a rowing boat moored in Puyuhuapi
Next up is Puyuhuapi. Just as insignificant as all the other villages along the Carretera Austral, but equally charming. Wooden houses, a restaurant or two, and – rather unique along this road – access to the sea. So there is a jetty, and some fishing boats moored along the Costa Nera.
the Puyuhuapi fjord, the only direct access to the sea along the Carretera Austral
another boat in the fjord, just outside the jetty
Unfortunately, our luck – with the weather – has left us. The first drops in the ‘termal’ were the beginning of some more sustained rain, and more importantly, clouds. In Southern Chile it may rain, a little, or a little more, but according to the local people never very long. However, the clouds that have formed are not going away that easily anymore, and significantly affect the views we have enjoyed for the past several days.
wooden houses in Puyuhuapi
not unattractive, as far as I am concerned – but imagine in winter!
the only accessible trail in Parque National Quellat, on the way to the viewpoint
Most prominently this is the case in the Parque National Quellat, where we are supposed to observe the Ventisquero Colgante, the Hanging Glacier – remember ‘ventisquiro’? Unfortunately this phenomenon is so spectacular, because it occurs high up in the mountains, and has a waterfall coming down from its base. But with the low clouds, we just about observe the waterfall, but the glacier remains obscured.
and this is at good as it got: vaguely in the middle a lighter spot, that is the waterfall coming down from the glacier, which remaijns solidly hidden in the clouds
A bit of a rip-off, actually, you pay a US$12 entrance fee (as a foreigner, discriminated compared to the locals, who pay less than half) and if the clouds are low, and the main attraction remains invisible, tough on you. Other activities, like a 2-3 hour hike – just about doable for us – and a boat trip, are all closed, and the remaining trails, each a few hundred meters long, are not very challenging, to say the least.
next: Puerto Chacabuco
the bridge over the Rio Ventisqueros, in the park
same Rio, so this is the water that comes down from the Hanging Glacier
