I spent today 7,5 hours on the bus heading from Coihaique to Cochrane.
The ticket costs 14000 pesos – like 20 USD for 340 kms, but I must tell you that the ride is worth the price. We were going by Carretera Austral (called also Carretera del Sur, which means the same) It is the only road crossing the Chilean Patagonia. It is hard to describe what you see from the window of the bus. At the beginning it looks like Switzerland, with green pastures framed by the mountains, but after two hours you feel you are in the middle of nowhere. Settlements became rare. Soon you will see picturesque and massive Cerro Castillo (Castle Mtn). Here the pavement on the road ends. Onward you travel on the gravel – in the clouds of dust. But you see sapphire mountain lakes, turquoise rivers, snows on the mountains… The only stop on thecway was in Puerto Tranquillo. Locals went to eat, but me – I was running to take the pictures and recordings because the landscape was so beautiful and through the tinted windows of the bus you are getting little false color.
General Carrera lake is the second-large lake of South America – after Titicaca. Part of this lake is in Argentina. We were going aoong this huge lake enjoying the scenery. Then we follow the canyon of Baker River… Now I am in Cochrane – little mountain settlement. Do not trust them if they say in Coihaique Tourist Office that the onward bus to Villa O’Higgins go every day. Here they were laughing – the bus goes only on Wed and Saturdays! Should I wait here 3 days?
