Why this ride
A one-way ride of 216 km, Coyhaique to the finish - roughly 4 h 02 in the saddle. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,150 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Carretera Austral: Coyhaique to Puerto Rio Tranquilo
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 216 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 02
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Coyhaique
Coyhaique is the biggest town in Chile's Aysén region, and where the Carretera Austral really starts to feel like a frontier. It sits in a green valley at the meeting of two rivers, the Coyhaique and the Simpson, with steep forested ridges all around and a distinctive pentagonal main square. People here are used to long distances and bad weather, and the town has the practical feel of a place that serves the farms, fishing villages and mountain lodges strung out along the highway.
Read the complete Coyhaique write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coyhaique is where the day begins. Next is Cerro Castillo.
2. Cerro Castillo
The mountain that gives this village its name looks like exactly what it is called, a castle. The jagged ridge of Cerro Castillo rises above the Carretera Austral in a crown of dark towers and spires, streaked with snow and hanging glaciers, and from the road it fills the sky. It lies in the Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia, about a hundred kilometres south of Coyhaique, and the surrounding national reserve protects the peaks, lakes and valleys beneath. The village at its foot is small, with a few guesthouses and a place or two to eat, and it exists mostly because the road stops here.
Read the complete Cerro Castillo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cerro Castillo comes up about 96 km into the recorded legs. Next is Puerto Rio Tranquilo.
3. Puerto Río Tranquilo
Puerto Río Tranquilo is a small settlement on the western shore of Lago General Carrera, the vast lake that Chile shares with Argentina, where it is known as Lago Buenos Aires. The water here has a startling colour, a milky turquoise caused by glacial flour, and the lake is so big that the far shore is lost in haze. The village itself is a handful of streets with wooden houses, guesthouses and boat operators, and a population of only a few hundred.
Read the complete Puerto Rio Tranquilo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 216 km.
Leg by leg
Coyhaique to Cerro Castillo
Coyhaique → Cerro Castillo is 96 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Cerro Castillo to Puerto Rio Tranquilo
Cerro Castillo → Puerto Rio Tranquilo is 120 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.