The Carretera Austral

The Carretera Austral runs for some 1,200 kilometres through Chilean Patagonia and connects to very little. Wild Tracks Moto rides it over two weeks, starting near Puerto Montt and working south through Hornopiren, Chaiten and Puyuhuapi to Villa O’Higgins, where the road simply stops, before turning north again along Lago General Carrera towards Coyhaique.

The operator rates it medium with difficult sections and describes the road as technically challenging. A support vehicle and a mechanic travel with the group, and the guides work in English, German and Spanish. You ride for yourself rather than following a leader’s wheel. The route crosses water several times, at Hornopiren, on the way to Chaiten and again on Lago General Carrera, so the rhythm of the fortnight is set as much by ferry timetables as by the riding.

There is one day off, at Puerto Rio Tranquilo, with a choice between the marble caves on Lago General Carrera and heading into the fjords towards Laguna San Rafael. Elsewhere the stops are the point rather than the pause. Caleta Tortel has wooden walkways instead of streets because the terrain allows nothing else, and the route passes through the Pumalin park that Douglas Tompkins handed to Chile. At Villa O’Higgins the group marks reaching the end of the road with a gaucho barbecue and a certificate.

Wild Tracks arranges accommodation throughout, normally a private room with a private or shared bathroom, though it says plainly that the answer is occasionally camping or a dormitory, which is honest about where the road goes. Local food is part of it, and they collect you from the nearest airport at the start and return you at the end. It suits riders who are already comfortable on loose surfaces and want a fortnight of them, rather than anyone looking for a gentle introduction to adventure riding.