Carretera Austral - Disconnecting from the world

The road south of Cochrane looks like an isolated region in the maps, with a few established camping sites and more than 120 km to the closest town (Caleta Tortel). With a few gravel days on the legs most people chose to split this part in two, staying at the few available camp sites (most near the Vargas lake) or wild camping. Internet connection in this zone is almost none existent, just recently the established camp sites are starting to offer internet from Starlink. So planning and informing your plans to family is recommended, though not a must since the road is safe and there always people travelling along that can help in case of emergency. In my case, I decided to do something not many people do, which is have detour for some relaxing and isolation.

Getting to Los Ñadis

Right after I left Cochrane the rain started. Though it was mostly soft, using the rain gear up the first climb caused a bit of overheating. My first stop was caused by some road work, and once they let me go I had to push my bike a bit because due to the works and the rain I wasn’t getting much grip. From there, the climb arrives to a lagoon, where I took shelter under a tree for some pictures. At this time of the morning and with the rain it was feeling a bit colder as I was passing rivers over the hills.

Soon after the rain stopped and the roads were dry I got to a second stop. Here more cars were waiting, and I took the time to rest and feed a bit. The road passes through the hills or mountains with forest with smaller trees and several lakes at the distance. Close Los Ñadis, at the end of a slowly climbing road, it descends arriving to the Barrancos river. In this descent is where I saw my first huemul (deer), a female eating on the side of the road. The huemul seems not paying attention to me, so I could take a few pictures while I and some cars passed next to it. It is also in this descent that I saw the couple from Puerto Bertrand for the last time.

Before the bridge across the Barrancos river, a junction indicates that I have to turn right for the less transited road to the Refugio Rio Ñadis. The road passes through big forests and a few farms separated by tranqueras (fence doors) that must be opened and closed so cattle and sheep don’t escape. Close to the Refugio, the road crosses a hanging bridge, the second one built here as the remains of a previous one still dangle in the river. My arrival at the Refugio is welcomed by some dogs and horses.

Rainy days

My plan for my stay was to do two hikes and rest the final day to prepare for the next two tough days to Villa O’Higgins. As soon as I arrived I put my tent, even though the rainy weather forecast for the night and next day. Since The place offers camping and a refuge with beds, I planned to test whether the tent was still waterproof. All settled, I went for my first hike to the Caracol trail, which takes you high for a view of the junction of the Ñadis and Baker rivers, and the snowy mountains surrounding the place. I took my time in this trail, as the sun was bright and a few clouds were passing.

The second day starts with rain and the discovery that my tent wasn’t completely waterproof. With some of my thing wet, including the exterior of my sleeping bag and mat, I empty my tent and leave them drying in the kitchen. One of staff recommended me to go for a hike to the Paso San Carlos (an national monument built by the settlers of this region), and then later he would teach me to operate the wood stove. With some cookies and my camera in a small bag I started walking following the Baker river from afar with intermittent showers. As I passed several farms, the path was getting closer to the river. After the last one, I had to cross a small river bringing water from the mountains into the Baker. Passing implied jumping to avoid getting wet on the cold water. However a few hundred meters after, I arrive to another tributary. This one is more torrential, and difficult to cross as it had clearly grown from the rain and snow melting. A bit disappointed, I decided to go back because I was walking alone and didn’t have any change of clothes.

Once back, I passed by to visit the owner and to ask about how to use the wood stove. There I had the chance to meet everyone who worked in these nice place, and in proper southern Chile tradition, they invited me for a lamb stew. Later in the afternoon, they taught me how to operate the stove and cut logs. To stay away from the rain, I started reading some Chilean literature while resting in the now heated kitchen area. The rain was intermittent and every time it stopped birds, including parakeets, started to sing. With the stove I was also able to heat water for the bucket shower. At night, I installed myself in one of the beds in the refuge.

The last day, was a bit rainy in the morning but much less than the day before. I walked around the farms, down to the Baker, along the Baker and into the Ñadis river at their junction. Many sheep were around, with some just born, and some cows. After this long walk I finished the book and sorted my things already dry (including the tent). During our lunch I ordered a bread, which the owner said she will make if she had enough ingredients, and on the last day she came to the refugio to settle the bill, and to bring me a fresh out of the oven bread. This bread would keep me going for the next couple of days.

Maps:

More pictures: