Central Austral Chile

You can't drive South to North in Chile because there are large parts with no road and no ferry. Of course you do have the option of going via Argentina all the way North, and we did that for the least developed part in the far South, but in the central part we navigate the route by bus and ferry, and we are rewarded with literally hundreds of kilometres of beautiful virgin forest and mountains, not forgetting the occasional volcano.

Given that Flo's injury meant that she couldn't hike, I hoped this area where walks are flatter and shorter would be a minor compensation. Yesterday, she made a heroic 5km hopping. The weather wasn't great, but the walk along Simpson River near Coyhaique was still very nice.

Today, as we move 429km northwards in a bus, the sun is shining, and we see the mountains and lakes in their full glory.

We're headed for Chaitén, where in 2008 the neighbouring volcano erputed for the 1st time in 9,500 years, resulting in the town being buried in ash and then flooded by rivers whose course was altered. I think I'll tell the kids about that after we leave. However we should be fine, as the place that I've booked is higher up.Read more