In the middle of nowhere, in Southern Chile, sits Puerto Chacabuco. A little port town that consists of some houses, a hotel/restaurant and a Salmon processing plant. We arrive in the harbor – which is gorgeous – ringed by mountains and lush green trees/foliage with the snow-capped Andes peaks towering over us from a distance. We’re right on schedule at 7am, and we stand in line for the tender process. We snare the first tender after the tours go, so we’re in pretty good shape for our adventures.
It’s overcast and cold – and looks like it will stay that way all day, but we’re prepared with layers and umbrellas. Our Cruise Critic friends have all booked tours though Patricio, who is bringing cabs to take everyone up into the mountains. We missed that thread on the boards, and didn’t join them, so we decided to do the same tour on our own with public buses. You know us….
So, off we go to the end of the port facility and wait for el Autobus. There really isn’t anything here at the port, just grimy freighters and dock workers and trucks delivery freight. So we stand outside for a while, waiting, I asked one of the police officers about el autobus, and he said aqui. So we waited. It took about 5 minutes, but sure enough, here comes a little mini-bus with the sign for Aysen (our first stop before heading to Coyhaique up in the Andes). We pay our 1000 pesos ($2 US for both of us) and hop on the bus. It takes off and we stop and start our way up to Aysen – the original port city of the region.
It’s a local bus, so of course it stops everywhere for everyone, but it only takes about 20 minutes to make it to the bus terminal for Coyhaique. We go inside and buy a return trip to Coyhaique – and get our seats assigned for the trip up. Only 5,000 pesos, which is $10 US for 2. What a deal! We had read that the trip takes an hour and you need to get your return bus assigned as soon as you get to Coyhaique – so armed with that info – we take off.
The timing couldn’t have been better. We got our tickets and the bus left within 5 minutes of us getting there. And we got two of the last seats on the bus too! The drive up into the Andes to this cute little town was beautiful. The mountain ranges are just awesome – so huge and tall with craggy cliffs and snow capped peaks – all towering over lush green pastures with cows, sheep and horses. We followed a rushing river almost all the way up into the town – and there were an abundance of waterfalls all along the route.
This road – the camino Austral – was Pinochet’s major project. Until he focused on transportation, trying to build a united Chile, the road was nothing more than a gravelly trail. It may still be that way south of Puerto Chacabuco. But the section we were on, while in some parts still made up of cobblestones and pavers – and still pretty bumpy – was still pretty well maintained and smooth asphalt. And that was probably a good thing as our bus driver drove like a maniac. He took those curves like a race car driver and delighted in passing slower moving vehicles, particularly the cruise tour buses. We’re very glad we are at the absolute back of the bus!
We arrive, unscathed, in Coyhaique after about an hour and immediately claim our seats on the 10:55 return bus. The terminal is little more than a fenced in alley behind some buildings – so as we leave – we take pictures of the area around it so we can find our way back. It’s easy to navigate this town though – the beautiful little central square is only a block or so from the bus terminal. We wander down a street filled with shops and cafes – and run into some of our buddies on their tour. We stop for coffee (nescafe – they pour the boiling hot water, you sprinkle the nescafe from a carafe on the table!) and chat for a while. The cafe is adorable, all wood, with llama fur covering the seats and backs of the chairs. The grill is already heating up for the afternoon parilla – and it’s a nice little break to sit here with coffee and chat.
Afterward, we head off to the square to take pictures. The skies have cleared, it’s a beautiful sunny day, and temp has warmed up dramatically. The square is beautiful, and spend a few minutes exploring the statues and taking pictures of the Andes peaks behind the buildings of town. Later we wandered around and found a supermarket for provisions. We also picked up some cheese, smoked sausage (salami) and nuts for the ride back. We figured we’d picnic on the bus for our lunch.
If you are into nature, this is obviously the place to stay. It seems to be the jumping off point for treks in the Andes, national parks, and to go south for ferry and ship rides through the Fjords. It’s the biggest town around, and it even has an airport. Perched right in the valley beneath the Andes, it is a picturesque little ramshackle “Alpine” type of town. Very fun for our little diversion!
The time passes too quickly and we head back to the alley (yes we found it!) to board our bus. At exactly 10:55, we leave, picking up a few people here and there along the way. We try to take pictures out the window on our way down – and we got some decent ones – but nothing that can really capture the majesty of it all. So we stop after a while and just enjoy the scenery, while we eat our lunch.
Back in Aysen, a minibus for Chacabuco arrives within minutes (again – great timing!). We hop on – and for some reason it is 1200 pesos – it’s a nicer bus – so we figure that is why it’s more expensive, but we’re not quite sure. and it’s not just us – he’s charging everyone that, so, we just go with it. We take off after a few minutes and head into the town of Ayslen. We drive for 10 or 15 blocks, then turn right, then right again. Wait a minute, we’re heading back to the bus station. What’s up with that? We pick up a few more people and hit the bus station again. Ok, so there’s more people there – maybe they radioed him – but we didn’t here it. once again – we head off through the town – even though I know we need to go over the bridge in front of us to get to Chacabuco. And once again we make the big loop back to the bus station. By now, we’re in hysterics – it’s like Ground Hog day on the bus – we’re just going to keep circling around and around never going anywhere! We’d be getting upset if it weren’t for all the locals on the bus sitting there very calmly like this was a normal occurrence. Finally, after the 2nd circuit we head over the bridge to Chacabuco. Guess they just want to fill up the bus before making the 15 minute drive! Too funny!
We make it back to the ship with plenty of time – it was a really short port call – would have liked to have more time here – and board our tender to the ship. Back aboard we spend the afternoon sitting on the aft deck, watching Chacabuco and the Andes fade into the distance as we head to our last port of Puerto Montt.
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