• Capilla del marmol, Carretera Austral

    Capillas de Marmol

  • Cerro Castillo Mountain, Carretera Austral, Aysen Region

    Cerro Castillo Mountain

  • Yelcho Glacier

  • Pumalin and Yelcho Trek - Northern Patagonia

    Pumalin National Park

  • Jeinimeni National Park, Aysen Region Chile

    Patagonia Park

Carretera Austral & Aysen in Chile

Road trip and Hiking Guide for Northern Patagonia

Home / Best Places to Hike / Carretera Austral & Aysen

Aysen in Chile is a paradise

for active outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers, because the offbeat landscapes of Northern Patagonia offer many possibilities for travelers:

With its spectacular glaciers of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Norte), evergreen forests and lush rain forests, turquoise lakes and rivers, the sparsely populated region of Aysén is our top recommendation for anyone interested in road trip adventures - drive & hike, hiking, trekking, rafting, kayaking, fly fishing, biking, ice hiking, seek out wildlife and rare birds or almost any other kind of outdoor adventure.

 

Between activities, we’ll invite you to stop for mate tea with a real tropero (cattle driver) or fuel up with a traditional cordero or ternera al palo (lamb or beef barbecue) – experiences you’ll never forget.

THE TOP NATIONAL PARKS IN AYSÉN INCLUDE

• Douglas Tompkins  Pumalín National Park

• Queulat National Park

• Patagonia Park (formerly Jeinimeni National Reserve) and

• Laguna San Rafael National Park.

  • Cerro Castillo Trek

    Cerro Castillo

  • Capillas de marmol

    Capilla del Marmol

  • Leones Glacier

    Los Leones Glacier

  • Drinking mate with a gaucho

    Drinking mate tea together with a gaucho

  • Jeinimeni Patagonia Park

    Jeinimeni Patagonia Park

  • Nalca Plants

    Nalca Plants

  • Drive and Hike Carretera Austral

    Carretera Austral Drive and Hike 1

  • Lago Jeinimeni Parque Nacional Patagonia

  • Parque Nacional Queulat

  • Parque Pumalin

  • Eidechsen

  • Pumalin and Yelcho Trek

    Pumalin and Yelcho Trek

  • Pumalin and Yelcho Trek

    Pumalin and Yelcho Trek

  • Yelcho Glacier

    Yelcho Glacier

  • Pumalin and Yelcho Trek

  • Pumalin and Yelcho Trek - Gaucho

  • Pumalin National Park Rainforest Chile

  • Queulat Glacier

    Queulat Glacier

WHAT IS THE BEST ROAD TRIP IN AYSEN?

The ultimate Aysen road trip is the Carretera Austral road through Chile’s last frontier - part of the famous Panamericana. This is one of the most exciting roads in the world, stretching south for almost 800 miles from Patagonia’s Lake District to Villa O’Higgins.

Travelers can choose to self-drive or even bike this southern Chile route. The road is unpaved and puts you immediately in the midst of nature on the grandest scale – green valleys, serpentine rivers, fjords, rain forests, hanging glaciers and more. The Carretera Austral road trip is the best way to fully immerse oneself in Chile, with access along the way to fantastic hiking, mountaineering, photo opportunities, kayaking and more.

What Are the Best Places to Visit

and what can I do?

  • Douglas Tompkins Pumalín National Park - South America´s most beautiful areas of pristine rainforest with millennial alerce trees and thundering waterfalls: Easy to moderate day hikes take you along well-developed hiking trails through a fairy tale forest with huge ferns, rhubarb-resembling, native Nalca plants, and wildly overgrown tree trunks
  • Visit the blue and turquoise sparkling caves of the “Capilla de marmol” (marble chapel) in Chile’s largest lake, Lago General Carrera, by kayak or a small boat.
  • Discover one of Patagonia’s best kept secret, the Exploradores valley with its countless waterfalls, glaciers an unclimbed granite walls and peaks.
  • Hike on a hidden trail to the remote Leones lake and glacier and explore the Patagonian Moon valley in (formerly) Jeinimeni National Reserve.
  • In Queulat, there are a variety of day hikes through the evergreen forest, views of the famous hanging glacier and great wildlife watching (look for pudú, black-necked swan, kingfisher, tepa and tepuala).
  • Within Patagonia Park, there are opportunities for hiking, overnight backpacking, scenic road trips, bird watching and mountain biking. This area is home to the greatest terrestrial biodiversity in this region of Patagonia ad home to guanaco, flamenco, puma and more.
  • Laguna San Rafael National Park is a topographic marvel, home to the Northern Ice Field, San Rafael Lagoon and San Rafael Snowcap. Within this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, travelers can hike, backpack, ski, sea kayak, watch for wildlife, birdwatch and practice nature photography.

Which Are the Best Hikes in Aysen?

  • For off-the-beaten-path, multi-day hiking in Aysen, the top choice is Cerro Castillo. This famous trek through a national reserve area takes four to five days to complete and showcases some of the largest mountains in all of the Patagonian Andes. There are also plenty of day hikes in the Cerro Castillo area for those looking for something shorter. The trails that crisscross the region promise peace and quiet, cool mountain streams, impressive mountain views and wildlife sightings (watch for eagles and Patagonian deer).

     

  • Day hikers can find several options within Aysen’s Queulat National Park, all highlighting the Queulat Glacier. Dark green forests and azure blue lakes complement untouched hanging glaciers for postcard-perfect views. A few to consider include the Bosque Encantado hike along the Cascada River, the Moraine Trail to the hanging glacier and the steeper Puma Trail to Los Pumas Lagoon.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Aysen?

The best time to visit Aysen is between October and March, with December through February being the most popular. Consider traveling in the shoulder months for fewer cars on the roads.

BOOK YOUR NEXT CARRETERA AUSTRAL ADVENTURE NOW !