Carretera Austral is properly the most popular road (Ruta 7) for bicyclist in this region. Traveling the Carretera Austral or Route 7 in Patagonia is a lifetime adventure. The legendary road in Chile offers incredible scenery, a unique ecosystem, and a thrilling feeling of being in the wilderness. If you want to go off the beaten track, discover new places, do wild hikes, and meet wonderful people, Chilean Patagonia is the right place for you.
Some parts of the road is a hell cycling on. Road conditions – ongoing road works, half of the way has been already paved, half is still in process.

It was the the dictator, the junta leader Augusto Pinocht who gav order 1976 to build the road for connecting remote village in the southern with rest of the country.

I left Villa Mañihuales early morning  january 4 heading some places up north, but my main destination is Chaiten. However, I haven’t planned exactly where the tent camps will be along the way. It’s about 350 km to Chaiten. The weather, road conditions, and how my legs feel will determine the pace.

The road is paved and not particularly challenging. Moreover, it seems the headwind has slowed down, I swear by how the grass, bushes, and tree crowns bend. I start cycling in a rain jacket but switch to my yellow, thin cycling jacket after a few miles.

Halfway to Villa Amengual, I meet a cyclist heading south, as usual. This man is from Canada, British Columbia, and his name is Favian. A very pleasant guy to talk to.

Favian the guy frpm British Colombia

Eventually, I arrive at Villa Amengual. First, I stop at a roadside cafe for coffee and later venture into the small town that seems completely deserted.

Scuilpture in Villa Amengual

The only things I see are four cyclists, two of whom I recognize from El Camping in Coyhaique.

Villa Amenugal Centro. Three mini markets and ome fitness center.

The other two are a younger couple, a girl and a guy from Germany and Switzerland. They are waiting for the three minimarkets in the village to open. They usually close in the middle of the day. We exchange information and realize we’re heading in the same direction and toward the same goal, Chaiten. I stock up on supplies and then change my jacket to a more waterproof one. The drizzle has started.

During our little chat, we decide that today’s goal is the beginning of the climb over the mountain and Parque Nacional Queulaw. It’s a 7 km long and steep serpentine road through the national park.

The younger couple takes off before I get everything packed. The road is incredibly beautiful, green, with pleasant valleys, waterfalls, streams, and good cycling weather despite occasional drizzle.

Rio Cisnes and Valley Cisnes. More berautiful and this is hard to beat

I catch up with them after a few miles; they are sitting and taking a break by a bus stop. Shortly after, the guys from El Camping pass by, and their pace is a bit too high for me to catch up.

The road winds between the giant mountains and beautiful rivers, with only a few challenging slopes to tackle. The younger man dressed in yellow often stops and does some stretching exercises for his back; he seems to have some issues.

Here I come in full action

Just after 5:00 PM, we crossed Arroyo, or Rio J Steffens and reach the intersection towards Puerto Cisnes, Ruta X25 – Ruta 7. This is where the climb over the mountain and the national park begins.

El Camping guys and this days end. Ruta X25-Ruta 7 Camp

The man in the yellow jacket doesn’t look too good. We look for a suitable place to set up our tents, and I see a curve on the other side of the road with a fairly large green area tand close to a sort of some kind of religious cure with flowers, candles and figures of Christo pitch the tent.

This is very common aftwer the roasds. Just after this pic a women stoped and and lit some candles.

Shortly after, the younger couple arrives cycling, and they also stop for the night.

I manage to set up the tent before the drizzle turns into a more sustained rain. The guys from El Camping, however, continue up the mountain to find a better spot. They come back after half an hour and find a place behind a gigantic sign about road construction.

Now, the rain is pouring down, and it’s hitting hard against my Hilleberg Allak 2 tent. I prepare my food inside the tent, and it’s macaroni, hamburgers, avocado, bell pepper, and a local beer I bought in Villa Amengual.

I fall asleep with my phone on my stomach and wake up to the sound of heavy rain. I look out and see that the mountains are completely covered in rain mist. Tomorrow is likely to be a tough day. Mobile coverage is dead, so a weather forecast is impossible.

This day has been a very pleasant cycling, Not to warm, notr much hewadwind and the surrandings hard to forget

Distance: 90,59 km
Average Speed: 14.70 km/h
Max Speed: 51.6 km/h
Cycling Time: 6.11 h
Total Time: 09:27 h
Medium Temp: 16°C
Max Temp: 21.0°C
Min Temp: 13.0°C
Total Climbing: 1027 m

Talk to you later
P-G
// The Global Cyclist 1726″

2024-01-02

Lima para pies

My feet also need some care, tight shoes, heat, and they work a lot. I try to find a store in Manuales that sells foot files… but no luck. In the end, I find a hardware store, and they should have sandpaper at least.

papel de lija or sandpaper

I explain in English what I need, using gestures, and they understand and laugh, but shake their heads. So, it turns into sandpaper that the owner retrieves from their storage. Two round discs that I purchase.

Note: Not my feet. Some Chileans have lent
their feet for observation.

Then back to my tent at the campground, I cut the two round sandpapers into 8 equally sized pieces. Then, I start gently sanding my feet and toenails, and they seem to be turning out quite okay.

What one doesn’t do when necessity requires help! a proverb that my beloved mother 💗 always told me

I also took a walk in the park, ”walk about” and I discovered that summer here is most likely like home. warm and hot days and chilly in the nights

Summer in Chile and Manuales is almost like home in Sweden

No name, Nobody knows?

No Name, someone who knows?

Manuales has a very nice park , quite big several acres for visitors to join

Wood art in the park

During my cycle journey especially from El Chalten and north the quantity and spread of lupins are huge. They are everywhere, and down here, they are not considered invasive species but rather used as a beneficial plant.

Lupines can be very beautiful

See Yeah Later
P-G
//The Global Cyclist

I stayed some extra days in Coyhaique because to manage my pollen allergy. I had medicin for that but it don’t have effect immediate. So I celebrate New Years eve here and just relaxed and watch some Icehockey.

January 1 – 2024

Leaving Coyhaique on the first day of the new year, and the sun is shining. The first mile is on paved road, then I opt for a shorter route towards Villa Ortega and Manhuales.

Pointing view over Coyhaique and river Simpson

This is Carretera Austral from Start in north to end in South and Villa O Higgins

After a few kilometers, I wonder if it was a wise choice.It’s a gravel road, and a poorly maintained one at that. At times, I can barely maintain speed, and the traffic is quite dense until 2:00 PM. The dust is swirling, forcing me to stop and turn my back when being overtaken or encountering oncoming traffic.

More gravelroad, never stops…!

The last 9 km before Villa Ortega transition from gravel to cemented and paved road, and at the same time, the views become truly extraordinary.

Paved rod for 9 km, Yippi Ki Yeah

I reach a small village, Villa Ortega, and find an open minimarket. I inquire about coffee and am invited into some kind of living room, where I also get to taste homemade cookies… for free.

Shortly before 3:00 PM, I continue towards Villa Manhuales.

Rivers, creeks, gravelroad and huge mountains.
That’s what I face every day in recent weeks. One becomes completely stunned by all the views.

Aming to arrive there just before 7:30 PM. I have 32 km of gravel road left before hitting paved road again. The positive side is the beauty all around, and the distance is somewhat downhill. I encounter some resilient cyclists struggling uphill towards Villa Ortega.

Can’t stop to be impressed of Chile surranding

When the GPS shows 57 km, I see large green traffic signs ahead, and I have now reached the intersection where paved road becomes a reality once again. With 13 km remaining, my schedule seems to be holding. Additionally, it feels liberating to loosen my grip on the handlebars.

7:20 pm I arrivde into Villa Manuales and the sun was still warm and the air cozy

The weather is wonderfully pleasant in the afternoon, and I can even hum a few Swedish summer songs. I find a campsite quite quickly and set up the tent while the sun is still warming. The tent fabric is slightly damp from the morning, so it’s nice to get it dry.

70 km today, and 46 of them on gravel.

Take care, and we’ll be in touch.

P-G //

The Global Cyclist 1726