Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

I am officially calling this the “All Seasons Cruise"! Buenos Aires was summer, Montevideo was fall, Port Stanley to Laguna San Rafael was winter and today in Puerto Chacabucco, we found spring.

It is a lovely day here, mid-60's (or about 16 C) with brilliant sunshine. Brian and I were off on a private tour with 2 other couples to the Simpson Valley and Coyhaique; the others are doing the same route with a ship excursion. Lautaro is our Tours by Locals guide. There have been lectures on board about the history and culture of this area so we know he was named for a famous Maputo indian who led his nation at the time of the Spanish invasion. The Maputo are the only indigenous tribe to defeat the Spanish and hold on to their land. Lautaro tells us that the Maputo have intermarried for generations with the Europeans and other South Americans but there still is a note of pride as he speaks of his heritage.

Our trip today included a trip up the Simpson Valley to Coyhaique, the regional capital. Puerto Chacabuco originally was the capital but Pinochet decided to move it to Coyhaique, a more central location. To entice skilled workers, he offered a guaranteed job and tax free cars. Given that this is a remote city with access only by one road and air, this is a strong incentive but the purchaser has to live in Coyhaique. Pinochet threw money and manpower at completion of a paved road up the valley and built a modern road in record time. This is a region where 70% of roads are gravel. Close to Coyhaique, the road changes from asphalt to brick. Why? Because due to the heavy rain fall, the ground shifts, making it very difficult to maintain an asphalt surface. (It rains in Puerto Chacabuco 280 days a year!).

Coyhaique means ‘between waters’. It is where the Simpson and Coyhaique rivers meet. The Simpson Valley and river were named for the European explorer who was searching for a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Now it is a popular fly fishing destination for trout and salmon. We stumbled on a school projects display in the Placa des Armes and had fun talking to the kids.

Halfway between Coyhaique and Puerto Chacabuco is Puerto Aysen, a small town of 22,000. The main employers are the forestry and the fishing industries. Puerto Chacabuco is an industrial port and while it has invested in a lovely cruise terminal, it does not have much to offer a tourist.

This was a very successful day. We finally saw the Andes, saw more of the land and enjoyed beautiful sunshine.

Next stop is Puerto Montt.Read more