Coihaique

Insignia arrived an hour early at its anchorage offshore from Puerto Chacabuco, which sits at the head of the Aysén Fjord. Named for the ship that brought Enrique Simpson, who explored this most isolated region of Chile in the the 1870s, Puerto Chacabuco became the main port for the area when nearby Puerto Aisén’s river became unnavigable due to ash accumulation and land erosion following the eruption of Mount Hudson in 1991.

We booked a public tour today. What that means is that it is a tour designed by Oceania passengers, but the participants book individually and you really have no idea who else might be on the tour. For the Casa Peñaflor tour there were 14 of us … some of whom we knew. It wasn’t until later that we understood that the name of the tour is in reference to the property on which our guide Angie lives with her husband in Coyhaique, the capital city of the region … some 48 miles from Puerto Chacabuco.

The first stop was a quick photo op at Lagun Oscoipos. Frankly, I am not sure why we stopped here … but we got out to enjoy the scenery Then we continued onto a wooden bridge that provides a rickety and creaky — and what looked to us as dangerous — vehicle crossing over a river. A quick photo or two and we were on our way again.

Next, we stopped at what Angie termed a Ghost Lagoon. Sticking out of the water here were dead trees … mostly beech as this area has three types of beech trees. The trees were not killed off by pests or anything, but because the roots of the trees were destroyed by underground fires that happened during a period known as the “great burnings” of the Patagonian forests.

Along the road, we next came to the Cascada La Virgen (Virgin Falls) … the largest waterfall in the area … dedicated to the Virgin Mary due to the resemblance some people see in the two-tiered cascade of water to a crown and veil. A couple of shutter clicks … a quick peek inside the small chapel. And we were off.

A roadside stop gave us a glimpse of the valley through which the 55-mile long Rio Simpson runs. The river is apparently known worldwide by anglers for the quality of the fly fishing that can be done here … salmon and trout.

Another stop we made was at Mirador General Marchant, a purpose-built overlook into a scenic valley with the “big letters” for Coyhaique near the terrace. There was considerable mist veiling the scenery unfortunately, and the wind was very strong … the Chilean flags flapping like crazy. With the on-and-off drizzle increasing at this point, we did not dally and were soon on the road again.

When we reached Coyhaique, Angie first took us to a plaza in the city center. There were vendors set up to sell their wares. Mui and I were not interested in shopping, so we just wandered around a bit … found a colorful mural in the schoolyard nearby, as well as a wooden mural and a statue to photograph. Otherwise, we could have done without this stop. Better yet, we later passed a park/plaza where there were statues that looked more photogenic and would have made for a better stop IMHO.

Around 3:30p, we arrived at Casa Peñaflor … situated fairly high in hills surrounding the city … I believe Angie said we were at approximately 2,000 feet there. A tall wall surrounded the property and it wasn’t until we drove in through the gate that we saw the heavily forested land … beautiful and I imagine very peaceful when 14 tourists aren’t roaming about.

We passed the big stone house that Angie and her husband built and circled back around to the outdoor parrilla (barbecue) kitchen. Flutes filled with Pisco (funnily enough the Peruvian version of the liqueur and not the Chilean) sat on bar tables to welcome us. Bottles of chilled Sauvignon Blanc were available for those who preferred it … too dry for my taste.

After our “cocktail welcome”, we were escorted to the glass-enclosed cabin nearby for the main event … coffee and home-baked Streuselkuchen. A variety of teas were also available. We enjoyed the tasty treat as Angie regaled us with their plans for opening a boutique hotel on the property … construction started before the pandemic, and perhaps it will be ready for guests by the end of 2023.

The return trip was made in the rain that fell continuously … hard at times. Having completed all the sightseeing on the way to Coyhaique, we made no stops until we neared Puerto Aisén, the original capital of the region. Here, we made a detour to see the orange bridge … what Angie called the Golden Gate in miniature. With the rain still coming down, no one was interested in getting out. So, we crossed the bridge and completed the 4-mile drive to the tender pier in Puerto Chacabuco.

We were on the tender and back to Insignia shortly after 6:00p ... well ahead of the last tender at 7:30p. We were in the Terrace Café enjoying Executive Chef Farid’s live cooking. — Singapore noodles tonight — when the weighed anchor turned to make the transit back down the fjord.

The tour started off well enough, with Angie regaling us with all kinds of tidbits of information … often comparing living conditions and cultural norms to those in Germany. Despite the fact that the itinerary was little more than a series of short stops, we enjoyed ourselves. Until, Angie got onto a kick about how there was proof that the recent devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria were man-induced … I think there was mention that this was a CIA plot!!!! That she did this and went on and on about it after Mui told her that he was originally Turkish was particularly inappropriate. Sort of took the joy out of today’s experience.Read more