment we needed, especially considering all the camping stuff (tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment etc) but I wanted to capture the beauty of traveling through Patagonia the best way possible.
Throughout the trip we got in touch with locals, stayed longer in one spot to really get to know the place and did all kinds of tough outdoor activities. Due to my former travels I already knew most of the places, got in touch with local friends and tourism businesses to help us create these videos. Not to mention the physical preparations which enabled us do all this activities under those partially tough conditions.
We are very grateful for all those experiences, new friendships and cooperations with locals as well as park rangers!
DRONE LAWS IN PATAGONIA
Please consider that all shots were filmed considering the drone laws in Argentina and Chile at the time we filmed there. Moreover we got special permissions by park rangers in some of the locations such as National Parks or filmed on private property with the permission of the owner (e.g. Torres del Paine).
Furthermore I'd like to point out that I took several weeks of practice in training spaces in Europe to ensure safe flights in Patagonia with my drone, especially due to the harsh weather and wind conditions.
In order to protect nature and wildlife in this sensitive part of the world I highly recommend to follow these rules as well if you plan to do something similar. Please check with the local laws before you fly, don't fly in National Parks without special permission, please check the weather conditions before you fly and take your time to calibrate your drone before each flight.
DRONE & PATAGONIAN WEATHER
Consider the extreme weather conditions and come prepared with special equipment as listed above such as a good drone backpack, special propellers, waterproof housing for sd cards and a durable HDD.
FILMING LOCATIONS
Following I list all the places we visited during our Patagonia Travel:
- Bariloche & Villa La Angostura
- Chaiten
- Puyuhuapi
- Villa Santa Lucia
- Cerro Castillo
- Puyuhuapi
- Puerto Rio Tranquilo
- Laguna San Rafael National Park & Eploradores Glacier
- Queulat National Park / Parque Nacional Queulat
- Queulat Glacier / ventisquero queulat (colgante)
- Villa O'Higgins
- Lago O'Higgins & Bernado O'Higgins National Park
- O'Higgins Glacier
- Candelario Mansilla
- El Chalten & Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre
- Los Glaciares National Park
- Torres del Paine
- Region Los Lagos
- Region de Aysén
- Provincia Rio Negro
- Provincia Santa Cruz
- Region Magellanes y Antartica Chilena
ABOUT THE PATAGONIA EXPEDITION
The Patagonian Expedition is a 95% self funded video documentary project following my trip in 2012/2013. Our aim is to show you the beauty of the rather unknown parts in Patagonia alongside with the famous spots:
GENERAL TRAVEL EQUIPMENT
insurance
packing list
Online Language Course
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My personal recommendations for Hotels & Hostels:
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From the Marble Caves to Puyuhuapi - Hitchhiking the Carretera Austral in Chile (Part 2)
This is the second episode of my Hitchhiking adventure on the Carretera Austral in Chile - I explore the marble caves of Puerto Rio Tranquilo in the General Carrera Lake and continue hitchhiking to Coihaique and finally Puyuhuapi.
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Spots and Sights in this Video:
- Puerto Rio Tranquillo
- Capillas de Marmol (Marble Caves)
- Lago General Carrera
- Murta
- Villa Cerro Castillo
- Coihaique
- Villa Manihuales
- Puyuhuapi
To find out more about the Carretera Austral in Patagonia, Chile check out this mini documentary:
--- About the Carretera Austral in Patagonia ---
The Road number 7 connects the most remote areas of Chile and is one of the most beautiful roads in South America. It is an alternative road to the Panamericana which is located on the argentinean side of Patagonia.
Amongst Bikers and Cyclists this route is very popular due to the beautiful landscape even though the construction of the road was not done for tourism purpose.
In the 1970s there was a border conflict between Argentina and Chile in this part of Patagonia - the territories around the lago del desierto have not been clearly defined. Therefore Pinochet decided to build a road and populate the south of chile to claim the region and strengthen the position of Chile.
Nowadays the Ruta 7 is a mostly unpaved road and is located in 2 regions of Chile: Region Los Lagos in the northern part of the road and Region Aysen in the south.
Find more info and useful travel guides for Patagonia and South America on my Website:
Map by Wikimedia:
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Walking with Penguins on Magdalena Island in Chile (Travel Video Blog 50)
60.000 penguins are living on a small island near Punta Arenas in Chile. Walking with penguins on Magdalena Island in Chile is the highlight of a visit to the region at the eastern part of the Strait of Magellan.
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I took a ferry and said HI to these well dressed birds - a great experience on my chile tour at this stage of my trip!
Travel South America with me and experience more adventures & the pure beauty of Patagonia in the upcoming episodes.
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Cities of Chile: Pucón - Find your Chile
Are you foodie and an outdoor enthusiast? Then Pucón will suit you down to the ground. The perfect combination of a thriving gastronomic scene and stunning landscapes. Mouth-watering, cosmopolitan menus showcasing the best of indigenous Mapuche cuisine and indulgent German dessert and patisserie traditions.
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Multisport in Torres del Paine with Chile Nativo Travel
Enjoy an ultimate adventure: riding, hiking and paddling in and around Torres del Paine National Park!
We begin riding on strong Criollo horses, experiencing the gaucho culture of Patagonia and feeling the wind in our faces as we gallop across the pampas (steppe).
Next, strap on your hiking boots as we enter into Torres del Paine National Park and hike the famous “W”; experiencing up close the magic of the granite peaks of the Towers and a enjoy the view of icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier.
Finally we start paddling our sea kayaks to follow the Serrano River, floating by un-touched forests and snow capped mountains, visiting two hanging glaciers at the remote Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.
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#100 Carretera Austral en 10 minutos - Atlas Vivo de Chile
Puerto Montt, Hornopirén, Chaitén, Puyuhuapi, Coyhaique, Cochrane, Villa O'higgins: un recorrido abreviado a través de la fabulosa carretera austral de Chile, por caminos de tierra y mar.
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