The Southern Coast

We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Southern Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Cerro Castillo National Park

    Just 64 km (40 miles) south of Coyhaique, this national park is home to one of the most beautiful mountain chains in the region, crowned majestically by the rugged Cerro Castillo. Glacier runoff fills the lakes below the mountain, and the reserve is also home to several species of deer, puma, and guanaco. Cerro Castillo could be called one of the best hikes in Patagonia, but it gets only a tiny percent of visitors compared with its more popular counterpart to the south, Torres del Paine. One excellent hiking route begins at Las Horquetas Grandes, 8 km (5 miles) south of the park entrance. From there, go along La Lima River until Laguna Cerro Castillo, where you can begin your walk around the peak, and then head toward the nearby village of Villa Cerro Castillo. There is bus service from Coyhaique, but it's better to come here in your own rented vehicle. It's also preferable to hike with a guide, as trails are not always clearly marked. Senderos Patagonia (aysensenderospatagonia.com, 9/6224–4725) offers several options for both day hikes and multiday expeditions, as well as horseback rides through the park. 

    Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo, Villa Cerro Castillo, Aisén, 60000, Chile
    67-221–2225

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 18,000 pesos
  • 2. Parque Nacional Pumalín Douglas Tompkins

    Funded and organized by the late American conservationist Douglas Tompkins, this park covers 402,392 hectares (994,331 acres) and shelters the largest—and one of the few remaining—intact alerce forests in the world. Alerces, the world's second-longest-living tree species at up to 4,000 years, are often compared to the equally giant California redwood. Tompkins, who founded the clothing companies ESPRIT and The North Face, died in a kayaking accident in December 2015, and was posthumously lauded as an environmental hero in Chile and the world over. Pumalín Park represents the biggest parcel of altogether 1 million acres of land officially donated to Chile in March 2017 by Conservation Land Trust, the foundation set up to manage Tompkins's park projects in South America. Thanks in part to lands bought up and preserved by Tompkins, Pumalín became a full-fledged national park in April 2019. The Pan-American Highway, which trundles all the way north to Alaska, is interrupted at Pumalín, though the government plans to expand the highway through it. Meanwhile, there's a well-maintained road stretching 60 km (37 miles) from Chaitén to the northern entrance of the park at Caleta Gonzalo. This park encompasses some of the most pristine landscape in the region, if not the world. There are a dozen trails that wind past lakes and waterfalls. Stay in excellent wooden cabins or at one of the 17 campsites, or put up your tent on one of the local farms scattered across the area that welcome travelers. After the Chaitén Volcano eruption here in 2008, the main entrance to the park was moved to El Amarillo, some 30 km (18 miles) south of Chaitén. But one can still arrive via the more developed Caleta Gonzalo entrance to the north, where a ferry from Hornopirén can drop you off and where the cabins and a park restaurant are located.

    Sector El Amarillo, Chaitén, Los Lagos, 5550000, Chile
    65-220–3107

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 3. Parque Nacional Queulat

    The rugged 154,000-hectare (380,000-acre) Parque Nacional Queulat begins to rise and roll to either side of the Carretera Austral some 20 km (12 miles) south of Puyuhuapi. The rivers and streams crisscross dense virgin forests. At the higher altitudes, brilliant blue glaciers can be found in the valleys between snowcapped peaks. If you're lucky, you'll spot a pudú, one of the diminutive deer that make their home in the forest. Less than 1 km (about a half mile) off the east side of the Carretera Austral, you are treated to a close-up view of the hanging glacier, Ventisquero Colgante, which slides a sheet of ice between a pair of gentle rock faces. Several waterfalls cascade down the cliffs to either side of the glacier's foot. There is an easy 15-minute walk leading to one side of the lake below the glacier, which is not visible from the overlook. A short drive farther south, where the Carretera Austral makes sharp switchback turns as it climbs higher, a small sign indicates the trailhead for the Salto Padre García. There is no parking area, but you can leave your car on the shoulder. This short hike through dense forest is worth attempting for a close-up view of this waterfall of striking proportions. There are three CONAF stations (the national forestry service), and an informative Environmental Information Center at the parking lot for the Ventisquero Colgante overlook and the southern and northern entrances to the park.

    Parque Nacional Quelat, Puyuhuapi, Aisén, 600000, Chile
    67-221–2225

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 8,200 pesos
  • 4. Catedrales de Marmol

    The Catedrales de Marmol ("Marble Cathedrals") are impressive rock formations of calcium carbonate formed over 6,200 years on the western shores of Lake General Carrerra. Over time, they have been worn away by the water, creating a maze of caves, tunnels, and huge columns of multicolored pure marble. This popular spot on the tourist trail is possible to reach by boat or kayak. There are small boat tours on offer near the site, which is on the Carretera Austral about 218 km (135 miles) south of Coyhaique near the small town of Puerto Río Tranquilo.

    Carretera Austral, Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Aisén, Chile

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 15,000 pesos per person
  • 5. Chaitur Excursiones

    This tour agency in Chaitén can help you with transport to and from the park.

    Chile
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  • 6. Chaitur Excursions

    Transportation Site (Airport, Bus, Ferry, Train)

    Vermont native Nicolas La Penna is a pioneer in the tourist trade on the Carretera Austral, leading tours and providing transport on the mostly dirt roads of northern Patagonia for well more than two decades. His office doubles as the Chaitén bus station, making him an especially rich source for tips on the region. Among his destinations in the Chaitén area are Pumalin Park, Futaleufú River, the Yelcho and Michimahuida glaciers, and still-smoking Chaitén Volcano. Tour prices start from 30,000 pesos.

    Av. Bernardo O'Higgins 67, Chaitén, Los Lagos, 5850000, Chile
    65-273–1429
  • 7. Lago Yelcho

    One of the best places in the region to fish, this lake is constantly packed with brown trout. It runs along the Carretera Austral south of Chaitén, and there are several lodges nearby catering to anglers.

    Chaitén, Los Lagos, 5850000, Chile
  • 8. Monumento al Ovejero

    The Carretera Austral leads to this monument in the northeastern corner of town. On the broad median of the Avenida General Baquedano, a solitary shepherd with his horse and his dog lean motionless into the wind behind a plodding flock of sheep.

    Coyhaique, Aisén, Chile
  • 9. Museo Regional de Aysén

    This award-winning museum, which recently moved to a larger space, has a collection of black-and-white photos of early 20th-century pioneering in this region, as well as sections devoted to archaeology and geology of Aysén. One of the most fascinating collections features Father Antonio Ronchi, an Italian Catholic missionary who assisted communities throughout the region during the 1960s.

    Km. 3, Camino a Coyhaique Alto, Coyhaique, Aisén, 60000, Chile
    9-4526–7721

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 10. Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael

    Nearly all of the 1,742,000-hectare (3,832,400-acre) Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael is inaccessible fields of ice, and only a handful of the people have ever set foot on land. Most travel by boat from Puerto Chacabuco or Puerto Montt through the maze of fjords along the coast to the expansive San Rafael Lagoon. Floating on the surface of the brilliant blue water are scores of icebergs that rock from side to side as boats pass. Most surprising is the variety of forms and colors in each iceberg, including a shimmering, translucent cobalt blue. The massive Ventisquero San Rafael glacier measures 4 km (3 miles) from end to end but is receding about 182 meters (600 feet) a year. Paint on a bordering mountain marks the location of the glacier in past years. It's a noisy beast, roaring like thunder as the sheets of ice shift. If you're lucky, you can see huge pieces of ice calve off, causing violent waves that should make you glad your boat is at a safe distance. Wildlife lovers can glimpse black-browed albatross and elegant black-necked swans here, as well as sea lions, dolphins, elephant seals, and chungungos—the Chilean version of the sea otter.

    Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael, 60000, Chile
    67-221–2109

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 7,000 pesos
  • 11. Parque Nacional Patagonia

    In 2019, this formerly private park became a national park and, moreover, merged territory with the Jeinimeni National Reserve (to the north) and the Tamango National Reserve (to the south) to form a much larger conservation preserve encompassing 304,527 hectares (752,503 acres). It was a major achievement for Kris Tompkins McDivitt, a former CEO of outdoor clothing company Patagonia and wife of the late nature philanthropist Doug Tompkins. With a landscape reminiscent of the American Southwest, this park includes semiarid steppe, temperate beech forests, grasslands, wetlands, and high mountains. The park includes unique fauna such as huemul, an endangered Chilean deer species; pumas; the hairy armadillo; and numerous birds species such as the Andean condor and pygmy owl. Guanacos especially abound here. Like other parks created by the Tompkins clan in the region, the trails and infrastructure here have set not just a national standard but a global one. Don't miss the excellent Patagonia Park Museum, which, through interactive exhibits, tells the natural and cultural history of the Chacabuco Valley, as well as the importance of national parks in ecological recovery.

    Valle Chacabuco, 60000, Chile
    65-225–0079

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 4,200 pesos, For reservations at Lodge Valle Chacabuco, contact: [email protected]
  • 12. Plaza de Armas

    This is the center of town and the nexus for its attractions, including the town's cathedral and government building.

    Coyhaique, Aisén, Chile
  • 13. Puerto Aysén

    A hanging bridge leads from Chacabuco to Puerto Aysén, founded in 1928 to serve the region's burgeoning cattle ranches. Devastating forest fires that swept through the interior in 1955 filled the once-deep harbor with silt, making it all but useless for transoceanic vessels. Nowadays, fishing and salmon farming are the leading economic activities. The town gained some fame in February 2012, when protests here sparked a region-wide revolt over an array of social issues. The busy main street is a good place to stock up on supplies for boat trips to the nearby national parks.

    Puerto Aisén, Aisén, Chile
  • 14. Reserva Nacional Coyhaique

    The 2,150-hectare (5,313-acre) Reserva Nacional Coyhaique, about 4 km (2½ miles) north of Coyhaique, provides hikers with some stunning views when the weather cooperates. If it's raining you can drive a 9-km (5½-mile) circuit through the park.

    Reserva Nacional Coyhaique, Coyhaique, Aisén, 60000, Chile
    67-221–2225

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 6,200 pesos
  • 15. Reserva Nacional Río Simpson

    This classic fishing spot in Aysén is dotted with waterfalls tumbling down steep canyon walls. A lovely waterfall called the Cascada de la Virgen is a 1-km (about a mile) hike from the information center, and another called the Velo de la Novia is 8 km (5 miles) farther. About 1 km from Coyhaique, along the banks of the Simpson River, you can also see the Piedra del Indio, a rock shaped in the profile of an indigenous individual. Get to the park via the highway that connects Coyhaique with Puerto Aysén; the park entrance is 32 km (20 miles) northeast of Coyhaique.

    Reserva Nacional Rio Simpson, Coyhaique, Aisén, Chile
    67-233–2743

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 8,200 pesos, Closed Mon.
  • 16. Termas del Ventisquero

    About 15 minutes from Puyuhuapi, this facility provides an inexpensive option for enjoying the area's natural hot springs. It's open daily, and the entrance fee affords you three hours in the four pools of varying sizes, either from 10 am to 1 pm, or 2 pm to 5 pm. The grounds are well organized, with bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, and a small café on-site that serves coffee, cake, pizza, and sandwiches.

    Puyuhuapi, Aisén, Chile
    9-6860–3454

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 20,000 pesos
  • 17. Yelcho Glacier

    Just 2 km (1 mile) past the village of Puerto Cárdenas is Puente Ventisquero Yelcho (Glacier Bridge), the beginning of a moderate three-hour round-trip hike to Ventisquero Cavi (Hanging Glacier). The trail is clearly marked, but Chaitur Excursions (www.chaitur.com) also organizes group treks to the glacier.

    Carretera Austral, Chaitén, Los Lagos, 5850000, Chile

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