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When we got off the bus we asked a man who we had travelled with if he could recommend a hostel, he couldn't but his brother who was meeting him made a call and booked us in to Casa de Huespedes also drove us there in his car, his alsatian bounding along beside. From what we could tell the hostel was not a regular hostel but one normally used by government employees visiting town. Settled in and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon gathering information, checking the Internet and making such forward arrangements as we could.
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Wednesday 4 February 2004
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We were only able to stay at our hostel for one night and so the first thing we had to do was move to the Hostal Licarayen.
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Once we had dropped off our bags we set off for the Reserva Nacional Coyhaique, walking north for about 2km along Avenue Gral. Baquedano then out of town and over the Rio Coyhaique bridge, until we reached a turn off on our right with a sign to the park saying it was a further 1500m to the entrance. Climbed up a gravel road under a strong sun. For the first time in weeks we unzipped our trouser legs to get down to our shorts. By 10.50 we were at the park gate and paid our 600 pesos each entrance fee. Compared the map on the gate sign with the photocopied map we had and set off on a well marked path first passing through an arboretum with various trees named and then through shaded woodland with patches of meadow.
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The path was of well trodden earth with steps. Climbing slowly we passed through beech trees to our left and pine to our right along with clumps of bamboo. At 11.30 we reached the Casa Bruja camp ground and spent 10 minutes exploring the set up. Continued on noting the various plants along the way; vetch, clover, dandelions, wild strawberry, clover, hairy chocolate, calafate, fuchsia, and black currant. At 12.10 we reached Laguna Verde where joined by flies we had lunch in a recently built picnic shelter. Dragon flies also flew about and fish jumped in the lake.
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After half an hour we continued on, though the trail was less walked and less obvious. After a while it the trail divided, the right hand path going up to Cerro Cinchao and the left-hand round by the lakes, still climbing slowly. The woodland was now regenerating beech forest with large trees lying on the ground. We reached Laguna Los Mallines, with ducks paddling around, and the path became more undulating as we continued on to Laguna Venus. The woodland changed again and we were now in old beech forest with large trees, many dead on their feet. The path opened out into a track as we descended to Laguna Los Sapos before returning to a path for a last steep final descent back to the entrance.
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Left the park at 3 o'clock and walked back into town. The landscape to our right with fields and scattered houses cold have been Switzerland.
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For the previous day and a half we had been trying to book ferry tickets from Chaiten to Puerto Montt without success, returned to the travel agent for the latest news which was that the ferry company still hadn't got back to them. However, the good news was that the bus trip we were hoping to go on was now available.
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Up at 7.15 so that we could be at breakfast as soon as it startled and then into the travel agent for the start of the tour at 8.30. Made it with a few minutes to spare and then sat around and watched as the town came to life. Another cloudless day. In the direct sun light it was already hot, but in the shade it was still cool. Finally at 9 o'clock the other passengers turned up and we left town, heading south down a wide grassy rolling valley, studded with trees, with large mesas of rock surrounded by mountains with snow on the top. Slowly the landscape changed, always with hills and valleys with a backdrop of mountains but with different proportions, spacing, folding and out-cropping. Sometimes the road would be in the valley sometimes we would cut through the hills.
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Entered the Castillo Reserve with a number of lakes enclosed by mountains, the upper slopes devoid of vegetation. The road shared the valley with the fast flowing Rio Blanco, as we quickly descended then climbed back out along the Rio Grosse on Route 7. Emerged above a wide basin and stopped at the Mirador Cuesta del Diablo with the Rio Ibaqez deep in the bottom and black spires of the Cerro Castillo contrasting the white snow sitting on strata ledges, to the right. In front of us the road zigzagged down to the river. At the Villa Cerro Castillo we left the concrete road and crossed the Rio Ibaqez where it flowed fast through a narrow gorge before it opened out on a broad plain. Turned off on a track to the Monumento a las Manos, following the right-hand bank of the river.
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The monument was a rock overhang where there are hand prints made a 1000 years ago using mostly red mineral pigments. Some hands were prints and some were outlines produced by blowing paint at a hand placed on the rock.
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After visiting the monument we had a snack and drink before continuing south through forested mountain valleys to Laguna Verde then onto the valley of Ibaqez where we looked down on water flats of lagoons, backwaters, ox bow lakes and reed beds. Followed the southern edge of the river flats, now broad, in a main channel, then again spread across the whole 1km wide valley. This was the same river that earlier had passed through a narrow gorge at Villa Cerro Castillo. Dead trees, with water logged roots stood bearing testimony to previous floods and changes in river direction. Continued to climb following the river up a narrow wooded valley, passing Lago Cofre on our left, to enter high above the valley of Rio Murta. Dropped down to the river which like Rio Ibaqez occupied a wide flat valley. Cabins and barns, many derelict, stood by the way. Dust from vehicles coming the other way caused us to be on alert to close the windows. Crossed a bridge to other side of the Murta valley. The mountains were now standing further back allowing foot hills to spring up. By the time we reached Bahai Murta, on our left, the mountains had pulled back complely to make way for Lago General Carrera (known at the Argentina end as Laguna Buenos Aires), the second largest lake in South America. Bahai Murta was a small side lake to Lago General Carrera, sticking up northwards like a thumb. Just a few ripples disturbing the surface to give different textures of blue. At the top end small islands interrupted the flat surface. Far over on the left horizon, as we entered Puerto Tranquilo, mountains formed a backdrop to the lake. Stopped at a cafi in Puerto Tranquilo for lunch before moving on for just a few more kilometres, round to the main part of the lake, for our boat to Capilla de Marmol, the Marble Caves.
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The boat ride over the emerald lake, which was only disturbed by boats wake, took us to some rocks and cliffs with caverns carved into them by the action of waves. The columns supporting the rocks tapered so that they were at their narrowest at the water line and then widened out again under water. It was difficult to separate real from reflection. The white and light grey marble was streaked with different colours at different locations, blue, yellow, dark grey, brown, orange and beige. Sun shining on the ripples of the lake were reflected on the hammer-like finish on the surface of the marble.
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Returned to Rio Tranquilo for a quick stop before leaving just after 6 o'clock for the return journey, arriving at Coyhaique just before 10.
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Today we thought we would try to climb Cerro Mackay, which was the mountain above the town. It doesn't appear that this was climbed often as there are no regular routes up it and no good instructions that we could find. We asked at the Tourist Information Office and were given a couple of suggestions, neither of which were very specific. We also had a map showing a track going part way up, we decided to try this.
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At 10am we walked east along Avenue Almeranti Simpson, the road climbing steadily all the way. After an hour we had passed beyond the edge of town, onto a gravel road, coming at last to the turn we were looking for. Turned right and followed the track as it climbed upwards passed some houses and also a group of screeching parrots. We were confident that we were on the right track as we passed the final house. However, we had not gone far when the farmer called to us and told us that the path wasn't a public right of way and that he didn't have the authority to give us permission. So reluctantly we turned back and returned to town. For lunch we made our way down to the Rio Claro hoping to find a spot to sit, but all there was was a muddy bank so we found some grass to sit on by the road.
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Returned to town and as it was hot and getting hotter we spent the afternoon lazing about. A local told us that the weather we were experiencing was very unusual, they normally had cooler unsettled weather.
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